Office Supply & Paper Wholesalers Industry Profile

Companies in this industry distribute paper products and other office supplies. Major companies include Staples subsidiary Essendant, SP Richards (a subsidiary of Genuine Parts), and the distribution arms of retailers Office Depot and Staples (all based in the US), as well as Pelikan (Germany), Lyreco and Manutan International (France), and Spicers (UK and Australia).

The global office supplies market reached a value of almost $156 billion in 2022. The market is further expected to grow at a CAGR of 2.1% in the forecast period of 2023-2030 to attain approximately $195 billion by 2030, according to a report by Fortune Business Insights. Worldwide, countries with strong economies tend to have the highest number of office supply distributors. Developing countries where new businesses are being created, such as China and India, will attract more office supply distributors as demand for office products increases.

The US office supply and paper wholesale industry includes about 4,400 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with annual revenue of about $45 billion.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is closely tied to the level of business activity. However, workplace digitization is depressing demand for traditional office products. To compensate, SP Richards, Office Depot and other office products distributors are expanding beyond their traditional offerings, adding janitorial and breakroom supplies, among other products, and providing value-added services for customers.

The convenience and large economies of scale offered by ordering office supplies ...