Office Depot 2007 Annual Report Download - page 9

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Industry and Competition
We operate in a highly competitive environment. We believe that we compete favorably on the basis of price,
service, relationships and selection. We compete vigorously with office supply stores, wholesale clubs, discount
stores, mass merchandisers, food and drug stores, computer and electronics superstores, internet-based companies
and direct marketing companies. These companies, in varying degrees, compete with us in substantially all of our
current markets.
Other office supply retail companies market similarly to us in terms of store format, pricing strategy and product
selection and availability in the markets where we operate, primarily those in the United States and Canada. We
anticipate that in the future we will face increased competition from these chains as each of us expands our
operations locally and globally.
Internationally, we compete on a similar basis to how we compete in North America. Outside of the U.S. and
Canada, we sell through contract and catalog channels in 19 countries and operate retail stores in five countries
through wholly-owned or majority-owned entities. Additionally, our International Division provides office products
and services in 22 countries through joint ventures, licensing and franchise agreements, cross-border transactions,
alliances and other arrangements.
Employees
As of January 26, 2008, we had approximately 49,000 employees worldwide, with almost half of these employed as
part-time workers. Our workforce is largely non-union and our labor relations are generally good. In certain
international locations, changes in staffing or work arrangements may need approval of local works councils or other
bodies.
Environmental Activities
As both a significant user and seller of paper products, we have developed environmental practices that are values-
based and market-driven. Our environmental initiatives center on three guiding principles: (1) recycling and
pollution reduction; (2) sustainable forest management; and (3) issue awareness and market development for
environmentally preferable products. We offer thousands of different products containing recycled content,
including from 35% to 100% post-consumer waste content paper and technology recycling services in our retail
stores.
In 2007, Office Depot continued to implement environmental programs in line with our stated environmental vision
to “increasingly buy green, be green and sell green” — including environmental sensitivity in our packaging,
operations and sales offerings. Additional information on product offerings can be found at
www.officedepot.com/buygreen.
Available Information
We maintain a web site at www.officedepot.com. We make available, free of charge, on the “Investor Relations”
section of our web site, our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form
8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as
soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or furnish such materials to the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
Additionally, our corporate governance materials, including governance guidelines; the charters of the Audit,
Compensation, Finance, and Governance and Nominating Committees; and the code of ethical behavior may also be
found under the “Investor Relations” section of our web site at www.offficedepot.com. Office Depot makes no
provisions for waivers of the code of ethical behavior. A copy of the foregoing corporate governance materials is
available upon written request.