Office Depot Small Business Index Finds Organization is a Big Challenge

Seventy-Five Percent of Small Businesses Wish Their Workspace Was More Organized

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Office Depot (NYSE:ODP), a leading global provider of office supplies and services, today announced findings from the Company’s Small Business Index, which revealed that small businesses (SMBs) see organization as a big task – and not always one that they have conquered.

“As the one-stop-shop for all small business needs, Office Depot offers a variety of products and services to help our small business customers be more productive by saving time and money.”

According to the survey, filing and organization are the top business tasks that small business owners least look forward to, as 27 percent loath putting their office in order. In addition, 21 percent of small business owners see “organizing my office” as the top issue that hinders their ability to focus on business growth. As the top “pain point,” organization ranks higher than saving money, and acquiring new business.

When asked what would most help bring order to their offices, SMBs plead for more time (57 percent); more tools (39 percent) or an organization expert (14 percent). The items that SMBs would most like to keep more organized or up-to-date are their desks (28 percent); desktops (24 percent) or file cabinets (23 percent).

“At Office Depot, we realize that keeping offices organized can be a challenge for small businesses,” said Farla Efros, Executive Vice President, Merchandising for Office Depot. “As the one-stop-shop for all small business needs, Office Depot offers a variety of products and services to help our small business customers be more productive by saving time and money.”

While small businesses may fret about organization, they also realize the importance of staying organized, and more than 93 percent believe an organized office or desk leads to increased productivity, while 75 percent wish their workspace was more organized.

Wish as they may, organizing their offices is the top task that small businesses believe they can improve. Twenty-two percent of SMBs think they could enhance their organization, which is followed closely by time management (21 percent), increasing profits (19 percent) and acquiring new business (18 percent).

Although SMBs don’t feel adept at organization, the majority tidy their desks either daily (27 percent) or weekly (34 percent). Only nine percent admit to cleaning their desks a couple of times a year, and one percent never organize their offices.

Survey Methodology/Sample Qualifications

Interviews are conducted via the Internet among a nationally representative sample of small and medium sized businesses. The referenced interviews were conducted from November 9, 2011 to November 17, 2011 among a total of 1,006 small and medium sized businesses. Interviewing is 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 1,656 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 58 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/.