The race to 

range infinity

Broadline biz supplies

racing towards 2m sku's

Few analysts seem interested in positive business supply range moves by Staples over the past year. The Amazon chase is on as Grainger, Shoplet et al vie to be the one source solution

Synnex sales

growth slows

Tech services static;
IBM CRM adds boost

SYNNEX Corporation the $14Bn business services wholesaler, today announced disappointing financial results for Q1'15 to 28 Feb'15

Slingsby buys
shelf supplier

Workplace distributor
adds to range portfolio

Slingsby, the leading UK workplace distributor last week acquired racking and storage supplier ESE Direct

CFO route to

ENTANGLEMENT

Your 12 points guide to
engage decision makers 
& maximize user loyalty

By popular demand we have updated a refreshed a classic lesson in developing long term Customer Relationship Management first introduced back in 1994, under the OfficeSMART RAPPORT loyalty management programme…

OP players hit
by perfect storm

Personalisation & mobile
mania drives paperless
office & channel changes

When was the moment the OP industry reached a tipping point? Retailers might point to #1 etailer Amazon. Papermakers/resellers might cite the iPad launch 2010 and the mobility movement. Whatever, the OP market has been hit with a huge double whammy

IP shifts again
from print paper

Sells brand & invests
in hygiene market 

International Paper continued its shift away from printed papermaking into packaging and the hygiene market by investing in converting its North Carolina plant into a fluff pulp mill...

Ingram expands
cloud market 

US initiative expanded
to UK, France & Holland

World #1 IT wholesaler Ingram Micro has rolled out its long-awaited Cloud Marketplace to Europe after launching in US last April...

Philips sheds

lighting div.

New focus: medical,
lifestyle & coffee m/cs.

Koninklijke Philips NV has sold a majority stake in its LED components and auto-lighting activities to a private-equity consortium in a deal that values the business at about $3.3 billion.

Gold parachute

or lead balloon?

SPLODGE merger exec
comp plan revisited... 

Amzn advance
W/sale services

1 source personal local home & biz specialists

Amazon is expanding its local services nationwide offering, with its 2m resellers in business supplies and services, plus new specialist partners

Amazon: robot

army on march

Bezos commitment to
automation relentless

Before Mr Everything Jeff Bezos got serious about delivery drones he was connected with automation devices like Kiva warehouse pickers and iRobot, the maker of the Roomba vacuums 

Turbon inks two 
more takeovers

Remanufacturer's decline

offset by consolidation

Turbon,a leading ink cartridge remanufacturer reported results for 2014 with increased consolidated operating profits

An Uber infused
Freelance future

Entrepreneur revolution
defines Amzn workstyle

The Uber population of ride sharing drivers now exceeds New York City's cabbies. This is a symbolic tipping point, if it were needed, of the mega shift to freelancing and start-ups that are driving the new Amazon-style economy. Complete

Don't supersize.
Optimize.

Brother's productivity
drive for SMB printing

Brother International, the leading printermaker launched  its initiative to help SMB's react to the challenge of reducing business print costs last October. How is the campaign going?

Diet soda
sales sinking

Tastes shift from what's
better to what's good 

Water is hot and diet soda is not. Soft drinks sales hit 10th year of decline 

Snackification

nation elation

Innova's Top 10 food
& bev trends for 2015

Concerns about labelling and a desire for convenience are trends that are set to continue into 2015, according to global market research organisation Innova Market Insights.

Productivity

on the move

Drop in workspaces
by Cove; a 4th Place

Starbucks founder Howard Schultz popularized the notion of the “third place” — a hang-out in between home and work, or home and school. Now there is a fourth place...

HP sell off
in China

Data networking deal
to be one of many? 

Blackberry
crushed again 

Sales down 32% or
85% on 2011 levels

BlackBerry's said its plans to revive with mobile security software and smartphones aimed at corporate users remains on track, even though sales continue to plummet. Its CEO John Chen is in denial...

Keurig launch
recyclable pod

Reacts to demands for

greener & larger cups.
Coffee war hots up

 
Keurig has released a recyclable coffee pod after widespread criticism that its K-Cups are bad for the environment. The competition is responding...

