BOCA RATON, Fla. & NAPERVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Office Depot, Inc. (NYSE: ODP), a leading global provider of office products, services, and solutions formed by the merger of Office Depot and OfficeMax, today announced that it has chosen Boca Raton, Fla. for its global headquarters.
The decision is the result of a thorough evaluation that took into account a number of important factors, including the cost to operate each headquarters location, lease obligations and sublease considerations, tax implications, government incentives, ability to add associates and incorporate functions in the current space, and people-related costs.
“Selecting the headquarters location is a critical step toward integrating our two companies,” said Roland Smith, Chairman and CEO, Office Depot, Inc. “Both Florida and Illinois have many positive attributes, but our analysis concluded that Boca Raton provides the best platform for us to achieve planned synergies, leverage assets to drive improved profitability, and launch a compelling vision for the future.
“We appreciate the significant efforts from legislators in Illinois and the generous support we have received from the State of Florida, Palm Beach County, and City of Boca Raton,” Smith added. “We would like to thank Florida Governor Rick Scott, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and the countless others involved in providing the information necessary for us to make this important decision.”
The Company will remain in its current 625,000-square-foot corporate campus located at 6600 North Military Trail in Boca Raton, which has ample space to accommodate associates who will relocate from Illinois.
“With the location of our headquarters now decided, we will quickly move forward to build a world class leadership team and organization focused on exceeding the expectations of consumers and businesses, becoming a more appealing partner to our vendors, and driving value for our shareholders,” Smith said. “To do that, we will select the best talent available from both locations.”
Office Depot, Inc. will maintain a presence in Naperville throughout the headquarters transition and accompanying integration activities.
Office Depot and OfficeMax retail store locations, customer service centers, warehouses and distribution centers are not affected by the selection of the headquarters location.
About Office Depot, Inc.
Formed by the merger of Office Depot and OfficeMax, 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 combined annual sales of approximately $17 billion, employs about 66,000 associates, and serves consumers and businesses in 59 countries with more than 2,200 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, joint ventures, franchisees, licensees and alliance partners. The company’s portfolio of leading brands includes Office Depot, OfficeMax, OfficeMax Grand & Toy, Viking, Ativa, TUL, Foray, and DiVOGA.
Office Depot, Inc.’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP. Additional press information can be found at: http://news.officedepot.com.
Additional information about the recently completed merger of Office Depot and OfficeMax can be found at http://officedepotmaxmerger.com.
All trademarks, service marks and trade names of Office Depot, Inc. and OfficeMax Incorporated used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Office Depot, Inc. and OfficeMax Incorporated, respectively. Any other product or company names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This communication may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements or disclosures may discuss goals, intentions and expectations as to future trends, plans, events, results of operations or financial condition, or state other information relating to, among other things, the Company, the merger and other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, based on current beliefs and assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. Forward-looking statements generally will be accompanied by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “plan,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “propose” or other similar words, phrases or expressions, or other variations of such words. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of the Company’s control. There can be no assurances that the Company will realize these expectations or that these beliefs will prove correct, and therefore investors and shareholders should not place undue reliance on such statements.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include adverse regulatory decisions; the risks that the combined company will not realize the estimated accretive effects of the merger or the estimated cost savings and synergies; the businesses of Office Depot and OfficeMax may not be integrated successfully or such integration may take longer, be more difficult, time-consuming or costly to accomplish than expected; the business disruption following the merger, including adverse effects on employee retention; the combined company’s ability to maintain its long-term credit rating; unanticipated changes in the markets for the combined company’s business segments; unanticipated downturns in business relationships with customers; competitive pressures on the combined company’s sales and pricing; increases in the cost of material, energy and other production costs, or unexpected costs that cannot be recouped in product pricing; the introduction of competing technologies; unexpected technical or marketing difficulties; unexpected claims, charges, litigation or dispute resolutions; new laws and governmental regulations. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Investors and shareholders should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in Office Depot’s and OfficeMax’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The combined company does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.
