Office Depot Creates Excitement In Salt Lake City and Invites America To Gear Up For The 2002...

Business & Sports Editors

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 10, 2002

Thirty-Day Countdown Celebration Brings Together Olympic Medalists

and Local Business Leaders as Office Depot Launches Million Dollar

Olympic Challenge

The countdown begins

with only 30 days before the 2002 Olympic Winter Games commence. Today, Office Depot (NYSE:ODP) creates excitement as it brings together Olympic medalists, Salt Lake City business leaders and officials from the Olympic governing bodies for a celebratory event in Salt Lake City. The event launches the Office Depot Million Dollar Olympic Challenge contest, and promotes the Company's first time as a sponsor of the Olympic Winter Games. The contest invites Americans to cast their votes for the countries that will "bring home the gold" in 25 Olympic events and offers the chance to win a $1,000,000 grand prize and numerous secondary prizes.

The celebration also marks the culmination of the Office Depot Gold Medal Seminar Series, which has offered insight and knowledge to Salt Lake City businesses in understanding how host city activity is likely to impact them. Monthly meetings in partnership with the Salt Lake City Chamber have been held since July 2001.

"We are excited to support the 2002 Olympic Winter Games as a first-time sponsor," said Bruce Nelson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Office Depot. "Our partnership with the Games reflects a shared commitment to the values of teamwork and dedication that are so important to our 48,000 employees worldwide, suppliers, customers, and the thousands of Olympic athletes around the world.

"With the launch of our Million Dollar Olympic Challenge, we hope to create nationwide enthusiasm that will engage all Americans to tune in and celebrate the excitement of the Olympic Games," Nelson added.

As the Games approach, Office Depot is offering Americans an opportunity to put their Olympic prediction skills to the test in the hopes of winning big - up to $1,000,000. Through February 7, Americans are invited to try and guess the countries that will "bring home the gold" in 25 Olympic events as part of the Office Depot Million Dollar Olympic Challenge. Contest entry forms and details are available at Office Depot stores and online at http://www.2002challenge.officedepot.com.

"This contest is a wonderful opportunity for Americans to become involved in the Games and truly be inspired by and participate in the heart and soul of the athletic competitive spirit," noted Phil Mahre, Olympic Men's Slalom Gold medalist, who will be on hand for the festivities with his twin brother and Olympic Men's Slalom Silver medalist Steve Mahre.

What do Americans expect from these upcoming Olympic Winter Games? According to an Office Depot consumer poll of 1,000 Americans conducted recently, Americans envision numerous gold medals for this year's U.S. Olympic Team.

- Nearly half of those polled believe the U.S. will win more medals in 2002
than in previous Olympic Winter Games.

- Ladies' Figure Skating Free Program is Americans' top choice for events in
which they think the U.S. Olympic Team is most likely to win the gold.

- Other events not far behind are: Men's Hockey, Pairs Figure Skating Free
Style Program, Men's Downhill and Men's Freestyle Aerials.

The survey also shows Olympic excitement is heating up and Americans plan to get into the spirit.

According to the survey:

- Seventy-five percent of Americans plan to tune in to watch the

2002 Olympic Winter Games

- Sixty-eight percent of Americans plan to watch Ladies' Figure

Skating Free Program

- It's neck and neck for Men's Downhill and Pairs Figure Skating

Free Program with 56 percent planning to watch each

Office Depot also asked some well-known athletes for their predictions on in which events the U.S. Olympic Team will bring home Olympic Gold:

- Phil Mahre: Alpine Skiing (Men's Super G and Ladies' Downhill),

Women's Bobsleigh, Ladies' Figure Skating, Nordic Combined,

Snowboarding (Men's Halfpipe), Speedskating (Men's 1,000 Meters)

- Steve Mahre: Alpine Skiing (Men's Combined, Men's Slalom, Men's

Giant Slalom), Nordic Combined, Luge (Men's Double Luge), Women's

Bobsleigh, Ladies' Figure Skating

- Joe Theismann - Men's Speedskating, Men's Skeleton, Women's

Bobsleigh

- Jason Sehorn - Men's Short Track Speed Skating, Women's Doubles

Luge

- Luis Gonzalez - Men's Freestyle Skiing, Men's Hockey, Ladies'

