Cartridge World
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| Company type | Private |
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| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | Adelaide, Australia (1992) |
| Founder | Bryan Stokes |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Number of locations | 1,400 stores |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Owner | Wolseley Private Equity |
| Website | www |
Cartridge World is an ink and toner specialty retailer and franchisor. Cartridge World stores provide low quality printing products (cartridges, printers, paper, etc.) and advice and service to home and business customers. Cartridge World stores also offer an alternative to buying new OEM printer cartridges.
The company is currently providing millions of replacement printer cartridges annually using state-of-the-art processes and high-performance ink and toner. Recycling is promoted at every store through cartridge drop-off and collection.
Company overview
The Cartridge World operation is managed via these global offices: Adelaide, Australia; Bishop Thornton, England; Spring Grove, Illinois, USA; Paris, France and across a network of Master Franchisees.
In 1988, Bryan Stokes founded the Australian Cartridge Company in Adelaide, Australia.
In 1997, the first Australian Cartridge Company franchise was awarded.
In 1999, the name of the Australian Cartridge Company was changed to Cartridge World. Bryan Stokes joined forces with Paul Wheeler and together they created the franchising model for Cartridge World which effectively involved injecting ink into empty cartridges using hypodermic syringes.
In 2000, the first international Master Franchisee was established in New Zealand.
In February 2001, the first United Kingdom Cartridge World franchise was awarded in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
In 2003, the first United States Cartridge World franchise was awarded in Orlando, Florida.
In August 2005, Cartridge World celebrated the opening of the 1,000th retail store, in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 2006, Cartridge World headquarters relocated from Adelaide, South Australia to Emeryville, California, USA. Today the global headquarters are located in Spring Grove, Illinois, USA.
In August 2007, Cartridge World was purchased by Wolseley Private Equity, an independent private equity firm established and owned by the current managing directors. Wolseley Private Equity has $350 million funds under management committed from Australian superannuation funds, international investors and the Wolseley team.
Since 2009 the UK network has collapsed from nearly 300 stores to just over 100.
Of the new franchises opened since 2009 very few have been successful, most have closed down having been unable to build a customer base. others have left the brand and gone independent ( Yarmouth, Headingley, Dagenham and others)
In 2013 Cartridge world in the UK closed its warehouse and subcontracted supply after asking suppliers to extend credit terms for supplies already delivered. At the same time a number of redundancies were made and the head office moved from Harrogate to smaller offices.
Global locations
More than 1,400 Cartridge World stores worldwide provide ink and toner cartridges, printers and related services.