While Office Depot is clearly a powerful organization today, the Company's beginnings were quite modest. Office Depot was founded in Florida in 1986 and opened its first store in Fort Lauderdale. In late 1987, David I. Fuente assumed the post of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the fledging company, and took Office Depot public in 1988. Fuente immediately began to execute an ambitious plan to expand the Company's footprint in key U.S. markets. The results were dramatic: By the end of 1990 Office Depot had 173 stores in 27 states. That same year, Office Depot merged with The Office Club, Inc., becoming the largest office products retailer in North America.
Early 1992 marked the Company's acquisition of H.Q. Office International, Inc., which included the Great Canadian Office Supplies Warehouse chain in western Canada. Growing steadily, the Company also opened new retail stores in Israel and Colombia under international licensing agreements.
In 1993, Office Depot entered the rapidly consolidating contract stationer business by acquiring two market leaders: Wilson Stationary & Printing Company and Eastman Office Products Corporation. The merger of six additional contract stationers followed these purchases during 1994. These moves positioned Office Depot to take advantage of industry trends that would come to play a central role in the Company's success.
Between 1995 and 1998, the Company opened stores in Poland, Hungary and Thailand under international licensing agreements, and in Mexico, France and Japan under joint venture agreements. Later, the Company acquired the interests of its joint venture partners in both France and Japan.
In 1998, Office Depot merged with Viking Office Products, a public company and the world's leading direct mail marketer of office products. The addition of Viking to the Office Depot organization not only vastly expanded Office Depot's international presence, but also made the Company the leading provider of office products and services in the world.
Office Depot's customers include small office/home office (SoHo), medium-sized and large businesses located in the U.S. and in 17 other countries around the globe.

• Stationery products retailer