Office Depot's ``5% Back To Schools'' Program Kicks Off Today and its New www.school.com Web site.

Business Editors

NOTE TO MEDIA: Multimedia assets available

DELRAY BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 22, 2002

Hot Products Featured This Year Let Children Go Back To School in

Style with the Trendy, Colorful Tools They Need To Make the Grade

Today, Office Depot, Inc. (NYSE:ODP), the world's largest seller of office products, announced that its "5% Back To Schools" program kicks into high gear as teachers, children and parents begin getting ready for another Back To School season. To help teachers, parents and children get ready for another exciting school year, Office Depot offers thousands of school supplies and trendy, cool hot products at its more than 850 retail stores. In addition, today Office Depot announced the launch of www.School.com, which is the Company's new E-Commerce site dedicated entirely to year-round school supplies and school needs.

The School.com launch provides teachers, schools, students and parents with the convenience of online shopping with the product selection and expert customer service that customers have come to expect from Office Depot. The all-new School.com site is comprised of everything you need from Basic School Supplies, Teacher Needs, to Dorm Room Essentials and even the hottest Techie Tools and gadgets for all ages.

Office Depot's "5% Back To Schools" Program:

Underscoring its commitment to supporting parents, children, teachers and education, now through September 30, 2002, the Company will again offer its popular "5% Back To Schools" program across North America. Last year, the Company donated nearly $3 million in school supply credits to more than 80,000 public, private, and home schools. The program is available at Office Depot's more than 850 retail stores in North America as well as online at http://www.officedepot.com and http://www.school.com.

-- Carry That Weight in Style - This fall's backpacks in bright new colors are ready for everything with deluxe features like padded CD player pockets; wheels for students who lug lots of books and wheels that light up. Also available are clear, see-through vinyl backpacks, which many schools now require to aid in on-campus security.

-- No More Paper Bags - Now students don't have to pack their lunch in an ordinary paper bag, new insulated twist and close and compact lunch bags are available and in cool, bright new colors. And remember when you covered textbooks in paper, not anymore -- new stretchable book covers in bright new colors that fit any textbook and vinyl, self-adhesive book covers in bright, solid colors that can be used again and again.

-- Jazz Up Your School Locker - For many students keeping everything organized in a locker can be difficult, but now new accessories for lockers are helping students keep their things in order. Mesh and nylon Locker pockets are the newest in helping students stay organized and shelf dividers to keep books and notes in a safe place.

-- Tools You Need - Now you can have all the tools you need to make the grade. Sets include protractors, rulers, erasers and compasses all in one case. And choose from basic calculators to ones that have it all with science and metric conversion buttons.

-- One Plus One Equals Two - Learning the basics can be tough for children but not when they have their own set of flashcards for addition, subtraction and multiplication, which are great for in class use and for practicing at home too.

-- Paperclips and Pushpins Galore - Students and teachers both need paperclips and pushpins and this year they are available in bright colors, both small and extra large, for those thick term papers or pushpins for posting art on bulletin boards.

-- Let Your Nose Be Your Guide in Art Class - New this year are Scented Colored pencils by Colorific in bright colors and fun scents like Banana Yellow, Watermelon Pink and Mango Orange. And for those creative art students, washable paint pens and gel markers help children create "Works of Art."

-- Digital Planners - A new twist on student organizers, today's Palm Pilots aren't just for Mom and Dad anymore, with many students choosing to keep notes on their upcoming tests or assignments in these high-tech gadgets. Models are available for the price conscious parent starting at $99.99.

-- Digital Cameras - Whether taking pictures for a school project, or snap shots of your classmates, today's digital cameras are sleek, compact, and more affordable than ever. And with email capability, sending your photos is as easy as a push of a button.

-- Computer Software - Educational applications to enhance reading, writing, math, and other subject skills. New software updates from Jumpstart(R) and Encarta(R) help kids make the grade this year.

-- New Trends on the Basics - From Nike binders to folders, pencils to pens, and markers to crayons, all of the old basics have new student-pleasing styles, new eye-catching colors. Select styles including binders with index dividers, sheet protectors and even page separators.

-- Notebooks with All the Answers - Every student needs a notebook, but how about subject notebooks that include easy reference guides. Mead's subject specific notebooks, such as english notebooks with listings of the most frequently misspelled words and grammar rules or a science notebook with a pull out protractor and metric ruler or a reference guide with chemistry names and symbols.

Office Depot will then track the total of all qualifying in-store and online purchases during the program period, which is designated by specific School ID No.'s. In November, once qualifying credits are calculated, participating schools will receive Gift Certificates totaling 5% of all qualifying school supply purchases, which may be redeemed for thousands of products. Gift certificates are then valid for redemption by schools through March 31, 2003.

