CHICAGO — Office Depot Inc. will close about 9 percent of its North American stores, including two in Colorado, and cut 2,200 jobs over the next three months while planning to open fewer locations next year in an effort to cut costs.
Shares of the office-supply chain rose more than 12 percent after Wednesday’s announcement.
The plan to shutter 112 stores will reduce the chain’s base to 1,163. It plans to close 45 stores in the central U.S., 40 in the Northeast and Canada, 19 in the West and eight in the South.
Melissa Perlman of Office Depot said stores in Aurora and Broomfield will close.
Office Depot, which began the year with about 49,000 workers, also will close six of its 33 North American distribution facilities.
Meanwhile, the Delray Beach, Fla.- based company said it plans to shut another 14 stores next year while opening 20 new sites, half of what it planned.
Analysts said the move was needed and will likely give the company a much-needed short-term financial boost. But they said they doubted the effort would be enough to fix the company’s financial condition.
“It’s not enough to really close the gap and make a meaningful impact compared to Staples and the mass- merchant competitors,” said Morningstar analyst R.J. Hottovy. “But it’s probably a Band-Aid on a flesh wound.”
Goldman Sachs analyst Matthew Fassler said Wednesday’s announcement — while widely anticipated after the company announced it was starting a strategic review in late October — involves more locations than many expected.
