Is the retail office supply category dead?

Former Grand & Toy store, Yonge and Bloor, Toronto, ON

Grand & Toy was founded in Toronto in 1882. The firm was purchased by Office Max in 1996 and in 2013 became part of Office Depot.

While retail stores were a key part of the firm's distribution channel for over 100 years, Grand & Toy has recently closed all of its stores to concentrate on ebusiness and B2B sales.

Interestingly, Staples, Office Depot's biggest competitor, recently announced that it was planning to close up to 12% of its stores across North America.

So, the question is, how much longer can the retail store end of the office supply business survive? I'd give it no more than five years.