Economy Watch

The productivity
imperative…

Michael Heseltine sees SMB’s
as the key engine for growth

5 May’13
Former President of the UK’s Board of Trade and Tory big beast Lord Heseltine sees transforming Britain’s productivity as the engine for driving growth. He says that drive needs to be targeted at the regions.

Read more: Economy Watch UK: The productivity imperative

Blackberry leaves

sour tablet taste

CEO Heins sees it becoming #1
in mobile computing by 2018?

5 May’13
Just as researchers reported that nearly 20m Britons will use a tablet each month over the course of this year, BlackBerry boss Thorsten Heins made a surprising assertion: tablets, he said would be dead in five years time.

Read more: Blackberry leaves sour tablet taste

Reasons to

be Cheerful

Why UK economy is

better than imagined

4 May’13

Did last week’s UK GDP figures create a case for optimism about the economy? At face value, no, but the underlying trends are encouraging…

Read more: UK EconomyWatch - Reasons to be cheerful

HP sued over
Autonomy deal

Shareholders claim board
ignored CFO/red flag warnings

4 May’13
Meg Whitman, the current CEO and Leo Apotheker, former CEO, are among a number of HP board members named in a lawsuit brought by shareholders angry at the "waste of billions of dollars of HP assets".

Read more: HP sued over Autonomy deal

Don’t you reap


what you sow?

Why is OPI launching a B2C
pimping service for dealers?

4 May’13
We were not entirely surprised to read about this news. It just confirms OPI’s lack of understanding of dealers’ need to focus in developing deeper relationships with existing customers, not prostituting themselves with casual lovers…

Read more: OPI: Email B2C email service for independents

Facebook fires
up mobile mania

Ads soar to reach 30% revenue

3 May’13
What a difference a year makes for Facebook. Twelve months ago, the social network barely had a mobile business. Now it’s the fastest growing sales stream

Read more: Facebook fires up mobile mania

N e w e l l  writes

less joyful numbers

When will CEO ‘Prolix Polk’s' 
growth gameplan’ normalize?

3 May’13
Newell Rubbermaid, leading maker of office products and consumer brands today announced steady sales, but weaker profits for Q1’13 ended 31 Mar’13

Read more: Newell Rubbermaid - Q1'13 Financial Review

Special Exclusive Report

Devious Depot:
motions denied

Moves against Whistleblower
thrown out by Federal Judge

2 May’13
The Proficiency Post investigative team has obtained a copy of an April 9th Court Order through a Freedom of Information request. Will Office Depot’s actions endanger the Depot/Max merger?

Read more: Devious Office Depot: case dismissed against whistleblower

Boise bound

by weak market

Packaging progress unable to

offset declining paper demand

2 May’13

Leading US papermaker Boise today reported its Q1’13 financial results to 31 Mar’13. The secular decline in paper demand has caused the closure of two machines 

Read more: Boise Financial Review - Q1'13

A r g o s  a i m s
a t  A m a z o n

Plans for fast ‘clicks & mortar’
hubs and printed catalogue cuts

2 May’13
Shoppers will be able to spend less than a minute in Argos catalogue stores collecting items they have bought online later this year…now the majority of its business

Read more: Argos takes aim at Amazon

IP: Packaging
powers ahead

Printing papers demand slows;
xpedx distribution declining

2 May’13
International Paper, the world’s #1 papermaker reported robust results for Q1’13 ended 31 Mar’13. Packaging now represents 62% of sales

Read more: International Paper: Q1'13 Financial Review

Zero-waste makes

Commercial sense

“It ain’t what you do it’s
the way that you do it”

2 May’13
The UK’s #1 progressive independent reseller, Commercial Group has smashed its latest environmental target – achieving Zero Waste status. Sales chief Simone Hindmarch (pic left)leads celebrations tomorrow...

Read more: Zero-Waste makes Commercial sense

Iron Mountain 


flattening out

Storage rental gains in Europe
offset by services declines

1 May’13


Iron Mountain (IRM), the global leader in information management services today reported steady sales results for Q1’13 ended 31 Mar’13

Read more: Iron Mountain Q1'13 Financial Review

Imation: 


impossible


Transformation plan too-
little

-too-late to stem terminal tailspin

1 May’13 


Imation, the former storage media giant, today reported an accelerated rate of deterioration in its financial results for Q1’13 ended 31 Mar’13, plus intensified action to redress and invest in growth businesses

Read more: Imation Q1'13 Financial Review

Systemax
s l i d i n g 

B2B sales slowdown;
retail sales in freefall

1 May’13
Systemax, the tech-direct marketer including Misco, CompUSA, Circuit City and Tiger Direct brands, reported disappointing financial results for Q1’13 ended 31 Mar’13

Read more: Systemax Q1'13 Financial Review

Proficiency Profile

Designing offices
to inspire harmony

Steelcase’s Workspace Futures'

Donna Flynn on collaboration

30 Apr’13
Human nature changes slowly, but the way we work and the idea of the ‘office’, changes fast. Here’s how to harness those opposing forces for a happier workforce…

Read more: Proficiency Profile - Steelcase's Donna Flynn, Workspace Futures

Epson’s relief
from decline

Printer/ink sales slowing as
US/Europe demand stalls

30 Apr’13
Epson, the leading printer and visual presentation products manufacturer experienced a slight recovery from its declining results in Q4’13 ended 31 Mar’13

Read more: Epson Q4'13 Financial Review

Deluded Depot a

diminished force

Blind Board whitewash 

weaknesses, misunderstands

competitors' market moves

30 Apr’13 (Complete)

Office Depot, the beleaguered bigbox OP reseller continued its slide towards $10Bn sales and is losing market share rapidly, according to Q1’13 results. The Board again proved thay are removed from market reality...

Read more: Office Depot Q1'13 Financial Review

Miller acquires
fabric maker

“Natural and complementary fit”

29 Apr’13
Herman Miller has announced it will be acquiring NY based Maharam Fabric Corp. today

Read more: Herman MIller acquires fabric maker

Georgia Pacific
buys Buckeye

Cellulose maker is a good fit
with its specialist divisions

29 Apr’13
Georgia-Pacific LLC, the U.S. paper and pulp producer controlled by the Koch brothers, last week agreed to buy Buckeye Technologies

Read more: Georgia Pacific buys Buckeye Tech.