Office Depot holds 2004 European Supplier Awards

October 10th 2004

OFFICE DEPOT HOLDS 2004 EUROPEAN SUPPLIER AWARDS.

Andover, United Kingdom - October 10th, 2004 - 11th October 2004, the Office Depot Supplier Awards 2004 was held during the recent European Merchandising Conference, in Marbella (Spain) on October 9th, 10th and 11th.

Peter Damman, Vice President European Purchasing, who hosted the award evening, commented: “The Office Depot Vendor Awards is designed to recognise the suppliers’ whose performance has been truly outstanding. Judging the contestants proved yet again to be difficult. There were many good candidates, and it is with great pleasure that we announce the following winners”:

Supplier of the year, technology:	Canon
Supplier of the year, general office supplies:	Smead
Supplier of the year, furniture:	Topstar
Supplier of the year, paper:	International Paper
Product of the year:	Open art chair from Topstar
Account Manager of the year:	Frank Barelle (from Maped)

The overall supplier of the year award was awarded to Canon. Dedicated account management, innovative products, and commitment to grow with Office Depot were just some of the reasons why Canon received this prestigious award. In their speech Maurice Elema and Raoul Rodenburg from Canon mentioned that they see this award as an incentive to grow the business even further with Office Depot.

The annually held Office Depot Merchandising Conference saw 60 top suppliers and all of the European Merchandising, Mail Order, E-Commerce and Supply Chain teams attend, together with Senior Management and Contract General Managers.

More than 250 representatives participated in this three day conference. In addition to the numerous internal meetings and presentations, a vendor exhibition, where some 60 vendors exhibited their new products, innovations and promotional campaigns, took place.

The ‘going for growth’ theme at the conference this year was emphasised by Peter Damman when he said “It is a unique event where vendors and Office Depot Managers can come together to exchange ideas on supply chain, business development, marketing and e-commerce strategies and where vendors can introduce new products and promotional campaigns”.

About Office Depot

With annual sales of more than $12 billion, no one sells more office supplies to more customers in more countries than Office Depot. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Delray Beach, FL, the company conducts business in 23 countries and employs nearly 50,000 people worldwide.

Office Depot is a leader in every distribution channel – from retail stores and contract delivery to catalogs and e-commerce. The company is the world’s number two online retailer – generating $2.6B in sales for FY’03. In North America, Office Depot has 900 retail stores in addition to a national business-to-business delivery network supported by 22 delivery centers, more than 60 local sales offices and 13 regional call centers.

The company’s common stock is traded 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.