Office Depot Inc. founded in 1986, is one of the world's largest sellers of office products and an industry leader in every distribution channel, including stores, direct mail, contract delivery, the Internet and business-to-business electronic commerce. In 2007 Office Depot sold $15.5 billion of products and services of which $ 4.9 billion was sold via e-commerce. Our business is organized in three business units: North American Retail Division, North American Business Solutions Division and International Division. Sales are processed through multiple channels, consisting of office supply stores, a contract sales force, internet sites, direct marketing catalogues and call centers, all supported by our network of cross docks, warehouses and delivery operations.

 

Headquarters EU

Headquarters US

Office Depot 
Columbusweg 33
5928 LA Venlo 
The Netherlands

Office Depot 
6600 North Military Trail
Boca Raton, Florida  33496-2434
USA

Headquarter Asia

Headquarter Latin America

Office Depot
Suite 614
Tsim Sha Tsui Centre East Wing
66 Mody Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Hong Kong

Office Depot 
6600 North Military Trail
Boca Raton, Florida  33496-2434
USA

 
International Division

Office Depot sells to customers in 43 countries throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America either through wholly-owned entities, majority-owned entities or other ventures covering 35 countries, and through alliances in an additional eight countries. The International Division sells office products and services through direct mail catalogs, contract sales forces, internet sites and retail stores, using a mix of company owned operations, joint ventures, licensing and franchise agreements, alliances and other arrangements. The international direct channel was launched in 1990 with the start-up of operations in the United Kingdom. We now have catalog offerings in 14 countries outside of North America. In March 1999, we introduced our first international public internet site for consumers and businesses in the UK. Today, we operate over 35 separate web sites in the International Division.


 

 

In 2000, we launched the Office Depot contract channel in the UK and subsequently expanded the channel to four additional countries. We further expanded our contract start-up business in 2003 with the acquisition of Guilbert, S.A. Guilbert operations and customers have been fully integrated into the Office Depot operations since the end of 2006, and we no longer operate under the Guilbert trade name.

We are continuously assessing opportunities to expand our geographic footprint around the globe. During 2006, we acquired a controlling interest in Best Office in South Korea and a majority stake in AsiaEC, one of the largest suppliers of office products and services in China. Also in 2006, we increased our ownership interest to a majority stake in Office Depot Israel and acquired Papirius s.r.o., one of the largest business-to-business suppliers of office products and services in Eastern Europe.

At the end of 2007, the International Division operated, through wholly-owned or majority-owned entities, 148 retail stores in France, Japan, Hungary, Israel and South Korea. In addition, we participate under licensing and merchandise arrangements in 92 stores in South Korea and Thailand.

Since 1994, we have participated in a joint venture in Mexico. In recent years, this venture, Office Depot de Mexico, has grown in size and scope and now includes 157 retail locations in Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama, as well as call centers and distribution centers to support the delivery business in certain areas. We provide services to the venture through management consultation, product selection, product sourcing and information technology services. Including company-owned operations, joint ventures, licensing and franchise agreements, we sell office products through 397 retail stores outside North America


 
30+ public Web sites:

 

 

10+ corporate customized contract Internet sites:

 

 
North American Retail

Our North American Retail Division sells a broad assortment of merchandise through our chain of office supply stores in the U.S. and Canada. We currently offer general office supplies, computer supplies, business machines and related supplies, and office furniture from national brands to our own private brands, which include Office Depot ®, Niceday™, Foray ®, Ativa ®, Break Escapes™, Worklife™ and Christopher Lowell™. Most stores also contain a design, print and ship center offering graphic design, printing, reproduction, mailing, shipping, and other services.


 

 

In recent years, we have developed a new store format that we call "M2." This design is intended to enhance the overall shopping experience for customers by providing improved lines of sight, more effective product adjacencies and updated signage and lighting, while lowering overall operating costs. This format is being used for all new store openings and remodels. In 2007, we remodeled 177 stores, and we expect to remodel all remaining stores over the next few years. Our North American Retail Division currently operates over 1,200 office supply stores throughout the U.S. and Canada. The largest concentration of our retail stores is in California, Texas and Florida, but we have broad representation across North America. We plan to continue our store expansion by adding approximately 75 additional stores in 2008.


 
North American Business Solutions Division

We provide office supply products and services directly to businesses through our delivery operations in the U.S. and Canada. In 1998, we expanded our catalog business and strengthened our international operations through our merger with Viking Office Products ("Viking"), a company that sold from catalogs and operated customer call centers in the United States and in several European and Asian countries. In 2006, we stopped marketing the Viking brand in the United States, although we continue to use it for direct marketing to customers in our International Division. In 2006, we acquired Allied Office Products, an independent dealer of office products and services. This acquisition strengthened our position in the Northeastern part of the United States while bringing us expertise and relationships in the important vertical markets of healthcare and legal. Integration of this acquisition was completed early in 2007. Additionally, in 2007, we acquired Axidata Inc., a Canada-based office products delivery company.

Our North American Business Solutions Division sells branded and private brand products and services by means of a dedicated sales force, through catalogs and electronically through our internet sites. We strive to ensure that our customers' needs are satisfied through various channel offerings, and we continue to develop the people, systems and processes to enable us to meet those needs efficiently and effectively. Our direct business is tailored to serve small- to medium-sized customers. Our direct customers can order products from our catalogs, by phone or through our public web sites (www.officedepot.com), including our public web site for technology purchases www.techdepot.com. Our Contract business employs a dedicated sales force that services the office supply needs of medium-sized to Fortune 100 customers. These sales representatives build relationships with customers and provide them with information, business tools and problem-solving services. Contract customers can also shop on dedicated Web sites and in our retail locations while honoring their contract pricing. We also use telephone account management for outbound sales contacts with our customers.