History
Office Depot was founded in March 1986 by the late F. Patrick Sher, the former chairman and chief executive officer, Dougherty, president, and Jack Kopkin, executive vice president. All were formerly associated with Home-owner's Warehouse, the home improvement company that Sher sold to Service Merchandise in 1983 and renamed Mr. HOW Warehouse. The catalog showroom chain eventually sold off the Mr. HOW units to a variety of buyers, including Builders Square, the home center warehouse subsidiary of Kmart Corp. They envisioned a warehouse-style store for office products where customers could purchase items in bulk for discounted prices. This concept led to starting Office Depot, and the company opened its first store at Lakes Mall in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida in October 1986. The company saw steady growth throughout the years, and opened the 1000th Office Depot North American retail store in Countryside, Illinois in 2005.
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