Twitter takes

Yahoo's place 

Mayer losing momentum
in core mob-ad business

EMarketer expects online broadcaster Twitter  to become the third-largest seller of online display advertising in the US overtaking Yahoo

Mass attack aid

for Amazon.com

1m sq.ft. NE Fulfilment
Center gets tax breaks

Massachusetts Economic Assistance Coordinating Council has voted to give Amazon $3.25 million in tax breaks. The irony will not be lost on rivals Staples, WBMason and Wayfair all HQ'd locally....

Facebook F8

looking great

Developers' conflab

fights Google, Twitter

Facebook spent the past year buying and building all sorts of ad tech — now it’s starting to put it to work.

Paperlinx broken
bleeding & bust?

Breach of banking bond
last straw for suppliers

Trading in Paperlinx shares has been suspended as the paper merchanting group investigates a possible breach of banking covenants. Disruption in paper supply is inevitable...

Paper imports
ban bites IDC 

Anti dumping action
to raise prices 10%+

The successful anti-dumping action taken by US papermakers e.g. Domtar last month, is likely to stop paper imports from Asia & Brazil. Expect prices increases of 10%+ from July...complete

Kraft Heinz
redefines

How will food 

mergers

affect business supply

The biggest merger this year between Warren Buffett's Heinz and slow moving Kraft Foods will inevitably focus managers internally. How will leaner competitors like Mondelez respond with its clearer market focus...later today

Amazon: Jeff
Bezos' must read

Where leaders go for

tomorrow's news today

This month, Proficiency Post passed a record landmark of an average 60,000 readers/week, inc. execs in bigboxes, distributors, makers, plus user choosers in the wider business supplies market. In Feb, we optimized PP for mobile users and will shortly launch the app...

Lexmark makes
Perceptive play

Printer maker expands
w/3rd software takeover

Lexmark is acquiring business process management (BPM) software vendor Kofax.The old tech maker has made some powerful purchases to help transform its fading core printing business...

Steelcase strong
design delivers

Collaborative w/spaces,
drive US/EMEA growth

Steelcase, the global leader in office furnishings, today reported accelerated sales growth in Q4’15 with strengths in all major markets and a solid order book

I want to kill
my printer!

In search of the not
so horrible printer

WSJ's Joanna Stern tests 10 printers made by 4 leading makers and vents her frustration with the old tech process..

Amazon spend
spree speeds up

Will cloud lift over high

investment in AWS? 

Amid its meteoric rise, Amazon.com hasn’t exactly showered attention on one key constituency: its shareholders. Suddenly, though, that reticence appears to be lifting.

Newell ships

software biz

Polk: Focus as core
high margin maker

Newell Rubbermaid, the leading business supplies maker has agreed to sell Endicia, a developer of global online shipping solutions,

#SPLODGE: bank

bets get bigger

Depot executioners to
reap obscene dividends

Investment bank UBS has upgraded upgraded Staples stock to "buy," noting that "more likely than not" it will be able to close its acquisition of Office Depot.  Meanwhile, details of Depot executives severance packages have been released...

Veritiv: not very

active results...

New paper & packaging

distribution duo decline

Veritiv, the clumsily renamed paper and packaging distribution merger of UniSource and xpedx (ex International Paper) reported delayed and declining results for Q4’14 ended 31 Dec'14

US Foods finds 
waiting tough.

Sysco takeover delay by
FTC causes uncertainty

US Foods is "managing fairly well" through its extended time as a company waiting to be sold, executives said. Meanwhile, suitor Sysco executives were getting more bullish

Amazon's etail
profits rising

Business supplies direct/

wh/sale offset AWS loss

Effective ads:
Statements v

Questions?

'Make more happen' v

'Who but WBMason?

Boston Globe featured a great article on advertisng effectiveness last week by Deidre Fernandes. We review from an office market viewpoint...later today

Depot: Gear

up for grate?

CNBC's The Profit series
sponsored by bigboxes

Smart move by OfficeDepot/Officemax to seize the opportunity to sponsor the popular CNBC 'The Profit' series championing small businesses. Pity that its message is so contrived to stretch credulity...

Philips to sell

off Lumileds

Lighting division bought
by Private Equity giants 

KKR & Co. and CVC Capital Partners are nearing an agreement to buy Philips Lumileds, lighting components unit, 

Peapod provides

food to business

What's in the customer's
cafe, b/room & fridge?  

In his keynote at IRCE Focus: Digital Design, Peapod co-founder Thomas Parkinson said that one thing remained constant in his company's 25 years success: The customer has directed design decisions.

