OMX Officemax Incorporated

First of Nine Stores Opened March 23 to Engage Customers With Colorful Environment That Highlights Fun and Encourages Exploration ITASCA, Ill., March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- OfficeMax(R) (NYSE:OMX), one of the nation's largest office supply distributors, is saying goodbye to the standard warehouse store design when it opens nine new stores in greater Minneapolis and Minnesota starting this month. Minnesota customers will be among the first in the country to experience OfficeMax's new store design, which provides a colorful and inviting environment where busy professionals can shop, check email, print documents and even sip gourmet coffee. The first new Minneapolis-area OfficeMax store opened March 23 in Lakeville at the Timbercrest at Lakeville shopping center, 18325 Kenrick Avenue. Others will open in Brooklyn Park, Eden Prairie, Maple Grove, Medina and Savage between July 2006 and early 2008. Three additional stores are slated to open this year in Red Wing, Owatonna, and Monticello. OfficeMax currently is the leading office supply retailer in greater Minneapolis, where it already has 24 stores. The nine new stores will replace the industry-standard warehouse format with a retail concept highlighting fun and encouraging exploration. "OfficeMax is currently the market leader in Minneapolis and Minnesota, and we look forward to continuing to serve this market with a fun in-store experience, extraordinary product selection and total office solutions," said Harold Mulet, executive vice president - retail stores, OfficeMax. "We also look forward to expanding our commitment to the local marketplace with new customer-centric stores that showcase our innovative solutions for small and home offices." The new OfficeMax store design allows customers to try out the latest electronics showcased in a central technology hub, or scoop up basics such as paper clips, pens and rubber bands from brightly colored bulk bins. Understanding today's busy mobile professionals, some of the new stores also will provide a community area called OfficeMax Cafe, featuring WiFi connectivity so customers can download reports and have them printed at OfficeMax Print and Document Services while they watch cable TV news, shop for supplies or enjoy a cup of free, individually brewed gourmet coffee. The in- store Print & Document Services also provides high-tech digital printing and copying including binding, finishing and laminating. Soft lighting, a soothing color palette of golds, oranges, greens and blues, and rich textures set the tone for the new stores. Coming soon to new and existing Minnesota OfficeMax stores is a new solution for small businesses and home offices called OfficeMax Ink, Filling Station, a refillable ink cartridge kiosk. This computerized program checks the condition of a cartridge and fills it at 30 to 50 percent less cost than a new cartridge. About OfficeMax Incorporated OfficeMax Incorporated is a leader in both business-to-business office products solutions and retail office products. OfficeMax delivers an unparalleled customer experience -- in service, in product, in time savings, and in value -- through a relentless focus on its customers. The company provides office supplies and paper, print and document services, technology products and solutions, and furniture to consumers and to large, medium and small businesses. OfficeMax customers are served by approximately 40,000 associates through direct sales, catalogs, the Internet and approximately 900 superstores. OfficeMax trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol OMX. To find the nearest OfficeMax, call 1-877-OFFICEMAX. For more information, visit http://www.officemax.com/ . OfficeMax Contact Media Contact Bill Bonner Nicole Miller, Bader Rutter & Associates 630 438 8584 262 938 5425 DATASOURCE: OfficeMax Incorporated CONTACT: Bill Bonner of OfficeMax, +1-630-438-8584, or Media, Nicole Miller of Bader Rutter & Associates, +1-262-938-5425 Web site: http://www.officemax.com/

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