Office Depot and Sharpie® Launch New “Try and Buy” Marker Center at Office Depot Retail Store Locations Nationwide

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Office Depot® (NYSE:ODP), a leading global provider of office products and services, and Sharpie, one of the world’s most recognized brands of permanent markers, today announced a new in-store shopping experience at Office Depot retail locations that will provide customers with more options, better value, and the ability to experience the product before purchasing.

The Sharpie “Try and Buy” center is a new experiential shopping concept from Office Depot that includes a test center for customers to “doodle”; new, simple-to-read signage; a “tips” center with information on using Sharpie markers; and a large assortment of 60 Sharpie products, available in 24 different colors. Sharpie permanent markers, Sharpie® Accent® highlighters and Expo® dry erase markers are now arranged at point-of-sale in categories based on how they are used, making it easier for customers to find what they need. The marker section will also include a “what’s new” area that will make it simple for customers to locate new products.

“We are thrilled to partner with Sharpie to roll out this fun and innovative shopping experience for our customers,” said Wade Eveleth, Senior Director of Merchandising for Office Depot. “By incorporating a ‘Try and Buy’ experience into our stores, customers can spend time using the product and picking out the colors and styles they want. It’s a creative and totally customer-focused solution.”

“Office Depot is a terrific retail partner and we are very excited to launch this innovative solution across their entire chain of stores,” said Ed Cooper, Vice President of Sales for Newell Rubbermaid’s Office Depot Division. “Whether it’s a teacher looking for a specific Sharpie color for a class project or a busy professional who needs a Sharpie Retractable to ‘click and mark’ on the go, customers can now actually try the Sharpie marker before they buy it, helping them choose the perfect Sharpie product to Write Out Loud!®.”

For more information, please visit your local Office Depot retail store location or www.officedepot.com.

About Office Depot

Every day, 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 products and services to its customers through 1,705 worldwide retail stores, a dedicated sales force, top-rated catalogs and a $4.9 billion e-commerce operation. Office Depot has annual sales of approximately $15.1 billion, and employs about 49,000 associates around the world. The Company provides more office products and services to more customers in more countries than any other company, and currently sells to customers directly or through affiliates in 48 countries.

Office Depot’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP and is included in the S&P 500 Index. Additional press information can be found at: http://mediarelations.officedepot.com.

About Sharpie®

For more than 40 years, Sharpie has been the popular brand of permanent marker associated with the autograph experience. Newell Rubbermaid’s Office Products Group, maker of Sharpie® markers, is a worldwide leader in the manufacturing and marketing of writing instruments, art products and office organization and technology products, including such well known brands as Paper Mate®, Sharpie®, DYMO® Parker®, Waterman®, EXPO®, uni-ball®, and Rolodex®, among others. Visit www.sharpie.com or http://blog.sharpie.com for more information and creative ways to use Sharpie markers.