Staples Is Closing More Stores in 2026 as the Office Supply Giant Faces a $20 Billion Industry Shake-Up.

Staples store closures are accelerating in 2026, and two longtime locations in California and New York are becoming the latest examples of how America’s retail landscape is changing.

For decades, Staples was the place millions of Americans visited for printer ink, notebooks, office chairs, school supplies and business essentials. At its peak, the company grew to more than 900 U.S. stores, turning the office supply superstore into a familiar part of suburban shopping centers.

Now, the company is taking a different path.

Two Staples locations are scheduled to close in August 2026: one in Goleta, California, after nearly 27 years, and another in Levittown, New York, after more than 15 years. The closures represent a broader shift affecting office retailers as online shopping, artificial intelligence, digital paperwork and hybrid work continue changing how Americans buy workplace products.

The question facing Staples is no longer simply how many stores it can operate. The bigger question is how much physical retail space an office supply company needs in a world where a business can order 100 boxes of printer paper online in less than 5 minutes without entering a store.

Two Communities Are Losing Familiar Staples Locations

The first major closure is happening in Goleta, California, where the Staples store at 7015 Market Place Drive is preparing to shut down after serving the community for more than 2 decades.

For many local customers, the store represented more than shelves filled with paper and office equipment. It provided printing services, document preparation, shipping support, and last-minute purchases for students, entrepreneurs, and small businesses.

The closure will remove Staples’ only physical presence in Santa Barbara County, forcing some customers to travel farther or move more of their purchases online.

The second closure involves the Staples store at 2981-2991 Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown, New York. That location has operated for more than 15 years and is expected to close as the shopping center prepares for a new tenant.

The replacement highlights another major retail trend: large stores that once sold specialized merchandise are increasingly being converted into businesses that create more frequent customer visits.

A grocery store may attract shoppers 2 or 3 times per week, while an office supply store may only see customers several times per year. That difference has become increasingly important as landlords rethink how shopping centers generate traffic.

Staples Has Shrunk Its Store Network as Shopping Habits Change

The latest closures are part of a longer effort to adjust Staples’ physical footprint.

The company’s U.S. store count has gradually declined from its former size as executives evaluate locations based on profitability, lease costs and customer demand.

Industry data shows that Staples operated approximately 900-plus locations during its strongest years. Today, the company continues operating hundreds of stores but has become more selective about where those stores remain.

The shift mirrors a broader retail reality: having more stores does not automatically create more sales.

A large store requires millions of dollars in annual expenses, including rent, employees, utilities, insurance, inventory and maintenance. If customer visits decline, even a recognizable brand may decide that a location no longer makes financial sense.

For Staples, the challenge is especially significant because many of its traditional products are purchased differently than they were 10, 15 or 20 years ago.

Consumers once drove to office supply stores to buy printer cartridges, folders, filing cabinets and paper. Today, many of those same items can arrive at a customer’s door within 24 to 48 hours.

The Office Supply Industry Is Facing a Digital Reality Check

Staples’ store closures are connected to a much larger transformation happening across the office supply industry.

Market research estimates place the U.S. office supplies industry in the tens of billions of dollars, but revenue growth has become increasingly difficult as companies reduce physical paperwork and move toward digital systems.

One major challenge is that Americans simply need fewer traditional office products than they did before.

Cloud storage has reduced dependence on filing cabinets. Digital signatures have replaced many paper contracts. Online meetings have changed how companies use conference rooms. Artificial intelligence tools are also redirecting business spending toward software rather than traditional supplies.

The result is a market where fewer physical products are needed. Research from Circana has projected the U.S. office supplies market will reach approximately $11.1 billion in sales in 2026, but unit sales are expected to decline by nearly 3% as consumers buy fewer products even when spending remains relatively stable.

That creates a difficult environment for retailers. Selling fewer items means stores must work harder to generate the same revenue.

Why Remote Work Changed the Staples Business Model

The rise of remote and hybrid work created a major disruption for office supply retailers.

Before 2020, millions of employees worked from centralized offices where companies purchased supplies in bulk. A large office might regularly need thousands of sheets of paper, printer cartridges, filing materials and workplace furniture.

Today, many companies operate with employees spread across homes, coworking spaces and smaller offices.

This changed where and how workplace spending happens.

A business employee may no longer visit a Staples store after work to buy supplies. Instead, a company administrator may place a digital order that ships directly to multiple employees across different cities.

That change reduces the importance of having a store on every major street.

Instead, retailers are focusing on services that cannot easily be replaced online, including printing, business accounts, delivery, technology support and customized workplace solutions.

Staples Is Betting on Services, Not Just Shelves

The future of Staples is increasingly connected to services.

A traditional office supply store depended on customers walking through aisles and purchasing products. The newer model depends on solving workplace problems.

Printing remains one of the company’s strongest advantages because customers often need documents quickly and cannot wait for traditional shipping.

A customer who needs 500 flyers tomorrow morning, a business that needs presentation materials before a meeting, or a student who needs a large research project printed may still prefer a physical location.

Staples has also expanded its business-to-business operations, targeting companies that need recurring supply management rather than occasional consumer purchases.

This approach allows the company to compete in a different market where convenience and reliability matter more than simply having the lowest price.

A Retail Giant That Once Changed Shopping Is Now Adapting Again

Staples was founded in 1986 in Brighton, Massachusetts, during a period when personal computers and small businesses were expanding rapidly.

The company’s original idea was simple: create a large store where businesses could find everything needed to operate.

That strategy worked.

At its height, Staples became one of America’s largest office retailers, expanding nationwide and competing directly with companies like Office Depot.

But the same technology that helped create demand for office products eventually changed the market.

The internet transformed shopping. Smartphones made ordering instant. Cloud computing reduced paper usage. Digital tools replaced many physical workplace processes.

Staples’ history reflects a larger pattern in American retail: successful companies often struggle when the habits that created their success disappear.

The Failed Office Depot Deal Changed the Industry Conversation

Staples also faced a major turning point when it attempted to combine with rival Office Depot.

The proposed merger was valued at more than $6 billion and was designed to create a stronger competitor in the office supply market.

However, federal regulators challenged the deal, arguing that combining the two companies could reduce competition, especially for large corporate customers.

The merger ultimately failed, leaving Staples to navigate the changing market independently.

Instead of becoming a larger traditional office supply giant, the company shifted toward business services, digital ordering, and a more focused retail strategy.

The Future of Staples May Be Smaller but More Specialized

The next version of Staples may look very different from the company many Americans remember.

The giant stores filled with thousands of products may become less common. Smaller locations, service centers and digital-first operations could become more important.

Retail analysts have seen similar strategies across industries. Companies are reducing large footprints while investing more heavily in online platforms, delivery networks and specialized services.

For customers, that means convenience may remain available, but the experience may change.

A future Staples visit may be less about walking through endless aisles and more about printing documents, picking up online orders, receiving business support or accessing technology services.

The Bigger Lesson Behind the Staples Closures

The closing of two stores may seem like a local retail story, but it represents something much larger.

America’s shopping habits have changed dramatically in just one generation.

A company that once succeeded by putting every office product under one roof must now compete in a world where customers expect everything delivered instantly, businesses rely on digital tools, and physical stores must provide experiences that online shopping cannot.

The Staples name remains recognizable after nearly 40 years, but the company’s future depends on adaptation.

The August 2026 closures are not simply about two empty storefronts. They are another reminder that American retail is constantly being rewritten, one location at a time.