finance
Staples Adds Party City and Stanton Optical Shops to 900 Stores
Staples is expanding services and adding shop-in-shops with Party City in about 700 locations and testing Stanton Optical in the Philadelphia area. The changes are part of a services-led strategy that includes print services, shipping, and product returns. The retailer aims to serve both small businesses and everyday consumers as the office supply market has contracted.
May 15, 10:57 AM·2m read1 source
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Staples is converting its 900 stores into community service hubs by expanding beyond office supplies. The company has added Party City shop-in-shops to roughly 700 stores and is piloting Stanton Optical locations in the Philadelphia market. These moves form part of a services-led approach that includes print services, UPS shipping, online returns, and other offerings.
The strategy is intended to address a shrinking retail category. The office supply market contracted from $14.2 billion in 2015 to $7.4 billion in 2025. Staples has been privately held since its 2017 acquisition by Sycamore Partners for $6.9 billion.
"Retail is highly competitive and ever evolving so we must keep adapting," said Marshall Warkentin, president of U.S. retail. " He said the effort began with print services, which he described as the heart of the stores, and expanded to UPS shipping, online product returns, TSA Precheck, party supplies and eyeglasses.
City entered roughly 700 Staples stores and the company website after its 2024 bankruptcy and closure of more than 800 standalone locations in early 2025. Staples began testing the shop-in-shops last summer. The partnership integrates with Staples printing services for personalized invitations, banners, signs and balloons.
"We understood the power of the Party City brand—it was still very much in people’s minds as a destination for party supplies," Warkentin said. " Recent sales have included Spider-Man and Moana licensed products. Stanton Optical is operating four pilot locations in the Philadelphia area that opened in February.
