Dive Brief:

• Grand & Toy, established in Toronto in 1882 and now with 19 stores across Canada, was bought by OfficeMax Inc. in 1996, which in turn was taken over by Office Depot Inc. in 2013.

• The historic retailer was founded by a printer, James Grand, and his brother-in-law, Samuel Toy, as a stationery store, although the name often led to the belief that it was a toy store.

• The office supplies retailer, like many others, has seen most of its business move online, where it will continue to do business.

Dive Insight:

Like Staples and Office Depot, Canada’s Grand & Toy has seen its business move online. Unlike many other retailers, whose customers often do appreciate the in-store experience of trying on products, business supplies tend to be a question of refilling a company’s needed stocks of items like paper, pens, or printer ink. James Grand’s old printing and stationery business has apparently evolved to a more generic supplies business better suited to e-commerce.