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US: Investor wants Staples/Office Depot merger

By  |  December 11, 2014

An activist investor is calling for the merger of Staples and Office Depot, reports say.

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    Regulatory filings show Starboard Value boosted its stake in Office Depot to nearly 10 percent and revealed a 5.1 percent stake in Staples. Unnamed sources say Starboard is strategizing to promote a merger of the two.

    The office supply industry has seen some consolidation recently; last year, the Federal Trade Commission approved of Office Depot’s $976 million acquisition of OfficeMax.

    A combination of Staples and Office Depot was thwarted by regulators 17 years ago. This time, however, experts say regulators could clear a merger to boost competition in a saturated industry. Reports say a deal could reach $6 billion.

    Full content: Reuters

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