A New Day at the Office

Office Depot (Delray Beach, Fla.) has announced it will open its first two new prototype stores in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and Englewood, Colo., on Saturday, August 4. These new stores are the first of an 11-store pilot scheduled for roll-out by the end of 2001.

The office products retailer says its redesigned footprint is “radically different” from the old warehouse superstore format of the late 1980s and early 90s. The new store prototype will have a circular flow of traffic intended to maximize shoppers'sightlines and offering better access to all departments. Over the next 12 months, the company says it plans to carefully study the performance of these new stores in order to make any necessary adjustments and before making any decisions about further openings in this new format.

The new stores will have other enhancements, such as: a new Technology Center in the middle of the store featuring the company's Business Solutions Center, with personal assistance on such technology solutions as “Build Your Own Computer,” (featuring Compaq, Sony and Hewlett-Packard Microsoft bCentral services, and “High Speed Internet Access;” a new Education Center, located in the back of the store, with sound-proof glass and seating, that will serve as a classroom for education and training on new, innovative and relevant products and services designed to help customers run their businesses more effectively; new 3-D technology designed to enable customers to configure office furniture based on room dimensions, with simple touch prompts; an enhanced Copy and Print Center that will offer such specialized business services as printing, copying, faxing, personalized checks and business forms, and computer installation and rentals; Customer Service Assistance buttons that summon store personnel for those requiring specialized attention.

Additionally, the new stores incorporate enhanced signage, increased availability of private-label merchandise and reference charts on technology products throughout the store. New aisle markers and will more clearly define product categories and items are specially designed to help customers find products more easily.

“We are confident that customers are going to love shopping at our new stores,” said Jerry Colley, president of Office Depot's North American Retail Stores division. “The new customer-centric design, bright overhead and in-rack lighting, as well as improved product placement throughout the store, provide a more exciting and compelling shopping experience that welcomes customers from the moment they enter the store. We are excited to offer our customers a physical layout that will allow them to explore the entire store and get in and get out quickly while finding exactly what they need to run their businesses more effectively. Our mission is to impress our customers so much that they want to buy from us again and again.”

As of June 30, 2001, Office Depot operated 829 office supply superstores in the United States and Canada. It is the world's largest retailer of office supplies.