OFFICEMAX:INK-REFILLS IN 900+ STORES

[Anonymous]

OfficeMax Launches Nationwide 900+ Store Rollout of Ink Refill Station Program
Challenging Consumers to Be Environmentally Responsible, Save Money By Refilling Computer Printer Ink Cartridges
March
06ITASCA, Ill., March 06 — Determined to persuade millions of
Americans to save money and be environmentally responsible by refilling
their old computer printer ink cartridges rather than buying new ones,
OfficeMax kicked-off one of the most ambitious service launches in the
Company’s history. The OfficeMax Ink program, which involves installing
Ink Filling Station kiosks that will enable consumers at nearly 900
OfficeMax stores by Fall 2006 to refill empty ink cartridges at up to
50 percent savings over buying a new cartridge, is the first step in
OfficeMax’s new Ink Initiative. The Company-wide Ink Initiative is
designed to provide OfficeMax customers with a total ink solution
spanning the purchase of new ink cartridges (either branded or
OfficeMax’s own label), the refilling of empty ones, and the recycling
of ink cartridges that have reached the end of their useful life.
The
eight-foot-high, 200-pound Ink Filling Stations — created by London-
based Cartucho exclusively for OfficeMax stores — are to be installed
in nearly 50 Chicago-area stores and will be rolled out to OfficeMax
stores across the country throughout 2006. OfficeMax will charge $12.99
to $22.99 to refill an ink cartridge, depending upon the make of the
printer — a savings of as much as 50% over buying a new one. An
OfficeMax employee will run a diagnostic test on every ink cartridge
brought into the store; clean each cartridge of residual ink with an
atomizer; and then refill the cartridge inside a vacuum chamber to
ensure quality, as an onboard computer guarantees the correct amount of
ink for each cartridge. Every customer walks away with an instant
“print test” strip made by their newly-refilled cartridge, produced by
a printer attached to the Filling Station.
Given that most computer
users replace their printer’s ink cartridge 4 to 6 times a year,
OfficeMax believes their Ink Filling Stations could save consumers
hundreds of thousands of dollars. Customers will have the option to
wait in the store while their ink cartridges are refilled, with an
opportunity to shop for other office necessities during the brief wait,
or to drop the cartridges off at the OfficeMax store for later pick-up.
Because ink cartridges can be refilled between 4 to 10 times before
being recycled, OfficeMax expects the Ink Refill program to eliminate
thousands of pounds of plastic waste from public landfills. “Throughout
the world, consumers throw out 300 million ink cartridges a year — and
because cartridges are made of materials which do not degrade in
landfills for 1,000 years, empty ink cartridges are an environmental
challenge,” says Ryan Vero, executive vice president and chief
merchandising officer for OfficeMax. “Our new Ink Refill station
program saves consumers money and is environmentally responsible. After
the cartridges are refilled to the end of their useful life, OfficeMax
will take them to recyclers who break down the materials without
filling up another landfill.”

[Author]

March 27, 2006 at 1:22 PM