Sales Fall 17% at Office Depot

Sales for Office Depot fell 17%, to $3 billion, for the third quarter ended Sept. 26. The company reported a net loss of $413 million, compared to net loss of $7 million for the same period in 2008.

Sales in the North America Business Solutions Division, which includes catalogs, sank 16%, to $880 million, compared to $1.05 billion for the same period last year.

The North American Retail Division’s sales slipped 18%, to $1.3 billion, with same-store sales down 14% for the quarter. Sales in the International Division rose 3%, to $1.0 billion.