February 15th 2006

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OFFICE DEPOT NAMES DIRK COLLIN EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & MANAGING DIRECTOR, EUROPE

Delray Beach, Fla., February 15, 2006 - Office Depot (NYSE: ODP), a leading global provider of office products and services, today named Dirk Collin, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Europe. Collin, a Belgian national, will be based in Office Depot’s European Headquarters in Venlo, the Netherlands and report to Charles Brown, President, Office Depot International.

In this position, Collin will be responsible for driving profitable growth and expansion in all European operations.

“Dirk combines great leadership skills and a results orientation with the international experience that is required for this position,” noted Steve Odland, Chairman and CEO of Office Depot. “His depth of knowledge will serve him well as we continue to strengthen our European operations and further leverage our leading position in the marketplace.”

Most recently, Collin served as General Manager, Northern Europe and Vice President Sales Operations (Europe, Asia, Middle East) for StorageTek Corp, headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

He also contributed to the success of Xerox Corporation in Europe, having spent over 25 years in various senior management roles, including: Senior Vice President and General Manager Central Entity (The Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland); Senior Vice President and General Manager Southern Entity (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece); Senior Vice President Industrial Business Operations (Automotive, Aerospace, Retail, Telecom, Hi-Tech, Pharmaceutical, Process Industry, Petrochemical); and General Manager and Managing Director (Belgium, Luxembourg).

Reporting to Collin in the European organization will be the leaders of Merchandising/Marketing, Direct, and Contract, as well as the Country Managers.

About Office Depot
With annual sales of over $14 billion, Office Depot provides more office products and services to more customers in more countries than any other company. Incorporated in 1986 and headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida, Office Depot conducts business in 22 countries and employs 47,000 people worldwide. The Company operates under the Office Depot®, Viking Office Products® and Viking Direct® brand names.

Office Depot is a leader in every distribution channel - from retail stores and contract delivery to catalogs and e-commerce. With over $ 3.8 billion of sales the Company is one of the world’s largest e-commerce retailers. As of December 31, 2005, Office Depot has 1,047 retail stores in North America. Internationally, the Company conducts wholly-owned operations in 14 countries, and operates under joint venture and license arrangements in another six countries.

The company’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP and is included in the S&P 500 Index. Additional press information can be found at: http://mediarelations.officedepot.com.