“Kevin’s experience with leading our retail and eCommerce organizations over the past several years positions him as the ideal candidate to become CEO of Office Depot upon the separation,” said Smith.
The separation is expected to allow ODP and Office Depot to pursue unique market opportunities and growth strategies, improving the value for shareholders and stakeholders. While ODP and Office Depot will be separate, independent companies, it is anticipated that they will share commercial agreements to allow them to continue to leverage scale benefits in such areas as product sourcing and supply chain.
Additional details of the separation are expected to be announced in the coming months, including Board and additional leadership teams of both companies. The Company anticipates that the separated companies will be capitalized to provide the financial flexibility to take advantage of future strategic opportunities.
The transaction is subject to certain conditions, including final approval by ODP’s Board of Directors, opinions from tax counsel and a favorable ruling by the IRS on the tax-free nature of the transaction to the Company and its shareholders, the filing and effectiveness of a Form 10 registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the approved listing of Office Depot, Inc.’s common stock on a national securities exchange, and the completion of any necessary financings. The separation will not require a vote of ODP shareholders. There can be no assurances regarding the ultimate timing of the separation or that the transaction will be completed.
About The ODP Corporation
The ODP Corporation (NASDAQ:ODP) is a leading provider of business services and supplies, products and digital workplace technology solutions to small, medium and enterprise businesses, through an integrated business-to-business (B2B) distribution platform, which includes world-class supply chain and distribution operations, dedicated sales professionals and technicians, online presence, and approximately 1,100 stores. Through its banner brands Office Depot®, OfficeMax®, CompuCom® and Grand&Toy®, as well as others, the Company offers its customers the tools and resources they need to focus on their passion of starting, growing and running their business. For more information, visit news.theodpcorp.com and investor.theodpcorp.com.
ODP and Office Depot are trademarks of The Office Club, Inc. OfficeMax is a trademark of OMX, Inc. CompuCom is a trademark of CompuCom Systems, Inc. Grand&Toy is a trademark of Grand & Toy, LLC in Canada. ©2021 Office Depot, LLC. All rights reserved. Any other product or company names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements or disclosures may discuss goals, intentions and expectations as to future trends, plans, events, results of operations, cash flow or financial condition, the potential impacts on our business due to the unknown severity and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, or state other information relating to, among other things, the Company, based on current beliefs and assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. Forward-looking statements generally will be accompanied by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “plan,” “could,” “will,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “possible,” “potential,” “project,” “propose” or other similar words, phrases or expressions, or other variations of such words. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of the Company’s control. There can be no assurances that the Company will realize these expectations or that these beliefs will prove correct, and therefore investors and stakeholders should not place undue reliance on such statements.