Staples' 5th Anniv
In June'17 vulture capitalist Sycamore Partners bought Staples for $6.9Bn. The industry quaked! What has happened since? Proficiency Post chronicled its demise from $16Bn down to a current $8Bn with the ex-powerhouse a shell of its former self. What do leading vendors and IDC think? We surveyed and report here to date
Essendant: Big call
Leading business supplies wholesaler Essendant's leadership team justhosted dealers and suppliers at a virtual Town Hall event. It proved a great opportunity to connect and share latest market perspectives; top economist Brian Beaulieu's view; plus new initiatives. We spoke with president Harry Dochelli on key takeaways...
Mason's Blizzard
Warren Buffett owned Dairy Queen (DQ) had issues with business supplier WBMason's labeling of its 'Blizzard' branded water, but the Minnesota federal judge ruled 'no customer confusion'. DQ sued in 2018 but WB's lawyers were always confident claims were "ridiculous". PP dives inside the saga...Updated
Create cool hybrid
Even before Covid some organizations began experimenting with mobile work, shifting ownership for spaces and offering more choice for people to move where they worked based on their activities. Some companies allowed hybrid work, giving employees flexibility to WFH. Now, the practice has become the mainstream even those who believed it wasn’t a fit for them.
The Proficiency
The Q1'22 reporting season is complete. Proficiency Index have analysed results and separated out the price inflation element, from real volume performance. HPInc, HPE, ABM, UNFI and Costco were the last companies to report inflated profits fueled by high price hikes; a total of 90 companies analysed
Achieving hybrid
Harvard professor Prithwiraj Choudhury has been studying hybrid models for several years. He explains what his latest research indicates about the optimal ratio of remote to office working. "We have been constrained in our lives by geography for decades. WFH sets us free"
Amazon abates
Amazon has delayed or canceled plans for at least 13 facilities in its distribution network this year. CFO Brian Olsavsky said in April that the company built more fulfillment network capacity (FC's) with “the high end of a very volatile demand outlook”. Regardless, It still has twice the delivery capacity of big rivals Walmart and Target combined
PC shipments
Gartner has forecast that worldwide PC shipments will fall by -9.5% this year. Both global #1 Lenovo & Dell wrested market share away from HP. One large VAR partner says after the dust settles, demand will still be higher than it was pre-Covid.
Icahn's Xerox CEO
Xerox CEO John Visentin has unexpectedly passed away due to complications from an ongoing illness. Visentin was appointed in 2018 by activist investor Carl Icahn after he took a 20% stake and then together tried unsuccessfully to acquire HP Inc. What is the reaction of investors?
MillerKnoll hits
MillerKnoll the new #1, enlarged furnituremaker maintained its focused on strong WFH demand with DWR home concepts, strength in retail, but the contract market continued soft but recovering. Upbeat ceo Andi Owen focused her Q4'22 report on strong WFH demand, mobile systems innovation and integration of Knoll.
HPE: H o l l o w
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) CEO Antonio Neri took on all the big issues at Discover 2022 conference. From HPE's transformation as a software and services company with GreenLake to how it is out-innovating competitors? Here are his 10 most provocative statements from the event reported by CRN's Steven Burke.
Hygienic offices
A clean office is the ‘most important incentive for workers’. A US survey revealed that cleanliness is the best employers can offer if they want people back in the office. Maybe a statement of the obvious, but 'hygiene consciousness' driven by Covid has doubled over the past 2-3 yrs ....
Late FedEx follows
At last, FedEx Corp has 150 BrightDrop zero-emissions trucks rolling on LA highways as it transitions towards EV deliveries. New CEO, 31yrs veteran Raj Subramaniam's major task is to transform the laggard into a leader, given the 'same as the old boss' critics' pessimism..
MSC Indl supply
MSC Industrial Supply, a leading $4Bn MRO distributor reported continued double digit growth in Q3'22. CEO Erik Gershwind was positive about demand forecasts and higher profitability ahead of the market index
What do hybrid
Like many, technology firm Augury ditched its NY City office during Covid. With few people coming in, and most working remotely, paying rent on an empty office was a waste. But the need for an office didn’t go away completely, so it consulted its people before designing a new hybrid working environment, reports Fast Company's Nate Berg.
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