Customers looking to purchase Apple products in the United States will soon have the option of shopping at office supply chain Staples, according to multiple tweets from Staples executives discovered Thursday by 9to5Mac. Staples currently sells Apple products in Canada and other international locations but the new deal with Apple will allow it to carry some of Cupertino’s products in the United States for the first time.
The news of the deal was first communicated to Staples employees Thursday evening before breaking on Twitter, according to MacRumors. Staples Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources, Regis Mulot, initially tweeted “After Canada, #Apple products are coming to #Staples in US. Great news!”, although the tweet has now been deleted.
Other tweets include “Thanks #Apple for letting #Staples sell you,” from Staples Strategic Accounts Coordinator Erin LaFlamme, and “Staples just finalized a deal to begin selling Apple products #finally,” from Field Services Manager Mike Goggin.
It is thus far unknown which Apple products Staples will carry in its 1,575 U.S. stores, but rumors of the deal from January suggested that the Massachusetts-based company could carry Apple’s full line of Macs, iPads, and the iPhone 5.
Apple has aggressively expanded its reach beyond its retail stores in recent years. Apple partnered with Best Buy in 2007 after the closure of previous partner CompUSA to sell Macs and eventually iPads. The company has also struck deals with Target, Walmart, and smaller outlets such as Radio Shack, which combine to contribute a significant number of sales for Apple.
While many Apple customers prefer the experience of an Apple Retail Store, Apple’s third-party distribution partnerships significantly enhance the company’s market penetration in areas not yet graced with a giant glowing Apple logo.