OfficeMax Committed to Atlanta

OfficeMax (Shaker Heights, Ohio), the office products superstore chain, has denied a security analyst report speculating that the company would close its stores in the Atlanta market.

“[The rumor] has no basis in fact and is blatantly incorrect,” the company insisted in a statement. In fact, the company said. the Atlanta market is one of the company's targeted growth areas. It's a city commonly used to test new merchandise and marketing programs, including OfficeMax's launch next week of a new initiative with Earthlink, marketing Internet services. OfficeMax has 23 locations in the Atlanta-area market, two of which have been opened during the past six months.

“Prior to the issuance of this report, we were never contacted by the analyst inquiring about OfficeMax's status in Atlanta,” the company said.

OfficeMax is the Number Three U.S. office supply superstore chain (behind Office Depot and Staples) with more than 990 stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, as well as joint ventures in Brazil and Mexico.