Amazon drone
delivery testing

FAA clears the way for

outdoor flight testing 

Amazon received clearance to test drones outdoors, a small victory in its effort to develop unmanned vehicles for 30-minute package delivery.

Starbucks plans
espresso drive

Personalised service to
raise office productivity 

The coffee run imay be over with Starbucks planning to launch a pair of delivery services that will bring the coffee (and some food) right to your business...

Staples: headed

for waste bin?

Seeking Alpha analyst's
harsh perspective. Right?

We have been critical of the unqualified viewpoints from Seeking Alpha's analysts over recent years. We review Jack Du'ssuperficial and ill informed retail-only perspective of Staples

T e c h D a t a

flattening out

Losing market share in
US & European markets

Tech Data Corporation, the global #2 wholesaler of technology products with $28Bn in sales, reported flat Q4’15 results to 31 Jan'15, reversing previous trends. Explanations were less than convincing in the webcast...

Selling OP free,
increases cost,
not productivity

Paper related products
up customer comm costs

Fact: paper-related products demand is in decline and will not come back.. But, most dealers are in denial with OP sales still over 70%+ of sales mix compared with market demand of <25%. What should they do about it?

Amazn expands
1 hour delivery

'Skip the trip' to store to
hit MidAtlantic/Florida

Amazon.com, today announced that Prime Now has expanded its one hour delivery service in New York down the Eastern seaboard

Herman Miller
growth slows

Musical management
chairs; CEO unhappy
with US performance

Herman Miller, the leading upscale furniture maker reported disappointing Q3'15 results to 28 Feb'15

FedEx fuelled
by lower gas

Etailers energize sales

volume in US delivery 

FedEx Corp. reported a 53% increase in earnings during the holiday quarter, boosted by lower fuel costs, milder weather and the shipping giant’s recent restructuring moves.

Dealers react to
HP split decision

GPC2015 

Meg's 'New
style of IT' opportunities

The 3 day HP Global Partner Conference 2015 concludes today in Las Vegas, drawing a positive reaction from VAR's, with CEO Meg Whitman emphasizing the opportunities resulting from its shift to IT services...

The ink sinking
discount deluge

Years of price protection

over as price war hotter

Office Depot/OfficeMax featured a full page ad in USA Today promoting huge discounts on HP ink and printers. Too much oil, too much paper and now too much ink. HP's war on remans is on...tomorrow

Crystal Rock
cracks deepen

Competitive pressures
drive cost reductions

Crystal Rock, the US Northeast water and OP dealer, announced declining financial results Q1'15 ended 31 Jan'15

Explorer no
more for MS

Project Spartan underway
for new mobile W10 version

The long rumoured scrapping of the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser brand is now official. Can its new version match leader Google Chrome?

Marketing myths
about Millennials

Gen X/Y gabfest genuine
or garbage? Differences
about age or attitude? 

There have been many aricles in national and office press about 'Marketers sizing up the Millennials’ (15 to 35 year olds). It’s a big and growing market, but does it behave that differently to be treated so specially?

Millennial 

Differentials?

How does GenY online
activity vary v seniors

Marketers and media companies are obsessed with “millennials.” They’re desperate to figure out what 15-35 year-olds want and do, especially when it relates to the Internet. How different are they?

HP board relief:

judge reprieve

Autonomy angst over for
CEO Meg Whitman & Co.

HP has been trying for nearly a year to settle litigation filed by handful of shareholders over the Autonomy deal

Sysco succeed:  
US Foods move?

Giant argues local rivals

stronger than FTC thinks

Seeking Alpha analyst wrote today that giant food services supplier Sysco (SYY) would likely succeed with its acquisition of US Foods. An important precedent for the #SPLODGE deal...

Resellers can't
kick flyer habit

Newspaper ads drive

more sales than digital

The world may be going digital, but the brightly colored ad inserts that spill out of newspapers every Sunday somehow missed the news about the decline of print.

Jet projects
cost+ model 

Can new etailer match
Amazon W/sale service 

Ecommerce upstart Jet.com is revealing more details of the business plan that has won the company a $600 million valuation without revenue. It looks like a slow service model?

IDC slashes PC
& tab forecasts

W10 expected to boost
market later this year

IDC has lowered its outlook for both the global PC and tablet market but said the arrival of Windows 10 could boost the devices market later in 2015.

