Office Depot Sets New Standard for Stylish, Functional and Affordable Furniture with Expansion of Exclusive Christopher Lowell Collection
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — New Pre-Coordinated, Multipurpose Pieces Suitable for Any Room in the Home or Office
Office Depot (NYSE:ODP), one of the world’s leading resellers of office products and services, and Christopher Lowell, the Emmy Award-winning designer, author and television personality, today announced the latest additions to the Christopher Lowell Collection – Office Depot’s exclusive line of pre-coordinated furniture and accessories.
The partnership between Office Depot and Lowell, a first in the office supply superstore category, was announced last year and provided the small office and home markets with the industry’s most stylish, functional and affordable line of desking and storage products.
“The initial product launch — the most successful in Office Depot’s history — has spawned new multipurpose pieces that coordinate with the current line, but are also suitable for any room in the home,” said Kirby Salgado, Divisional Merchandising Manager for Furniture at Office Depot.
“We listened to our customers and found that they sought more storage space and versatility in their home and office furniture, so the newest additions address this desire while fitting nicely into the existing lines,” Salgado noted. “Small business and home office owners now have additional options to take the guess-work out of interior decorating.”
According to Salgado, some of the additions to this year’s collections include stylish armoires that can store office or entertainment equipment, do-it-yourself track lighting with interchangeable shades, and beautiful sofa tables that can double as executive desks. SOHO shoppers will also be able to choose from a fresh new look, as the company has revamped its City collection with a brand new style that is incorporated in several new pieces.
“These new items offer even more versatility while making a real designer statement in the home,” said Lowell. “The pieces are designed to further address customer’s organizational needs with style. The pre-coordinated accessories, for example, allow you to instantly complete an environment for a stress free and fully cohesive statement at a fraction of the cost. See, now you really can do it!”
Lowell noted that a recent Office Depot survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, found that over one-third of respondents would like their home furniture to reflect their personality and be both stylish and functional.
“The designer pieces allow office spaces to be elegantly created anywhere in the home – meeting both the needs and desires of consumers,” Lowell added.
Office Depot’s Christopher Lowell Collection
Office Depot’s Christopher Lowell Collection is available in four unique styles – Town, Country, City and Shore:
–Town: Timeless and versatile collection creates a bridge between traditional and modern design. Frosted reed glass and steel hardware against rich Bordeaux wood with a hint of mission style give this collection a strong, tailored presence.
–The new Town pieces include a rolling pedestal file drawer with a magazine rack on the back and optional CD rack ($139.99).
–A 15-inch accent lamp ($24.99), which matches the current Christopher Lowell lamps on the market, is perfect for a living room sofa table, a bedroom end table or an office desk.
–The original credenza with optional hutch, storage cabinet with optional hutch, executive desk, library, table and floor lamps, as well as desk and guest chairs are still available in this collection.
–Country: Rich wood tones, strong turned legs, crown moldings, leather insets and raised panels make for a more traditional collection that can accommodate a variety of technology requirements.
–A lateral file ($199.99) with an optional hutch attachment ($99.99) is one of the new additions to Country, offering a stylish storage alternative around the home or office.
–A computer credenza ($349.99) with an optional hutch ($149.99) is also available now, which could be used to house the home-entertainment system.
–For additional coordinated storage space, a library ($159.99) is also available as an option.
–Finally, the Shepard’s Hook Accent Lamp ($14.99) adds style and light to any room in the house.
–The library, executive desk, floor and table lamps, and desk and guest chairs will continue to be available in this collection.
–City: New this year, the collection features deep mahogany woods, satin black surfaces, flared Asian legs and neo-classic hardware – which makes creating an upscale urban environment easy. Thick glass shelves, built-in accent lighting and window panels that offer an optional leaded glass detail allow you to easily achieve a look of understated elegance.
–The new media center ($249.99) with optional hutch ($299.99) has convenient storage space for VHS tapes, CDs, DVDs and files.
–An executive desk ($399.99) adds elegance to this collection with conveniences such as a flip-down drawer that holds the keyboard and mouse.
–A computer credenza ($349.99) with optional hutch ($299.99) is the perfect touch for the living room, bedroom or office – its versatility provides easy storage for your computer or TV/stereo.
–An entertainment stand ($169.99), with optional hutch ($99.99), is also available to house your video/audio equipment, CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes.
–Finally, two desk lamps ($29.99) and one floor lamp ($39.99), all in brushed nickel, are perfect lighting accessories for this elegant furniture line.
–The desk and guest chairs remain the same in this collection.
–Shore: Popular whitewash effect gives this collection an at-home feel. Function and technology are hidden to provide an efficient and stylish solution for open spaces.
