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Staples is wagering coworking is a road best traveled alone.
Staples and Workbar have decided to go their separate ways after partnering on coworking in Greater Boston since 2016. The office supply company and the coworking firm will end a partnership that had Workbar operating coworking space inside three Massachusetts Staples stores, the companies announced in a joint statement Tuesday morning.
Staples will still have a coworking business through Staples Studio, a brand expected to launch from the former Workbar spaces at the office supply chain’s stores in Norwood, Danvers and Brighton. The new coworking brand is aimed at small-business customers.
"The coworking program from Workbar that we made available to Staples customers in-store provided good learnings for both of our organizations, as well as a differentiated solution for businesses,” Staples Chief Merchandising Officer Peter Scala said in a prepared statement. “We look forward to building upon our current platform by integrating coworking into a broader range of small business service offerings, including onsite legal, marketing and human resources consultation, among other features.”
Workbar will now focus its growth strategy on stand-alone branches of at least 5K SF. Workbar members at the Norwood, Danvers or Brighton locations will be able to transfer to different Workbars or remain and become Staples Studio members.
Staples will transition each Workbar into a Staples Studio over the spring and into early June.
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