Office Depot Named to the 2005 ``Companies That Care'' Honor Roll fo

    Business Editors

    DELRAY BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 2005--Office Depot, Inc., (NYSE:ODP), one of the world's leading resellers of office products and services, announced today that the Company has been named to the "Companies That Care" Honor Roll by the Center for Companies That Care, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois for the second year. This prestigious honor is given to companies that show a deep commitment to their employees' quality of life as well as the communities in which they operate.
    A panel of veteran professionals in a variety of industries selects those organizations that are committed to fostering a work environment based on employee dignity and respect, developing leadership characteristics and holding to a standard of ethics, integrity and community support.
    "Office Depot is deeply honored to once again be named as an Honor Roll Company by the Center for Companies That Care," said Frank Scruggs, Executive Vice President of Human Resources, Office Depot. "Our employees are our most valuable asset. To be recognized for our commitment to our more than 47,000 employees worldwide and our core values as a Company is a tremendous achievement."
    This year, 16 other organizations were also named to the honor roll including Baxter Credit Union; The Care of Trees; CHAN Healthcare Auditors; Convergint Technologies LLC; Delnor-Community Health System; FPL Group; Grant Thornton LLP; Health Grades, Inc.; KPMG LLP; Opto Technology, Inc.; PJM Interconnection; Rauland-Borg Corporation; TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc.; The Supply Room Companies, Inc.; Triangle Printers Inc.; and University HealthSystem Consortium.
    According to Marci Koblenz, President and Founder of Companies That Care, "Office Depot is an example of a Company that not only cares about its employees, but also makes a difference in all the communities where its employees live and work 365 days a year, which is a testament to the foundation and leadership of the company."

    About Companies That Care

    Founded in 2002, Companies That Care is a national, not-for-profit organization that was founded to encourage, celebrate and sustain businesses that prize employees and are committed to on-going community service, through its core components of its annual Companies That Care Day, Honor Roll and Exchange. For more about the Center for Companies That Care, 2005 Honor Roll recipients or more information on their educational initiative, visit the organization's website at: www.companies-that-care.org or call 312-286-1547.

    About Office Depot

    With annual sales approaching $14 billion, Office Depot sells more office products to more customers in more countries than any other company. Incorporated in 1986 and headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida, Office Depot conducts business in 23 countries and employs 47,000 people worldwide. The Company operates under the Office Depot(R), Viking Office Products(R), Viking Direct(R), Guilbert(R), and Tech Depot(R) brand names.
    Office Depot is a leader in every distribution channel - from retail stores and contract delivery to catalogs and e-commerce. With $3.1 billion in online sales in FY'04, the Company is the world's number three Internet retailer. In North America, Office Depot has 969 retail stores in addition to a national business-to-business delivery network supported by 22 delivery centers and more than 60 local sales offices. Internationally, the Company conducts wholly owned operations in 14 countries via 78 retail stores and 25 distribution centers, and operates 153 retail stores under joint venture and license arrangements in another seven 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/

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CONTACT: Office Depot, Delray Beach Brian Levine, 561/438-2895 blevine@officedepot.com or JKG Communications Lauren Garvey, 561/989-9931 ext. 101 Lauren@jkggroup.com

KEYWORD: FLORIDA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: HUMAN RESOURCES RETAIL SOURCE: Office Depot

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