Office Depot Inc reported a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss on Tuesday as troubles in corporate America weighed on sales at the No. 2 U.S. office supplies retailer.

The second-quarter net loss widened to $82 million, or 31 cents a share, from $2 million, or 1 cent a share, a year earlier.

Excluding charges, the Boca Raton, Florida-based company reported a loss of 22 cents a share, while analysts on average were expecting a loss of 12 cents, according to Reuters Estimates.

The recession has hit office supplies sellers hard as consumers and small businesses cut back on buying big-ticket items like furniture and computers.

Sales at Office Depot, whose products range from computer hardware to school supplies, fell 22 percent to $2.8 billion.

(Reporting by Dhanya Skariachan; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

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