Office Depot Partners with Emmy Award-Winning Designer Christopher Lowell to Introduce the Industry's First Pre-Coordinated Office Furniture and Accessories System.

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DELRAY BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 12, 2003

High-Quality Line is Stylish, Functional and Affordable;

Makes Decorating Any Home Office or Business Virtually Foolproof

Office Depot, (NYSE:ODP), one of the world's largest resellers of office products, and Emmy Award-winning designer/author/TV personality Christopher Lowell today introduced the Christopher Lowell Collection, the first pre-coordinated office furniture and accessories system designed to make decorating any home office or business a breeze.

The partnership marks the first time a major office supply retailer has exclusively teamed up with a well-known designer to develop a fashionable and functional furniture and accessories line for the way people want to work and live.

The new line will be sold exclusively through Office Depot retail stores nationwide as well as through Office Depot's catalogs and e-commerce site at www.officedepot.com/christopherlowell.

"Office Depot and Christopher Lowell are redefining the way customers shop for office furniture," noted Jocelyn Carter-Miller, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Office Depot. "Small business and home office shoppers now have access to high-quality, stylish furniture and pre-coordinated, mix-and-match accessories that are not only functional but affordable. The new products provide a professional image -- and because everything goes with everything else, decorating is no longer a challenge."

From desks, credenzas and chairs to accessories, lamps, clocks and even plants, the new collection is based on four distinct yet complementary themes - Town, Country, City and Shore. All of the pieces are interchangeable and have been designed to work with any look, lifestyle and budget.

"Whether you work in a home office, small office or corporate environment, the new collection allows you to reflect who you really are," said Christopher Lowell. "It combines unparalleled designer style with a total workstation solution to make setting up your home or office work area easy and stress-free."

Christopher Lowell Collection

Office Depot's Christopher Lowell Collection offers a unique style to fit every taste:

-- Town: Timeless and versatile collection creates a bridge

between traditional and modern design. Frosted reed glass and

steel hardware against rich Bordeaux wood with a hint of

mission style give this collection a strong, tailored

presence.

-- Country: Rich wood tones, strong turned legs, crown moldings,

leather insets and raised panels make for a more traditional

collection that can accommodate a variety of technology

requirements.

-- City: Modernized Hollywood, Art Deco-inspired suite offers a

streamlined sophisticated blend of frosted glass, blond wood

veneers, bowed fronts and hand detailed fixtures for a

natural, muted appeal. Concealed storage cabinets and drawers

help keep the office tidy and organized.

-- Shore: Popular whitewash effect gives this collection an

at-home feel. Function and technology are hidden to provide an

efficient and stylish solution for open spaces.

Integrated Marketing Communications Campaign

"The Christopher Lowell Collection is one of the most exciting, solutions-driven programs ever offered in the office supply category," noted Carter-Miller. "And we are aggressively supporting it with an integrated marketing communications campaign that will emphasize the attributes of each theme in the collection while demonstrating how simple it is to give your work environment a professional look."

According to Carter-Miller, a central aspect of the marketing strategy will be new television, radio and print advertising all created by BBDO New York; direct mail; and Sunday newspaper inserts. The ads will illustrate how creating more pleasing surroundings can actually help you work better and more effectively. (Or, as the announcer says in one of the two television spots, "It just might inspire you.") The spots will also highlight the fact that the Christopher Lowell Collection is available exclusively at Office Depot.

The television effort will consist of one :30 commercial focused on the furniture and one :15 commercial focused on accessories. Both spots will run on broadcast and cable network TV programming in shows such as Monday Night Football, George Lopez, 20/20 and Good Morning America. Cable networks include A&E, Lifetime, CNBC, MSNBC and ESPN, among others.

Additionally, :60 radio announcements will air in the top 30 Office Depot markets. There will also be full-page prints ads and spreads in magazines such as Fortune, Fortune Small Business, Entrepreneur, Inc., Country Home, Essence, Black Enterprise, Hispanic Business and more. Importantly, the advertising will retain Office Depot's tag line, "What you need. What you need to know."

Carter-Miller noted that the campaign will debut on November 24 to coincide with heavier fourth quarter sales and traffic.

Interesting Facts About Office Depot and the U.S. Office Furniture Industry

-- According to the Business and Institutional Furniture

Manufacturer's Association, U.S. office furniture sales

totaled $8.8B in 2002

-- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that 19.8 million

people do some work at home as part of their primary job

-- Office Depot is the 6th largest furniture retailer in the U.S.

-- Office Depot is #1 in office furniture

-- Office Depot is the furniture provider of choice for SOHO 

-- Office Depot offers the industry's broadest selection of

office furniture/accessories

-- The best selling office furniture products are desks, chairs

and file cabinets

-- Data from the International Home Furnishings Market reveals

that 80% of all furniture purchases are made by women

About Office Depot

With annual sales of nearly $13 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 22 countries and employs nearly 50,000 people worldwide.

Office Depot is an industry 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 - on target to generate $2.5B in sales for FY'03. In North America, Office Depot has more than 870 retail stores 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.

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.

About Christopher Lowell

As the Emmy(TM) Award-winning host and pioneering force behind today's abundance of home decor television, Christopher Lowell's mix of practical advice and infectious enthusiasm have made him one of America's most recognized and trusted authorities in the home improvement category. The success of his ever-growing multi-media company proves that Christopher has made a loyal connection to how America wants to live now and in the future.

With eight consecutive years on national television, best selling books, a heavily trafficked website www.christopherlowell.com and strong retail presence, Christopher Lowell has quietly become one of the nations important new brands.

Lowell also heads Christopher Lowell Enterprises, LLC, the parent company to Christopher Lowell Productions, and Christopher Lowell, Inc., the design, licensing and marketing arm of his consumer product division, which made its debut in the fall of 2000.

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