Office Depot Launches Enterprise-Wide Store Development System

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - October 8, 2002 – Office Depot, Inc., the world’s largest seller of office products, will soon be opening new stores more quickly than ever, thanks to the successful launch and implementation of its Web-based store development system. Office Depot has the exclusive implementation rights for this new Web-based tool in the office supply retail industry.

Office Depot is utilizing e-Builder’s Retail Development Manager, the leading store development management system. The Company is leveraging the platform to streamline its entire program, from site selection, to lease negotiation, design, construction and facility operation. The system reduces the time it takes to develop or remodel Office Depot retail stores.

Commenting on the new system, Jerry Colley, Office Depot's President of North American Retail Stores said, "Real estate site selections are critical to the success of our Retail Stores Division. By implementing a web-based tool that allows us to not only track progress and accountability of our real estate projects, but having real-time access to important information provides us a real competitive advantage as we continue expanding our retail stores network."

"Office Depot's development cycle can be up to two years and with the assistance of e-Builder, they are now able to speed up that process," said Jon Antevy, CEO and co-founder of e-Builder. "With so many groups of people involved in the projects both inside and outside of Office Depot, the opportunity to reduce the development time is enormous. Office Depot is leading the way in the retail market as more and more managers choose Web-based management systems to improve profit margins and increase productivity."

About Office Depot™

No one sells more office products to more customers in more countries through more channels than Office Depot. As the largest seller of office products around the world, the Company operates under the Office Depot®, Viking Office Products®, Viking Direct® and 4Sure.com® brand names. As of June 29, 2002, Office Depot operated 853 office supply superstores in the United States and Canada, in addition to a national business-to-business delivery network supported by 24 delivery centers, more than 60 local sales offices and 13 regional call centers. Furthermore, the Company sells products and services in 19 countries outside of the United States and Canada, including 32 office supply stores in France and 12 in Japan that are owned and operated by the Company; and 110 additional office supply stores under joint venture and licensing agreements operating under the Office Depot name in five foreign countries.

The Company operates an award-winning U.S. Office Depot brand Web site at http://www.officedepot.com where customers can access Office Depot's low competitive prices seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, as well as a new Web site that targets the school supply market at http://www.school.com. The Company also operates eighteen additional Web sites, under the Office Depot and Viking Office Products names, in the U.S. and eleven countries including: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Japan, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

About e-Builder™

e-Builder, Inc., headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, develops business-to-business Internet tools for the commercial construction industry. Its suite of products enable and enhance the exchange of information among construction industry participants and helps projects come in on time and on budget. e-Builder is the pioneer of Internet-based tools for construction and in 1995 was honored by Engineering News-Record, a respected publication of The McGraw-Hill Companies, as one of the Top 25 Newsmakers of the year. e-Builder is sold worldwide direct and through its preferred partner network. Customers include: America Online, The Beck Group, Beers Construction, Columbia/HCA, HOK Architects, Lucent Technologies, NBBJ Sports Architects, Skanska USA, Swinerton & Walburg, Tishman Construction and more. For more information on e-Builder, visit the company's web site at www.e-builder.net. For sales information, call 1-800-580-9322.

For more information, contact Lisa Buyer at 954-354-1410 x14.