Office Depot, Inc. Shares Key Lessons from 2015 to Help Small Businesses Thrive in 2016

Office Depot, Inc. (NASDAQ: ODP), a leading global provider of office products, services, and solutions, through its Office Depot and OfficeMax brands, today released a compilation of key learnings from 2015 to help small business owners (SMBs) get back to business in 2016.

“As we kick off a new year it’s important for small business owners to build on what they learned in 2015,” said Steve Calkins, executive vice president, business solutions division for Office Depot, Inc. “We are pleased to continue supporting small businesses by sharing the best insights from last year to assist with driving success in 2016.”

At the start of 2015, Office Depot’s monthly Small Business Index found that to make their businesses more successful, SMBs planned to become more organized. Based on data collected throughout the year, Office Depot developed four recommendations for SMBs to keep in mind as they begin 2016.

Plan Ahead for Disasters

• Nearly two-thirds of SMBs felt that a disaster plan is necessary for their business, yet significantly fewer (57 percent) felt that their business was prepared to handle a natural disaster.
• SMBs felt that internet, phone and property would be most vulnerable to outages and damage if a natural disaster were to affect their business.
• SMBs that did not have a disaster or emergency preparedness plan in place were still somewhat likely to have emergency supplies on hand.

Have Office Essentials on Hand

• Office supplies were listed as the top investment for SMBs in 2015.
• SMBs were most likely to gain a sense of productivity, organization and control when they were using their favorite daily office products.
• SMBs selected paper products and ink and toner as their top everyday office supplies.

Make the Most of Your Vacation Time

• Two-thirds of SMBs found it difficult, at least sometimes, to take time off from work during the summer, but nearly two-thirds of SMBs planned to take a vacation over the summer.
• Of the three-in-five SMBs that planned to take a vacation over the summer, most (76 percent) planned to stay connected to their work in some way.

Build Community Relationships

• Sixty-four percent of SMBs worked with at least one other small business in their community on a weekly basis.
• On average, SMBs engaged with more than three other small businesses weekly.
• More than two-thirds of SMBs planned on participating in National Small Business Week in 2015.

To learn more about small business resources, products and services please visit Office Depot’s Business Solutions Center at solutions.officedepot.com.

Survey Methodology/Sample Qualifications

Interviews are conducted via the Internet among a nationally representative sample of small and medium-sized businesses throughout 2015. Interviewing will be conducted on a monthly basis in order to track shifts that occur over time.

About Office Depot, Inc.

Office Depot, Inc. is a leading global provider of products, services, and solutions for every workplace – whether your workplace is an office, home, school or car.

Office Depot, Inc. is a resource and a catalyst to help customers work better. We are a single source for everything customers need to be more productive, including the latest technology, core office supplies, print and document services, business services, facilities products, furniture, and school essentials.

The company has annual sales of approximately $16 billion, employs approximately 56,000 associates, and serves consumers and businesses in 59 countries with approximately 1,800 retail stores, award-winning e-commerce sites and a dedicated business-to-business sales organization – all delivered through a global network of wholly owned operations, franchisees, licensees and alliance partners. The company operates under several banner brands including Office Depot, OfficeMax, Grand & Toy, and Viking. The company’s portfolio of exclusive product brands include TUL, Foray, Brenton Studio, Ativa, WorkPro, Realspace and HighMark.

Office Depot, Inc.’s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol ODP. Additional press information can be found at: http://news.officedepot.com.

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