News Release

DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Sep 26, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Office Depot, Inc. (NYSE:ODP), the world's largest seller of office products, announced that Viking Office Products, its wholly-owned subsidiary, has launched a new e-commerce Web site for its customers in Austria under the URL http://www.vikingdirekt.at. The Company now offers 14 unique Web sites in nine countries around the world.

The new Web site incorporates many innovative features including Quick Order by Stock Number(TM), which enables customers to enter catalog product codes directly onto an online order form that provides added convenience and speed for online customers; and Supplies QuickFind(TM), which helps customers identify the correct ink cartridges, ribbons or toners needed for their business machines. The site also functions on real-time inventory, keeping track of what is actually available and in stock. By leveraging the Company's existing mail order infrastructure including merchandising, warehousing and distribution, customers will be provided with the highest level of customer service when ordering office supplies online. This is Viking's eighth international Web site.

Bruce Nelson, Office Depot's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are very pleased to introduce our newest international e-commerce Web site to the Austrian marketplace. Our business in Austria has steadily increased over the past several years, and we believe it is the right time for us to provide this new convenient shopping alternative to our loyal business customers. Response to our Web sites throughout Europe has been extremely favorable and we are confident that the same will be true for us in Austria."

The Company, which started its operations in Austria in 1997 under the Viking(R) brand name, has successfully established a strong customer base. By offering an e-commerce channel in Austria, the Company will be able to attract new customers and increase customer loyalty in its existing customer base.

In addition, the Company's innovative use of customer database technology will provide the ability to customize offerings for customers and market directly to their specific business needs.

Rolf van Kaldekerken, President of European Operations for Office Depot and Viking Office Products, commented, "Our goal is to provide fanatical customer service to our customers, and by launching this new Web site, we are providing customers another convenient shopping alternative. By logging on to http://www.vikingdirekt.at, Austrian customers are provided with an easy-to-use e-commerce site for making their everyday and major office supply purchases."

Customers visiting the Company's Web site at http://www.vikingdirekt.at can order more than 8,000 of their favorite and most frequently needed office supplies. The site offers unique enhanced features such as:

    --  Enhanced personalization that can mirror the Company's printed
        catalogs in the form of prices and special offers.
    --  Improved search capabilities - Search results are now
        categorized by type of product, which will enable customers to
        find exactly what they're looking for in the shortest amount
        of time.
    --  Customized shopping lists - Customers can set up their most
        frequently ordered items into a private shopping list enabling
        them to place their order in seconds.
    About Office Depot in Europe

The Company's wholly-owned European operations are in nine countries, including: the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy and The Netherlands. The Company primarily operates under the Viking Office Products name, a highly successful direct mail business, and most recently, an established e-commerce operation. Worldwide e-commerce sales in 2000 reached $982 million. The Company anticipates worldwide e-commerce sales to reach $1.5 billion by the end of 2001.

In addition to its multiple public Web sites and direct mail operations throughout Europe, the Company has contract business operations through its European Business Services Division in three countries: Ireland, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The division targets medium to large-sized corporate accounts through a specialized sales force, individualized pricing for key corporate accounts and overnight order fulfillment in each country. Over the next eighteen months, the Company plans to open new contract sales operations in four/five additional European countries.

The Company also offers its contract customers unique Office Depot(R) brand Web sites that are specifically designed to meet the special needs and requirements of each contract customer. The Company's strategy is to offer these specialized sites in each contract country over the next eighteen months. Currently, the Company offers a site in the United Kingdom at http://bsdnet.officedepot.co.uk, which provides contract customers access to its customized offers and product selection twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

At the end of June 30, 2001, 132 stores operated under the Office Depot(R) brand name in seven countries outside the U.S. and Canada. These stores are either owned directly or operate through joint ventures or licensing agreements. The Company's wholly-owned retail operations outside of North America are in France and Japan.

Office Depot expects to grow its current retail store base of 27 stores, as of June 30, 2001, in France by at least three stores by the end of 2001. In addition, the Company believes it can grow its store base by fifteen to twenty-five stores each year over the next three to five years. The Company estimates that there is a market for at least 175 retail stores in the French market and plans to be a leading player in the office supplies retail market.

    About Office Depot

As of June 30, 2001 Office Depot operated 829 office supply superstores in the United States and Canada, in addition to a national business-to-business delivery network supported by 25 delivery centers, more than 60 local sales offices and eight regional call centers. Furthermore, the Company had operations in 16 countries outside of the United States and Canada, including 27 office supply stores in France and seven in Japan that are owned and operated by the Company; and 98 additional office supply stores under joint venture and licensing agreements operating under the Office Depot(R) name in five foreign countries. The Company also operates an award-winning U.S. Office Depot(R) brand Web site at http://www.officedepot.com where customers can access Office Depot's low competitive prices seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, and it operates http://www.officedepot.co.jp in Japan and http://www.officedepot.fr in France as well as Viking(R) brand Web sites at http://www.vikingop.com in the United States, http://www.viking-direct.co.uk in the United Kingdom, http://www.viking.de in Germany, http://www.vikingdirect.nl in The Netherlands, http://www.vikingop.it in Italy, http://www.vikingop.com.au in Australia, http://www.vikingop.co.jp in Japan and http://www.vikingdirect.fr in France. The Company also operates Corporate Internet sites for corporate customers in the United States at http://bsdnet.officedepot.com and in the United Kingdom at http://bsdnet.officedepot.co.uk. 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.

CONTACT:          Office Depot, Inc., Delray Beach
                  Investor Contact: 
                  Eileen Dunn, 561/438-4930
                  edunn@officedepot.com
                  or
                  Media Contact: 
                  Lauren Garvey, 561/438-2895
                  lgarvey@officedepot.com