(Reuters) - Office Depot Inc (O:ODP), whose merger with larger rival Staples Inc (O:SPLS) was scrapped due to antitrust concerns, said it planned to hire 8,000 temporary and full-time workers during the busy back-to-school season.
Office Depot said temporary staffing will rise by a third as it prepares for the increased customer traffic from July through September.
Some of the new hires will help fulfill the "buy online, pick up in store" service that the company offers, Lynn Gross, Office Depot's vice president of human resources for retail, told Reuters.
Traditional retailers are trying to hold on to their customers by launching new web services as more customers prefer to shop online.
Staples said on Monday that it will launch "Staples Rush," its same-day delivery service to Staples.com customers in major metropolitan areas across the United States.
Staples is overhauling its business by cutting $300 million in costs and exploring strategic alternatives for its European operations.
Up to Monday's close, Office Depot stock had fallen about 42 percent this year, while Staples shares had fallen nearly 10 percent.