International Paper Named one of Corporate Express' 2005 Business Partners of the Year

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Corporate Express, Inc., a Buhrmann company , one of the world's largest business-to-business suppliers of essential office, computer products and services, announced today that it named International Paper a Corporate Express 2005 Business Partner of Year at its annual Industry Executive Forum (IEF) held in Broomfield, Colo.

The award was presented to International Paper at Corporate Express' annual supplier meeting and networking event, which focuses on the strategies, programs and products that are integral for shared success in 2006.

International Paper was named a 2005 Business Partner of the Year for their industry leading innovations in paper quality and products.

"International Paper has been a key partner with us in our supplier collaboration initiative," said Ron Lalla, Corporate Express' Vice President of Merchandising. "They were an early champion of this initiative and with their continuing focus on operational excellence, they have helped to drive outstanding service levels to both Corporate Express and our customers. Their performance across a broad range of supplier metrics has consistently been among the very best of all our suppliers."

"International Paper has been an important partner in our efforts to grow our private label paper program in 2005," said Dave Grove, Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Merchandising for Corporate Express. "They worked with us to create an upgraded paper offering to our customers, and their commitment to our company and our customers is outstanding."

About Corporate Express

Corporate Express, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Buhrmann, NV , an international business services and distribution group. Buhrmann is a leading global supplier of office products and graphic systems for the business market. Corporate Express' product offering includes office and computer supplies, imaging and computer graphics supplies, office furniture, document and print management, desktop software, promotional products, and other similar products. Corporate Express has operations in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. Through exclusive strategic partnerships, Corporate Express can deliver product to China, Finland, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Taiwan. Corporate Express' North American operations 185 facilities, including 38 distribution centers, and the Company employs 10,775 people. The Company's Web site address is http://www.corporateexpress.com/.