Office Depot Announces Receipt of Timber Note Proceeds and Retirement of Non-recourse Debt

Office Depot, Inc. ("Office Depot,” or the "Company”) (NASDAQ: ODP), a leading integrated business-to-business ("B2B”) distribution platform of business services and supplies, today announced the final maturity of the legacy Timber Note structure, resulting in the retirement of the associated non-recourse bridge loan and receipt of approximately $87.7 million in net pretax proceeds.

The non-recourse debt and associated timber note receivable were part of the consideration received by OfficeMax Incorporated ("OfficeMax”) in the sale of its legacy timberland assets in 2004 and were acquired by the Company as part of the 2013 merger of the Company and OfficeMax. At the January 29, 2020 maturity date, the proceeds of the $817.5 million timber note receivable were netted against the $735 million non-recourse bridge loan, resulting in an $82.5 million payment to the Company plus approximately $5 million in accrued interest income. Taxes on the transaction are expected to be negligible based on the utilization of existing tax assets.

The maturity of the Timber Note structure will significantly simplify the Company’s capital structure, as both the timber notes receivable and non-recourse debt will be eliminated from the consolidated balance sheet when reported as part of the first quarter financial results.

About Office Depot, Inc.

Office Depot, Inc. (NASDAQ:ODP) is a leading provider of business services and supplies, products and technology solutions to small, medium and enterprise businesses, through a fully integrated B2B distribution platform of approximately 1,300 stores, online presence, and dedicated sales professionals and technicians. Through its banner brands Office Depot®, OfficeMax®, CompuCom® and Grand&Toy®, as well as others, the Company offers its customers the tools and resources they need to focus on their passion of starting, growing and running their business. For more information, visit news.officedepot.com and follow @officedepot on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Office Depot is a trademark of The Office Club, Inc. OfficeMax is a trademark of OMX, Inc. CompuCom is a trademark of CompuCom Systems, Inc. Grand&Toy is a trademark of Grand & Toy, LLC in Canada. ©2020 Office Depot, Inc. All rights reserved. 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, cash flow or financial condition, or state other information relating to, among other things, Office Depot, 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,” "outlook,” "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 Office Depot’s control. There can be no assurances that Office Depot will realize these expectations or that these beliefs will prove correct, and therefore investors and stakeholders 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, among other things, highly competitive office products market and failure to differentiate Office Depot from other office supply resellers or respond to decline in general office supplies sales or to shifting consumer demands; competitive pressures on Office Depot’s sales and pricing; the risk that Office Depot may not be able to realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions due to unforeseen liabilities, future capital expenditures, expenses, indebtedness and the unanticipated loss of key customers or the inability to achieve expected revenues, synergies, cost savings or financial performance; the risk that Office Depot is unable to transform the business into a service-driven company or that such a strategy will result in the benefits anticipated; failure to execute effective advertising efforts; the risk that Office Depot is unable to successfully maintain a relevant omni-channel experience for its customers; the risk that Office Depot is unable to execute the Business Acceleration Program successfully or that such program will result in the benefits anticipated; failure to attract and retain key personnel, including qualified employees in stores, service centers, distribution centers, field and corporate offices and executive management; disruptions in Office Depot computer systems; breach of Office Depot information technology systems affecting reputation, business partner and customer relationships and operations and resulting in high costs; loss of business with government entities, purchasing consortiums, and sole- or limited- source distribution arrangements; product safety and quality concerns of manufacturers’ branded products and services and Office Depot private branded products; increases in fuel and other commodity prices; increases in the cost of material, energy and other production costs, or unexpected costs that cannot be recouped in product pricing; unanticipated downturns in business relationships with customers or terms with the suppliers, third-party vendors and business partners; disruption of global sourcing activities, evolving foreign trade policy (including new tariffs on certain foreign made goods); a downgrade in Office Depot credit ratings or a general disruption in the credit markets; covenants in the credit facility and term loan; incurrence of significant impairment charges; fluctuation in quarterly operating results due to seasonality of Office Depot business; changes in tax laws in jurisdictions where Office Depot operates; unexpected claims, charges, litigation, dispute resolutions or settlement expenses; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; changes in the regulatory environment, legal compliance risks and violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; increases in wage and benefit costs and changes in labor regulations; catastrophic events, including the impact of weather events on Office Depot’s business; failure to effectively manage Office Depot real estate portfolio; volatility in Office Depot common stock price, and unanticipated changes in the markets for Office Depot’s business segments. 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 Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Office Depot does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

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