Office Depot Small Business Index Reveals Small Businesses Struggle with Technology Issues

Office Depot (NYSE:ODP), celebrating 25 years as a leading global provider of office supplies and services, today announced the results of its latest Office Depot Small Business Index, which highlighted common technology and IT issues encountered by small businesses nationwide.

According to the newest edition of the Office Depot Small Business Index, technology issues among small businesses are common with 75 percent of respondents citing that they have had a computer repaired at some point in time. A majority of these repairs were due to virus/malware issues (43 percent) or hardware issues (40 percent).

Small businesses surveyed noted that productivity suffered as a result of technology issues. In fact, about half of respondents (48 percent) stated that it took almost 2-3 days to have their computers repaired with a majority (67 percent) citing that computer issues have hindered them from doing their job.

“These latest survey results indicate a need for a knowledgeable and reliable resource for small business technology needs,” said Randy Wick, Vice President of Merchandising for Office Depot. “With Tech Depot Services from Office Depot, we fix computers, install software, set up a wireless network and can even serve as a full service 24/7 tech support for a small business.“

Tech Depot Services

For solving computer-related issues, only a handful (7 percent) of small businesses have a computer technician on-site and a majority (52 percent) rely on third party companies to fix their computer/IT problems. Office Depot’s Tech Depot Services offers small business customers a one-stop shop when it comes to Data Services, Wireless Networking, Software Installation, PC Diagnosis and Repair, and more. All repairs and installations are completed by a certified technology specialist and backed by Office Depot’s Next Day Guarantee enabling small businesses to quickly recover from technology issues. The Next Day Guarantee includes most services being completed by 6 p.m. the next business day or consumers will receive a $25 Office Depot Gift Card. Small businesses can even sign up for 24/7 PC tech support services, creating a full-service, satellite IT department for customers.

To learn more about the small business products and services available at Office Depot including Tech Depot please visit your local Office Depot retail store location or www.officedepot.com. To become a fan of Office Depot on Facebook and receive exclusive content, offers and more, please visit facebook.com/officedepot. To follow Office Depot on Twitter, please visit twitter.com/officedepot.

Survey Methodology/Sample Qualifications

Interviews are conducted via the Internet among a nationally representative sample of Small and Medium Sized Businesses. The May wave of interviewing was conducted from May 16, 2011 to May 24, 2011 among a total of 1,004 small and medium sized businesses. Interviewing will be conducted on a monthly basis in order to track shifts that occur over time.

About Office Depot

Celebrating 25 years as a leading global provider of office supplies and services, Office Depot is Taking Care of Business for millions of customers around the globe. For the local corner store as well as Fortune 500 companies, Office Depot provides supplies and services to its customers through 1,641 worldwide retail stores, a dedicated sales force, top-rated catalogs and global e-commerce operations. Office Depot has annual sales of approximately $11.6 billion, and employs about 40,000 associates around the world. The Company provides more office supplies and services to more customers in more countries than any other company, and currently sells to customers directly or through affiliates in 55 countries.

Office Depot’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP. Additional press information can be found at: http://mediarelations.officedepot.com and http://socialpress.officedepot.com/.