–A computer armoire ($599.99) is the “center piece” of the new additions to this collection. With a hidden pull out drawer for a keyboard/mouse and lighted adjustable shelves, this armoire boasts exceptional storage space while the elegant bi-fold doors hide the storage area for a clean look. The armoire is functional enough to be used for the computer or entertainment equipment, and versatile enough to be used in the bedroom or office.
–An elegant sofa table ($99.99) which can be used as a desk and a book case with an optional hutch ($199.99) are also available in the Shore line.
–Buffet ($24.97) and counterbalance ($29.99) lamps with bell-shaped linen shades complete the line.
–The lateral file with optional hutch, credenza with optional hutch, executive desk, floor, table, and desk lamps, as well as desk and guest chairs remain available in this collection.
–New Stand Alone Products:
–Track Lighting – This set is a plug-in solution with exclusive Christopher Lowell-designed shades. The track is flexible, and can be cut and painted to fit your interior design needs, while two track head styles and one hanging pendant complete the offering. The shades are interchangeable so the look can be freshened up anytime. Best of all, the track lighting can go anywhere, walls, ceilings, floors, furniture, and takes only 15 minutes to mount. ($59.99 – $79.99 for tracks with heads) ($12.99 – $14.99 for shades)
–IL Verona – This Italian inspired desk set with intricate weave and fashion-forward attention to detail offers unprecedented style to any surface. The subtle shades of dusty cranberry and natural sage will serve as a focal point of accessories all year around. ($6.97 – $33.97)
The latest Christopher Lowell Collection is available at Office Depot’s 923 retail stores in North America, through the company’s catalogs and e-commerce site at www.officedepot.com/christopherlowell as well as via phone at 1-800-GO-DEPOT.
The new products will be supported by promotional activities and a print advertising campaign created by BBDO New York that includes business, home/shelter and multicultural publications.
EDITORS NOTE: For additional information on the Christopher Lowell line of furniture and accessories, including background materials and digital images, please visit our Internet Press Kit at http://mediarelations.officedepot.cc/clowell/index.html
About Office Depot
With annual sales of more than $12 billion, no one sells more office supplies to more customers in more countries than Office Depot. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Delray Beach, Fla., the company conducts business in 23 countries and employs nearly 50,000 people worldwide.
Office Depot is a leader in every distribution channel – from retail stores and contract delivery to catalogs and e-commerce. The company is the world’s number three online retailer – on track to generate $3B in sales for FY’04. In North America, Office Depot has 923 retail stores in addition to a national business-to-business delivery network supported by 22 delivery centers, more than 60 local sales offices and 13 regional call centers.
The company’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP and is included in the S&P 500 Index. Additional press information can be found at: http://mediarelations.officedepot.com.
About Christopher Lowell
As the Emmy Award-winning host and pioneering force behind today’s abundance of home decor television, Christopher Lowell’s mix of practical advice and infectious enthusiasm have made him one of America’s most recognized and trusted authorities in the home improvement category. The success of his ever-growing multi-media company proves that Christopher has made a loyal connection to how America wants to live now and in the future. With eight consecutive years on national television, best selling books, a heavily trafficked website, www.christopherlowell.com, and strong retail presence, Christopher Lowell has quietly become one of the nation’s important new brands.
Lowell also heads Christopher Lowell Enterprises, LLC, the parent company to Christopher Lowell Productions, and Christopher Lowell, Inc., the design, licensing and marketing arm of his consumer product division, which made its debut in the fall of 2000.
About Harris Interactive(R)
Harris Interactive (www.harrisinteractive.com) is a global research firm that blends premier strategic consulting with innovative and efficient methods of investigation, analysis and application. Well known for The Harris Poll(R) and for pioneering Internet-based research methods, Rochester, New York-based Harris Interactive conducts proprietary and public research to help its clients around the world achieve clear, material and enduring results.
Harris Interactive combines its intellectual capital, databases and technology to advance market leadership through its U.S. offices and wholly owned subsidiaries: London-based HI Europe (www.hieurope.com), Paris-based Novatris (www.novatris.com), Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan, recently acquired U.S.-based WirthlinWorldwide (www.wirthlinworldwide.com) and through a global network of affiliate firms.
Survey Methodology
On behalf of Office Depot, Harris Interactive(R) conducted this online study between September 28 and 30, 2004. A nationwide sample of 2266 U.S. adults (age 18+) were surveyed, of whom 1494 were employed. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income and region were weighted where necessary to align with population proportions. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 3 percentage points (for the overall sample). Statistical precision for the employed adults sample results is plus or minus 4 percentage points of what they would be if the entire population of employed U.S. adults had been polled with complete accuracy. This online sample was not a probability sample.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