Computers, calculators, associated technology and furniture items are not included in this program.

However, new this year digital assistants (PDA's) are included in the 5% Back To Schools program. Uncollected funds as of April 1, 2003 will be retained by Office Depot.

Credit redemption in the "5% Back To Schools" Program is awarded to schools, which generate a credit of $10.00 or more during the program dates on qualified purchases.

HOT PRODUCTS AND TOOLS CHILDREN NEED FOR SCHOOL:

-- Carry That Weight in Style - This fall's backpacks in bright new colors are ready for everything with deluxe features like padded CD player pockets; wheels for students who lug lots of books and wheels that light up. Also available are clear, see-through vinyl backpacks, which many schools now require to aid in on-campus security.

-- No More Paper Bags - Now students don't have to pack their lunch in an ordinary paper bag, new insulated twist and close and compact lunch bags are available and in cool, bright new colors. And remember when you covered textbooks in paper, not anymore -- new stretchable book covers in bright new colors that fit any textbook and vinyl, self-adhesive book covers in bright, solid colors that can be used again and again.

-- Jazz Up Your School Locker - For many students keeping everything organized in a locker can be difficult, but now new accessories for lockers are helping students keep their things in order. Mesh and nylon Locker pockets are the newest in helping students stay organized and shelf dividers to keep books and notes in a safe place.

-- Tools You Need - Now you can have all the tools you need to make the grade. Sets include protractors, rulers, erasers and compasses all in one case. And choose from basic calculators to ones that have it all with science and metric conversion buttons.

-- One Plus One Equals Two - Learning the basics can be tough for children but not when they have their own set of flashcards for addition, subtraction and multiplication, which are great for in class use and for practicing at home too.

-- Paperclips and Pushpins Galore - Students and teachers both need paperclips and pushpins and this year they are available in bright colors, both small and extra large, for those thick term papers or pushpins for posting art on bulletin boards.

-- Let Your Nose Be Your Guide in Art Class - New this year are Scented Colored pencils by Colorific in bright colors and fun scents like Banana Yellow, Watermelon Pink and Mango Orange. And for those creative art students, washable paint pens and gel markers help children create "Works of Art."

-- Digital Planners - A new twist on student organizers, today's Palm Pilots aren't just for Mom and Dad anymore, with many students choosing to keep notes on their upcoming tests or assignments in these high-tech gadgets. Models are available for the price conscious parent starting at $99.99.

-- Digital Cameras - Whether taking pictures for a school project, or snap shots of your classmates, today's digital cameras are sleek, compact, and more affordable than ever. And with email capability, sending your photos is as easy as a push of a button.

-- Computer Software - Educational applications to enhance reading, writing, math, and other subject skills. New software updates from Jumpstart(R) and Encarta(R) help kids make the grade this year.

-- New Trends on the Basics - From Nike binders to folders, pencils to pens, and markers to crayons, all of the old basics have new student-pleasing styles, new eye-catching colors. Select styles including binders with index dividers, sheet protectors and even page separators.

-- Notebooks with All the Answers - Every student needs a notebook, but how about subject notebooks that include easy reference guides. Mead's subject specific notebooks, such as english notebooks with listings of the most frequently misspelled words and grammar rules or a science notebook with a pull out protractor and metric ruler or a reference guide with chemistry names and symbols.

Hot products for this year's Back To School season are available while supplies last at Office Depot's retail stores and select items are available online.

Note: Product shots available upon request.

About Office Depot

No one sells more office products to more customers in more countries through more channels than Office Depot. As the largest seller of office products around the world, the Company operates under the Office Depot(R), Viking Office Products(R), Viking Direct(R) and 4Sure.com(R) brand names. As of June 29, 2002, Office Depot operated 853 office supply superstores in the United States and Canada, in addition to a national business-to-business delivery network supported by 24 delivery centers, more than 60 local sales offices and 13 regional call centers. Furthermore, the Company sells products and services in 19 countries outside of the United States and Canada, including 32 office supply stores in France and 12 in Japan that are owned and operated by the Company; and 110 additional office supply stores under joint venture and licensing agreements operating under the Office Depot name in five foreign countries.

The Company operates an award-winning U.S. Office Depot brand Web site at www.officedepot.com where customers can access Office Depot's low competitive prices seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. The Company also operates seventeen additional Web sites, under the Office Depot and Viking Office Products names in the U.S. and ten international countries including: Austria, Australia, Belgium, France, Japan, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Office Depot's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP and is included in the S&P 500 Index.

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