Party City will return to physical retail through a shop-in-shop assortment inside Staples stores starting this spring, the two companies said this week. The deal puts the retailer back into brick-and-mortar locations for the first time since it shut down its standalone stores in 2024.
About 700 Staples stores will carry the Party City assortment under the partnership, which was announced on April 21.
“Staples has always been focused on making things easy for our customers, and our partnership with Party City takes that promise into new territory,” Staples president Marshall Warkentin said in a statement.
Stores will stock party supplies, tableware, gift bags, party favors, decor, costumes, and a range of foil and latex helium-filled balloons. The selection is smaller than what Party City used to carry on its own, but customers will be able to find most of the basics. Staples customers will also be able to order balloons online or through the Staples app in the coming weeks.
Warkentin said the main appeal of the arrangement would be the bundling. Party City’s products combined with Staples’ print and marketing services mean people can plan a graduation, a baby shower, or an office event in one stop.
Joel Weinshanker, chief executive of Ad Populum, the holding company that owns Party City, said the Staples tie-up is part of a wider relaunch.
“As we take the new Party City to more places than ever before, finding the right partners is essential,” Weinshanker noted.
In their joint announcement, the companies said the partnership is expected to grow into more Staples locations and online in the months ahead, though they did not share specific numbers or dates.
Incentivizing the in-store experience
The chain has been losing customers to Amazon and online retailers for years and has been closing stores as a result. Between October 2025 and January 2026 alone, Staples shut 13 locations, with more closures planned for the spring, according to TheStreet.
The company has been signing partnerships to turn things around. It already shares space with Stanton Optical, Verizon, and Amazon and offers TSA PreCheck enrollment and passport services at some stores.
So it’s no surprise that the Party City partnership features a range of spring promotions aimed at bringing shoppers into Staples stores. The offers include buy two, get one free on select foil balloons through June 13; $5 off a $25 or more party supply purchase through May 2; inflated balloon bouquets from $19.99; 40% off custom cards, invitations, photo gifts, wrapping paper, posters, banners, and yard signs; plus single latex balloons from $2 and supplies from $1.49.
Party City’s history is well known. The first store opened in New Jersey in 1986, and the chain grew to more than 850 stores in North America at its peak. It sold birthday tableware, Halloween costumes, Christmas decor, baby shower and wedding invitations, and helium balloons.
Sales had been declining for years amid shifting consumer habits and increased competition, while legacy debt from its earlier private-equity ownership weighed on the company. Party City filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2024 and closed all of its remaining company-owned stores.
A scaled-down version of the website was relaunched a few months later, selling a smaller selection of products. Ad Populum then acquired the brand, and under the leadership of Joel Weinshanker, the company has traded expensive real estate for this leaner, partnership-focused strategy.
The category itself is still growing. Global market and consulting company Allied Market Research said earlier this month that the global party supplies market is projected to reach $28.7 billion by 2032. The firm said companies focused on personalization, sustainability, and digital commerce are likely to capture an outsized share of that growth.
Sources: Businesswire, TheStreet, PR Newswire, Kroll