OfficeDepot.com Signs Agreement with Netscape; Netscape Users Gain Easy Access to OfficeDepot.com
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 1999--OFFICE DEPOT, INC. (NYSE:ODP), the world's largest seller of office products, today announced that its award-winning site, www.officedepot.com, will be featured by Netscape, a subsidiary of America Online, Inc. (NYSE: AOL). The two companies have signed a one-year advertising and promotion agreement that will make OfficeDepot.com available to the millions of Netscape Netcenter users.
"Small businesses are the fastest-growing business segment and leading source of new jobs in the United States today. According to industry analysts IDC, there will be 40 million small office/home offices by 1999, up from 27.3 million in 1995." said Keith Butler, vice president of Office Depot online. "Our agreement will provide these small businesses with a very streamlined approach in accessing the tools and resources they need."
Banners and text links in the small business sections will link users to Officedepot.com. As part of an existing agreement with AOL, Netscape Netcenter users will also have access to Officedepot.com from the Shop@netscape site within the Netscape shopping channel.
"One of Netscape's objectives is to provide our users with the convenient resources and helpful tools they need to stay competitive," said Jerrell Jimerson, vice president of programming for Netscape Netcenter. "OfficeDepot.com's depth of services and products will benefit consumers and business users of the Netscape Netcenter Site."
In addition, OfficeDepot.com offers Internet users resources to help them grow their small businesses. Office Solutions is a brand-new integral feature of OfficeDepot.com with thousands of pages of information and services geared to the SOHO audience. "Your Online Office," is a value-added toolkit that empowers business professionals who are always on the go. Offerings include "Office Depot Communications Center" powered by Telepost, a leading browser-based web service that offers free access to voicemail, email, conference calling and faxes from anywhere in the world. The "Office Toolkit" allow users to download sample letters, contracts, spreadsheets, forms and more. The "Small Business Handbook" provides a complete guide to starting and managing your own business. "Working The Web" includes a directory of business-focused Web sites.
About Office Depot
Office Depot, Inc. (NYSE:ODP) currently operates 798 stores in the United States, Canada, France and Japan, as well as a national business-to-business delivery network that includes more than 60 local sales offices, 30 delivery centers and seven national Call Centers. In addition, customers can order products 24-7 by phone (1-888-GO-DEPOT), by fax (1-800-685-5010) or online via the Company's award-winning U.S. public Web site (www.officedepot.com). Office Depot and its wholly owned subsidiary, Viking Office Products, currently have operations in 19 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Office Depot's sales for the first half of 1999 were $4.9 billion, an 11% increase over the $4.4 billion in sales during the first half of 1998. Also during the first half of 1999, sales from Office Depot's public and business-to-business Web sites were $120.5 million, compared to $66.4 million for all of 1998. Office Depot's total sales for 1998 were $9.0 billion, an 11% increase over the $8.1 billion in sales during 1997. 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 and the Fortune Global 500.
CONTACT:
Office Depot, Inc.
Gary Schweikhart, 561-438-4399
VP, Public Relations
or
Eileen Dunn, 561-438-4930
VP, Investor Relations
or
Stanton Crenshaw Comm.
Nicole Peters, 212-780-1900
Senior Account Supervisor
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA
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