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Moscow's Office Depot among long list of store closings nationwide [Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Moscow, Idaho](Moscow-Pullman Daily News (ID) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 04--Despite a recent lease renewal and past statements by employees claiming otherwise, Office Depot in Moscow will close Nov. 15, a public relations representative from the company said Thursday. "Based upon thoughtful analysis, which included a store-by-store evaluation, Office Depot, Inc., announced earlier this year that it plans to close approximately 400 stores in the U.S. over the next several years," said Julianne Embry, public relations senior manager for Office Depot. "During our earnings call on Aug. 5, we confirmed that approximately 165 locations will be closing by the end of this year." As a result, Embry said store No. 612, located at 2242 W. Pullman Road in Moscow, which neighbors Hastings, will close. Last May, when The Associated Press reported Office Depot's plans to close about 21 percent of stores, the fate of the Moscow location was unknown. Karen Denning, vice president of Office Depot Corporate Communications, had said there was no list of closing stores, but said the information would be shared with managers during quarterly calls. At that time, a 12-year employee of the Moscow store, Kent Zachow, said the company re-signed a lease that spring, and he thought the company would not sign it if the store were to close anytime soon. Manager Tasha Lowe had deferred all inquiries to corporate media relations. The closing comes nearly a full year after Office Depot and OfficeMax completed a $1.2 billion deal to merge. Embry said the merger provided an opportunity to consolidate stores, while still maintaining a retail presence. "We will continue to serve our customers online at officedepot.com," Embry said. The nearest Office Depot is now located in Spokane, while office supply store Staples remains at 233 Warbonnet Drive in Moscow. ___ (c)2014 Moscow-Pullman Daily News (Moscow, Idaho) Visit the Moscow-Pullman Daily News (Moscow, Idaho) at www.dnews.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |