|
It is a broader term which refers to all supplies which are regularly used in offices by businesses and other organizations ranging from the people to the governments. Office supplies comprises of small, daily use items such as staples, paper clips, paper and utensils and also includes costly items such as fax machines, printers, computers, cash registers, photocopiers and also includes office furniture such as armoire desks and cubicles. In the 70's and 80's office supplies comprised of adding machines and typewriters.
A number of businesses in the office supply industry have expanded into related markets for businesses such as copy centers which facilitate the creation and printing of business collateral such as stationery and business cards along with high volume, printing and binding of high quality and business and engineering documents.
The office supply industry has been growing and in 1999 the industry was estimated to be worth $225 billion. In United States the largest supply chains are office depot and staples.
|
|