Exhibit 3.1

THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

OF

ESSENDANT INC.

ARTICLE I

The name of the corporation is Essendant Inc.

ARTICLE II

The address of the corporation’s registered office in the State of Delaware is 251 Little Falls Drive, in the City of Wilmington, County of New Castle, Delaware 19808. The name of its registered agent at such address is Corporation Service Company.

ARTICLE III

The nature of the business or purposes to be conducted or promoted is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.

ARTICLE IV

The total number of shares of stock which the corporation has authority to issue is one thousand (1,000) shares of Common Stock, with a par value of $0.01 per share.

ARTICLE V

The corporation is to have perpetual existence.

ARTICLE VI

In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred by statute, the board of directors of the corporation is expressly authorized to make, alter or repeal the by-laws of the corporation.

ARTICLE VII

Meetings of stockholders may be held within or without the State of Delaware, as the by-laws of the corporation may provide. The books of the corporation may be kept outside the State of Delaware at such place or places as may be designated from time to time by the board of directors or in the by-laws of the corporation. Election of directors need not be by written ballot unless the by-laws of the corporation so provide.

ARTICLE VIII

The corporation shall indemnify any person who was, is, or is threatened to be made a party to a proceeding (as hereinafter defined) by reason of the fact that he or she (i) is or was a director or officer of the corporation or (ii) while a director or officer of the corporation, is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, partner, venturer, proprietor, trustee, employee, agent, or similar functionary of another foreign or domestic corporation, partnership, joint venture, sole proprietorship, trust, employee benefit plan, or other enterprise, to the fullest extent permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended. Such right shall be a contract right and as such shall run to the benefit of any director or officer who is elected and accepts the position of director or officer of the corporation or elects to continue to serve as a director or officer of the corporation while this Article VIII is in effect. Any repeal or amendment of this Article VIII shall be prospective only and shall not limit the rights of any such director or officer or the obligations of the corporation with respect to any claim arising from or related to the services of such director or officer in any of the foregoing capacities prior to any such repeal or amendment to this Article VIII. Such right shall include the right to be paid by the corporation expenses incurred in investigating or defending any such proceeding in advance of its final disposition to the maximum extent permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended. If a claim for indemnification or advancement of expenses hereunder is not paid in full by the corporation within sixty (60) days after a written claim has been received by the corporation, the claimant may at any time thereafter bring suit against the corporation to recover the unpaid amount of the claim, and if successful in whole or in part, the claimant shall also be entitled to be paid the expenses of prosecuting such claim. It shall be a defense to any such action that such indemnification or advancement of costs of defense is not permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law, but the burden of proving such defense shall be on the corporation. Neither the failure of the corporation (including its board of directors or any committee thereof, independent legal counsel, or stockholders) to have made its determination prior to the commencement of such action that indemnification of, or advancement of costs of defense to, the claimant is permissible in the circumstances nor an actual determination by the corporation (including its board of directors or any committee thereof, independent legal counsel, or stockholders) that such indemnification or advancement is not permissible shall be a defense to the action or create a presumption that such indemnification or advancement is not permissible. In the event of the death of any person having a right of indemnification under the foregoing provisions, such right shall inure to the benefit of his or her heirs, executors, administrators, and personal representatives. The rights conferred above shall not be exclusive of any other right which any person may have or hereafter acquire under any statute, by-law, resolution of stockholders or directors, agreement, or otherwise. As used herein, the term “proceeding” means any threatened, pending, or completed action, suit, or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, arbitrative, or investigative, any appeal in such an action, suit, or proceeding, and any inquiry or investigation that could lead to such an action, suit, or proceeding.

No director of the corporation shall be liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which

involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or (iv) for any transaction in which the director derived an improper personal benefit. Any repeal or modification of the foregoing paragraph by the stockholders of the corporation shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a director of the corporation existing at the time of such repeal or modification.

The corporation may additionally indemnify any employee or agent of the corporation to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, to the extent permitted by then applicable law, the grant of mandatory indemnification pursuant to this Article VIII shall extend to proceedings involving the negligence of such person.

The corporation hereby acknowledges that certain indemnitees may have certain rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses and/or insurance provided by Sycamore Partners Management, L.P. or any of its affiliates (collectively, the “Fund Indemnitors”). The corporation hereby agrees (i) that it is the indemnitor of first resort (i.e., its obligations to such indemnitee are primary and any obligation of the Fund Indemnitors to advance expenses or to provide indemnification for the same expenses or liabilities incurred by such indemnitee are secondary), (ii) that it shall be required to advance the full amount of expenses incurred by such indemnitee and shall be liable for the full amount of all costs, expenses, judgments, penalties, fines and amounts paid in settlement to the extent legally permitted and as required by the terms of this Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, without regard to any rights such indemnitee may have against the Fund Indemnitors, and (iii) that it irrevocably waives, relinquishes and releases the Fund Indemnitors from any and all claims against the Fund Indemnitors, as applicable, for contribution, subrogation or any other recovery of any kind in respect thereof. The corporation further agrees that no advancement or payment by the Fund Indemnitors on behalf of such indemnitee with respect to any claim for which such indemnitee has sought indemnification from the corporation shall affect the foregoing and the Fund Indemnitors, as applicable, shall have a right of contribution and/or be subrogated to the extent of such advancement or payment to all of the rights of recovery of such indemnitee against the corporation.

ARTICLE IX

The corporation expressly elects not to be governed by Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.

ARTICLE X

The corporation reserves the right to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in this certificate of incorporation in the manner now or hereafter prescribed herein and by the laws of the State of Delaware, and all rights conferred upon stockholders herein are granted subject to this reservation.

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