Office Depot, M.H. Alshaya Co. sign franchise agreement

BOCA RATON, Fla. Office Depot announced that it has partnered with M.H. Alshaya Co., an international retailer operating over 40 international franchise brands throughout the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Russia, to sell office products and services under the Office Depot name. Under the agreement, Alshaya will be granted the franchise rights for all channels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. The first four retail store locations are scheduled to open in 2009 in Kuwait City and Dubai.

“We are very pleased to have Office Depot as our partner,” said Mohammed Alshaya, Executive Chairman of M.H. Alshaya Co. “We believe there is a significant market for these products and services throughout the Middle East. We look forward to using our experience and regional knowledge to firmly establish Office Depot as the natural choice for businesses and individuals for all of their office supply needs.”