CCS Media sales
UK's leading independent office dealer CCS Media will break through the £250m ($300m) revenue this year. Another year of powerful double digit growth. We speak with CEO Terry Betts about the investment in people development and results... On Monday
OP d e a l e r s'
The slowing US economy; the secular decline in paper-related office supplies; and the tardy transition to the buoyant business supply has put severe pressure on regional family OP dealers. Slowing demand and Staples & Depot's acquisition drive fuels uncertainty: sell or invest? We discuss the future options for the Top 50 dealers in the US and UK. Weekend Review
Is Jeff B e z o s
Throughout 2019 we have chronicled the major strategic & tactical missteps we believe CEO Jeff Bezos' etailer Amazon has made. Just this week, the NY Times reported the massive amount of packages that go missing from sub-contracted delivery firms via theft or unreliability. This is the 10th own goal conceded this year. Is Bezos losing control? Updated
Shared HP/Xerox
"Shared investors make HP-Xerox deal ‘more likely" states an expert analyst. Besides activist 'Chainsaw' Carl Icahn over 23% of shares in each company are shared. Will the "no brainer" merger provoke the hedging HP board to react with a discounted bid for sinking Xerox next week? The dinosaur dance drags on.....
Brandmakers: Are
Industrial Distribution writer Paul Kiesche asks the headline question about Trade Show effectiveness. We have witnessed the same diminishing experience with OP Expos over the past 20 years ranging from plummeting Paperworld to dealer group events. Networking & private meetings are the order of the day. We revisit the topic...
Fastenal fading
Fastenal, the $5Bn in sales, US reseller of MRO & vending supplies, continued to slowdown in November from its rapid double digit pace of growth in early 2019. This is usually a leading indicator for slowing business and consumer demand in Q4'19. Watch this space...
Why's SPR exiting
US #2 OP wholesaler SPRichards merger plan with #1 Essendant in Spring 2018, seems a long time ago now. Since then SP has created confusion about its future direction. Will it invest in business supplies category expansion or withdraw? The decision to sell a growth business bought only 5 years ago escalates doubts again. We discuss...
Shopify for sale?
Shopify, the rapidly growing ecommerce platform for entrepreneurs with $60Bn in gross revenues, has been subject of takeover rumours for 3 years now. With a market cap of $40Bn which of the leading business suppliers will be interested or most in need of their expertise? We discuss the leading candidates...
Logistics leaders
New York City is testing a pilot program that would take some deliveries out of the hands of drivers in cars and vans and put them on bikes.. UPS CEO David Abney (pic left) talks about plans with Amazon & DHL working in parallel with the city...
Chainsaw chides
Activist investor Chainsaw Carl Icahn has chastised HP’s board for rejecting Xerox’s takeover bid in an open letter to HP shareholders we publish below. Ironically, he accuses them of selfishly preserving their positions; rearranging deckchairs & delaying potential $2Bn in synergy savings. Hostilities are heating up! Watch this space
"Tomorrow's News Today,
not yesterday's news tomorrow."
CCS Media sales
Brandmakers: Are