<P> Office Depot was founded in October 1986 by F. Patrick Sher, the former chairman and chief executive officer; Stephen Dougherty, the president; and Jack Kopkin, the executive vice president . All three were formerly associated with Mr. HOW Warehouse, a home improvement company that Sher sold to Service Merchandise in 1983 . The company opened its first store at Lakes Mall in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida in October 1986 . </P> <P> On February 20, 2013, it was announced that Office Depot and OfficeMax would combine in an all - stock deal, pending regulatory approval and stockholder approval . On November 5, 2013, the merger was completed . </P> <P> On February 4, 2015, it was announced that rival Staples had agreed to purchase Office Depot in a cash and stock deal worth approximately $6.3 billion . However, in December 2015, the Federal Trade Commission voted to block the merger . On May 10, 2016, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia granted the FTC a preliminary injunction against the merger . After the ruling, Office Depot and Staples announced termination of their proposed merger . </P> <P> This is a list of related events and milestones: </P>

Are office depot and staples the same company