Staples and Office Depot drop merger plan after court blocks it

Judge rules that two giants' tie-up would create just one dominant office supplies retailer and impair competition

Thu, May 12, 2016 - 5:50 AM

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked a US$6.3 billion proposed merger of Staples and Office Depot, dashing another huge US deal and handing the Obama administration one more antitrust victory.

PHOTO: AFP

New York

A FEDERAL judge on Tuesday blocked a US$6.3 billion proposed merger of Staples and Office Depot, dashing another huge US deal and handing the Obama administration one more antitrust victory.

The decision is a setback for the beleaguered retailers, which have each endured...