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Staples And Office Depot Merger: What Does It Say About Office Supply Business?

NPR

Published February 5, 2015 at 1:50 PM EST

Staples bought Office Depot for $6.3 billion this week. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Stapes announced this week that it is acquiring Office Depot in a $6.3 billion merger deal.

The deal is expected to be scrutinized by regulators wary of reducing competition. But the two retailers argue that there’s a range of competition online from the likes of Walmart and Amazon, and that the merger would keep them competitive.

Derek Thompson, senior editor at the Atlantic, tells Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson and Robin Young what this merger could mean.

Guest

Derek Thompson, senior editor at The Atlantic. He tweets @DKThomp.