Staples (SPLS) reported earnings Wed 15 Aug 2012

Staples Inc. (SPLS, $11.49, -$1.97, -14.60%) posted a 32% slump in profit in its latest quarter, hurt by an unexpected downturn in North American sales trends and continued sluggishness abroad. The nation's largest office supply chain also lowered its full-year guidance, sending shares plunging to a nine-year low. The disappointing report pressured peers Office Depot Inc. (ODP, $1.55, -$0.05, -3.13%) and OfficeMax Inc. (OMX, $5.03, -$0.16, -3.08%), leaving all three dwindling near the bottom of the S&P 1500.

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