Office Depot Named One of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises for Sixth Straight Year

The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) today announced its annual listing of America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises, the only national award honoring corporations for world class supplier diversity programs. Office Depot (NYSE:ODP), a leading global provider of office products and services, was named to this selective list for the sixth consecutive year. Celebrating the organization’s 10th year as the leading advocate for Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs), WBENC named 16 corporations to this year’s list. Corporations were recognized for their company-wide programs that provide WBEs equal access to corporate contracts for goods and services. "WBENC is proud to recognize Office Depot and the company’s word-class supplier diversity program for the sixth consecutive year,” said WBENC Interim President Linda Denny. "Office Depot is a leader in its commitment to women in business and in its ability to consistently break down barriers that impede WBEs from gaining fair access to procurement opportunities.” Since becoming a Corporate member of WBENC in 2000, Office Depot has participated in numerous WBENC networking events, and provided support for many WBENC initiatives. The Company also plays an active role as a Member of the Board of Directors for WBENC. "We are honored to be named as one of the top corporations for supplier diversity by WBENC,” said Robert McCormes-Ballou, Director of Vendor Diversity for Office Depot and current WBENC board member. "Office Depot is committed to creating productive and collaborative relationships that enable us to provide our customers with a broader range of diversity solutions and a superior level of service.” The WBENC America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises Breakfast and Awards presentation will take place on Friday, March 30, 2007, in Dallas, Texas. Office Depot’s Commitment to Diversity Office Depot is committed to fostering a diverse vendor and supplier network. The Company’s diversity goals are to increase and strengthen the vendor diversity network to reflect the global marketplace, and to support the growth of women and minority-owned suppliers. Additionally, Office Depot is committed to strengthening its focus on supplier diversity to ensure the Company’s supplier base adequately reflects today’s global marketplace. Office Depot works with partners like WBENC to expand the capacity of members and to help them compete more effectively in the office supply marketplace. These efforts help Office Depot’s partners achieve long-term independent business viability with sustainable economic growth. About Office Depot 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, Fla., Office Depot has annual sales of over $15 billion, and employs approximately 52,000 associates around the world. Currently, the Company sells to customers directly or through affiliates in 42 countries. Office Depot is a leader in every distribution channel -- from retail stores and contract delivery to catalogs and e-commerce. As of December 30, 2006, Office Depot had 1,158 retail stores in North America and another 348 stores, either company-owned, licensed or franchised, in other parts of the world. Office Depot serves a wide range of customers through a dedicated sales force, telephone account managers, direct mail offerings, and multiple web sites. With $4.3 billion in online sales during the last twelve months, the Company is also one of the world’s largest e-commerce retailers. Office Depot’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. About the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), founded in 1997, is the nation's leading advocate of women-owned businesses as suppliers to America's corporations. It also is the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the United States. WBENC works to foster diversity in the world of commerce with programs and policies designed to expand opportunities and eliminate barriers in the marketplace for women business owners. WBENC works with representatives of corporations to encourage the utilization and expansion of supplier/vendor diversity programs. For more information, visit www.wbenc.com.