Office Depot adds designer RTA - hardlines - Office Depot Inc - Brief Article

DSN Retailing Today, Feb 23, 2004

The furniture category at Office Depot is taking on a new look following the recent addition of a proprietary line created by designer and television personality Christopher Lowell.

Office Depot began testing the approximately 80-SKU line last November at south Florida stores near its home office and more recently extended the line to 200 stores. The remainder of the company's 870 stores in North America are scheduled to receive the line this spring.

The merchandise is manufactured by Sauder and is quite attractive and moderately priced with desks--the highest priced item in the line--selling for a little under $400. The furniture and accessories are available in four distinct design groupings: Town, Country, City and Shore. Each has a unique finished appearance and includes core office components, such as desks, chairs and book cases, and a variety of coordinated accessories, such as lamps, letter trays, desk pads and select storage pieces (see p.18 for details).

With the addition of the Lowell line, Office Depot hopes to appeal to the 40% of Americans who the company's research indicates want to improve the appearance of their home office. The addition of the line also bolsters Office Depot's already solid position in the furniture business. According to the company, it is the nation's sixth-largest furniture retailer and the largest retailer in the U.S. office furniture market, valued at $8.8 billion by the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association.