1986

• Office Depot, Inc. founded in Florida by Pat Sher, Jack Kopkin and Stephen Dougherty.

• Opened our first store in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

1988

• Initial public offering of common stock.

• Introduced full service Copy & Print Centre in U.S. stores.

1990

• Opened, under the Viking brand, our first distribution centre in the United Kingdom.

1991

• Acquisition of The Office Club, Inc.

1992

• Acquisition of H.Q. Office International, Inc., including the Great Canadian Office Supplies Warehouse stores, in western Canada.

1993

• Entrance into the contract stationer business via the acquisition of two leading Contract stationers: Wilson Stationery & Printing Company and Eastman Office Products Corporation.

• Opened, under the Viking brand, our first call centre and distribution centre in Australia.

1994

• Opened, through separate international licensing agreements, first Office Depot stores in Israel and Colombia.

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1995

• Opened, through an international licensing agreement, first Office Depot store in Poland.

• Opened, through a joint venture agreement, first Office Depot store in Mexico.

• Opened, under the Viking brand, our first distribution centre in Germany.

• Opened, under the Viking brand, our first distribution centre in Ireland

• Opened first call centre in The Netherlands.

1996

• Opened, through a joint venture agreement, first Office Depot store in France.

• Opened, under the Viking brand, our first distribution centre in the Netherlands.

1997

• Opened, through separate international licensing agreements, first Office Depot stores in Hungary and Thailand.

• Opened, through a joint venture agreement, first Office Depot store in Japan.

• Opened, under the Viking brand, our first call centre in Austria.

1998

• Launched www.officedepot.com public Web site.

• Viking Office Products becomes wholly owned subsidiary of Office Depot. Acquired remaining 50% of our French joint venture operations.

• Marketing alliance with Telepost, Inc. to offer Web based teleconferencing, presentation and messaging services on OfficeDepot.com

• Opened, under the Viking brand, our first call centre and distribution centre in Italy.

1999

• Acquired remaining 50% of our Japanese joint venture operations.

• Join forces with UPS to offer shipping services in our stores.

• Viking launched it's first European e-commerce Web site, www.viking-direct.co.uk in the United Kingdom.

• Office Depot BSD (Business Services Divisions) launched in the UK.

• Viking began business in Japan and opened our first call centre and distribution centre.

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2000

• Viking launched e-commerce sites in Germany, www.viking.de, The Netherlands, www.vikingdirect.nl, Italy, www.vikingop.it, Japan, www.vikingop.co.jp, Australia, www.vikingop.com.au, and France, www.vikingdirect.fr .

• Office Depot launched e-commerce site in Japan, www.officedepot.co.jp and France, www.officedepot.fr

• Launched Office Depot Business Services Division in the United Kingdom, together with a branded website bsdnet.officedepot.co.uk.

• Office Depot launched Vendor Extranet to provide Office Depot suppliers with a secured Internet access to monitor critical business information between both parties.

2001

• Introduced new phone-in ordering process with voice commerce portal technology powered by NetByTel.

• Commenced nationwide product donation program with Gifts In Kind International.

• Office Depot acquires office products business of Sands & McDougall in Australia.

• Launched Microsoft bCentral web-based services on OfficeDepot.com.

• Office Depot acquires its first online office supplies business, officesupplies.com.

• Office Depot acquires 4Sure.com and the businesses of its two Web-based retail outlets, Computers4Sure.com and Solutions4Sure.com.

• European Business Services Division expanded into Ireland, the Netherlands and France.

• Viking e-commerce site launched in Austria, www.vikingdirekt.at, the Company’s 14th unique Web site around the world.

2002

• In January 2002, commenced Viking direct mail business in Switzerland.

• Viking e-commerce site launched in Ireland, www.vikingdirect.ie, the Company's 15th unique Web site around the world.

• Office Depot's second corporate customised contract Internet site launched in the Netherlands at bsdnet.officedepot.nl.

• July, launched contract Office Depot branded Web site bsdnet.officedepot.ie. in the Republic of Ireland.  

• September, European Business Services Division expanded into Italy.

• New Viking Direct e-commerce websites launched in Switzerland - French www.viking-direkt.ch and German www.vikingdirekt.ch.

• Office Depot launches a brand new business in Spain.

• New Viking Direct e-commerce websites are launched in Belgium - French www.viking-direct.be and Dutch www.vikingdirect.be, and Luxembourg www.viking-direct.lu.

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2003

• In January, launched Viking Direct e-commerce website in Spain www.vikingdirect.es.

• Office Depot BSD launched e-commerce websites in Germany bsdnet.officedepot.de and Italy bsdnet.officedepot.it.

• Office Depot acquires Guilbert S.A. from Pinault-Printemps-Redoute Group

2004

• Office Depot launches new operation in El Salvador.

• Office Depot acquires business in Hungary

• Office Depot creates strategic alliances in Scandinavia to serve international customers.