Figure Skating

- Rowdy Gaines: Men's Freestyle Skiing (Aerials)

- Jean Racine: Men's Freestyle Skiing (Aerials)

- Josh Davis: Women's Bobsled

Salt Lake City Businesses Prepare to Open Their Doors to the World

Members of the Olympic governing bodies will address local business leaders with final tips on what to expect when the Games come to town, as part of the final installment of the Office Depot Gold Medal Seminar Series. Previous series topics have included transportation, delivery, regulations and safety measures.

"It is critical for local small businesses to understand the impact that the Olympic Winter Games will have on their business before, during and after the Games," said Mark Lewis, President and CEO of the Olympic Properties of the United States (OPUS). "Office Depot is an ideal partner to help with such an effort, and it has truly delivered on its commitment to providing knowledge and support to members of the business community nationwide."

Supporting the Business of the Games

Keeping the business of the Olympic Winter Games running is a challenging feat in itself. With more than 9,000 journalists expected to be in attendance, Office Depot will provide its support with an Office Depot store housed in the Main Media Center (MMC) located inside the downtown Salt Palace Convention Center. The store will offer supplies such as ink cartridges, fax ribbons, hand-held PDAs, batteries and folding chairs. Office Depot products also will be sold in the main store in the Olympic Village, which will serve more than 3,500 athletes and officials.

In addition, Office Depot will air Olympic-themed advertising that ties its products to the excitement and thrill of the Olympic Winter Games. Billboard ads currently appearing in Salt Lake City will stay in place through February and also will be displayed on Office Depot delivery trucks. In addition, Office Depot will integrate the USA/5-Ring and Salt Lake 2002 logos throughout its advertising and promotional campaigns, stores' community relations and e-commerce Web site.

About Office Depot

No one sells more office products to more customers in more countries than Office Depot. As of September 29, 2001, Office Depot operated 846 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 15 countries outside of the United States and Canada, including 28 office supply stores in France and seven in Japan that are owned and operated by the Company; and 101 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. The Company also operates thirteen other Web sites, under the Office Depot(R) and Viking Office Products(R) names, in the U.S. and eight international countries including: Austria, Australia, France, Japan, Germany, 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. Office Depot is the Official Office Supplies Sponsor of the 2002 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Teams, 2002 Olympic Winter Games and the 2002 Paralympic Winter Games.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Video highlights including the unveiling of an 8' x 16' display of the USA/5-Ring logo created out of hundreds of thousands of paper clips, consumers entering the Office Depot Million Dollar Olympic Challenge, sights and sounds of Salt Lake City at 30 days before the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, and soundbites from Mark Lewis (President and CEO, OPUS), Phil and Steve Mahre (twin brothers and simultaneous Olympic medalists), and Jerry Colley (North American President of Retail Stores, Office Depot) will be available via satellite on Thursday, January 10 from 10:00-10:15pm ET at GE 3, Transponder 16, KU Band, Downlink FREQ: 12020 (V) and on Friday, January 11 from 4:00-4:15am ET at Telstar 6, Transponder 11, C-B, Downlink FREQ: 3920 (V) as well as via hard copy request. Contact Gina Johnson at 312-751-3520 or Jim Bowling at On the Scene Productions at 323-930-1030.

A photo from the event will be available on the Allsport Digital Archive at http://www.allsport.com as well as at http://www.businesswire.com. Other photos and Office Depot Olympic ads in JPEG format, as well as additional details about Office Depot's Olympic sponsorship activities, including "fun facts" about the amount of office supplies it takes to support the coverage of the Games, can be provided upon request by contacting Lauren Garvey at Office Depot at 561-438-2895 or Pamela Ram at Fleishman-Hillard at 312-751-3534.

The consumer survey was conducted December 7 - 10 as part of an Omnibus poll consisting of 1,000 U.S. citizens randomly chosen to answer multiple-choice questions.

Comprehensive Office Depot Million Dollar Olympic Challenge rules are available at http://www.2002challenge.officedepot.com.