FTC v. Staples 1997: Office Supply Superstores

Case Study

In September 1996, Staples and Office Depot, two retail chain operators specializing in office supplies, decided to merge, with Staples acquiring Office Depot. In April 1997, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) initiated a preliminary injunction to block the merger, and by June 1997, the U.S. District Court ruled in favour of the FTC. This litigation attracted attention due to its use of econometrics in analyzing mergers. This note will provide an overview of the key details related to this case.