Grand & Toy
Canadian office product supplier
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grand & Toy is a Canadian B2B end-to-end supplier of office products and services, founded in 1882 by James Grand as a home-based stationery printing business. It is owned by The ODP Corporation, whose other brands include Office Depot and OfficeMax.
| |
| Formerly | OfficeMax Grand & Toy (2013–2014) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Founded | 1882 |
| Founder | James Grand |
| Headquarters | , Canada |
| Products | Office supplies, technology, health & safety, furniture and interior services |
Number of employees | 1,100 |
| Parent | OfficeMax (1996–2013) The ODP Corporation (2013–present) |
| Website | www |
History
Grand & Toy was founded in 1882 by James Grand as a home-based stationery printing business.[1] A year later, Grand partnered with his brother-in-law, Samuel Toy, to open their first retail store.[2] In 1895, the business moved to a larger location and grew to have a staff of twelve.[3] Samuel Toy died in 1906, leaving James Grand in control of the company.[4] In 1912, Grand & Toy added an office furniture department, and four years later, the business added printing facilities and a bindery.[3] In 1921, Percy Grand took over the business following his father James's death.[4]
By 1982, when the company celebrated its centennial anniversary, Grand & Toy had 35 locations. In 1990, the Grand family sold Grand & Toy to Toronto-based Cara Operations.[3] In 1996, Grand & Toy was purchased by Boise Office Solutions, later renamed OfficeMax, a US-based international office supplies distributor, for US$104 million.[5] By 2013, the company had repositioned itself as an end-to-end provider of business solutions.[6]
In 2008, the company's distribution network, one of the largest in Canada, made 8.4 million deliveries.[7]
In early 2013, the company rebranded as "OfficeMax Grand & Toy", as part of an effort by its U.S. parent company to present a unified brand to customers across North America.[6] However, by the end of the year, OfficeMax had merged with U.S. competitor Office Depot.[8]
On 23 April 2014, OfficeMax Grand & Toy announced it would be focusing on online retail, which accounted for 97% of its sales.[9] The company closed its remaining 19 retail locations.[1][9]
In December 2014, the Canadian operation announced it would rebrand back to simply "Grand & Toy", explaining the reversal as an expression of "confidence in Grand & Toy's brand legacy and a strong commitment to its long-term success".[10]
In 2016, Grand & Toy and TerraCycle Canada announced a national retailer recycling program for office products. The program includes recycling for coffee capsules, office supplies, and computer accessories.[11]
In May 2021, Office Depot announced that it would be splitting into two companies: ODP and NewCo. NewCo will include Office Depot’s business solutions division and Grand & Toy.[12][13]