Ergotron elevate
Nortek’s growth

Sit/stand desks & charge
carts energize edu sales

Nortek, the diversified parent of technology brand Ergotron, recently reported impressive growth gains in the education market for its innovative products in Q4’14

AppleWatch will

change officelife

Experts on wearables
connection in workplace

With the introduction of Apple’s new smartwatch, many are speculating if we'll soon be able to just glance at our wrist rather than keeping our phones on the table during every meeting.

N/amber bounce

back off bottom

Owner blames outside

factors for depression

UK tech wholesaler Northamber returned to growth in the first half of its fiscal 2015.

Dixons gets

connected.

UK electronics leader
apes Best Buy playbook 

Sebastian James, Dixons Carphone CEO sees getting involved in the full life cycle of connected devices as its biggest growth opportunity.

Systemax soap
opera resumes

Powerful business sales

offset 

retail weakness

Systemax, the tech-direct marketer including Misco, CompUSA, Circuit City and Tiger Direct brands, reported continuing decline in its financial results for Q4’14 ended 31 Dec'14

Accelerating
c o n t r a c t 

commitment

AOPD'16 leader's new
vision & brand plans

Bud Mundt, 11 years exec director of American Office Products Distributors (AOPD) retires at the end of 2015, after a hugely successful tenure. Co-director with 30 years service at AOPD and leading member FSi Mark Leazer takes over. Here's Mark's vision and plans...

Buying makes u
F-A-T & sterile

Marketing makes you
low cost, lean & agile

Too many OP dealers are still obsessed with buying power in a new market where users want personalised, rapid response service across a broad business supplies range…

AOPD contract
stars are rising

Big new membrs & wins.

Big Bud succession plan.

American Office Products Distributors (AOPD), the longest established dealer group holds its 37th national meeting at Hyatt Regency, Huntingdon Beach, in sunny California this week. We report the meeting's action including the leader's succession plans...

EOPA: Euro Old
Party Awards? 

Time for OPI to upgrade
its criteria & relevance?

OPI for nearly a quarter-century has been the 'go-to' industry news magazine. But, the industry has moved on to productivity services for business. Time then, it celebrated progressive achievements, less the 'old-school'?

Apple's wonder

wellness Watch 

The ultimate personal

productivity device

At its “Spring Forward” event, CEO Tim Cook described the new Apple Watch as "the most advanced timepiece ever created". An essential ubiquitous device to manage money, health, offices, home and your life. Who can argue? Look at these apps...

SPLODGE closes

dealer exit door

Gone is the wait for
bigboxes to buyout

Staples' Ron Sargent was very positive about the Office Depot takeover synergies  in this morning's webcast. We reckon this will be a preoccupation for 5 years. Meanwhile, dealers should not expect a knock on the door. So focus energies on becoming a regional powerhouse.

Vital Stats:
52: 38: 28?

The ugly results of

bigbox consolidation

Reflecting on the #SPLODGE merger of Staples & Office Depot/Max,we review the progess of the 3 bigboxes (inc. CXP) since 2007. History tends to repeat itself, so we speculate on the 2020 outlook inc savage job cuts...

Lucy: Plse don't
underestimate
buying power

Supplies spend is $1350
not old $400pa OP rate

Why do OP dealers continue to underestimate the potential spend of users by 70%? It's probably the main reason driving the complacency epidemic killing their growth prospects. "If you want my business contact me personally" appealed Lucy...

Anti-Dumping
action agreed

US papermakers force
importers to raise prices

The International Trade Commission (ITC) has agreed to investigate the Domtar led US papermakers' complaint, that importers are under cutting the market. Protectionism is rife. 

Apple Watch

Wunderkind

Designer Sir Jony Ive,
the 'i' in iGeneration

The Financial Times today carries an interview with Appledesign genius Jony Ive in which he discusses how the Mac changed his dislike of PC's ahead of the iconic Watch launch

Wht Lucy wants

in office supply

Mobile friendly webstore.

Human touch service.
Lighter & 

cleaner offices

 
The Proficiency Index 10th Annual Survey of businesswomen (typically Lucy), published in July 2014 has been updated. It provides insights into latest trends and how women have adapted to mobile and now demand productivity services from resellers

Staples: stronger
business growth 

Reinvention working:
FM/breakroom supplies
drive offset retail slide

Staples, the world’s leading OP reseller, showed improved sales trends in its main commercial and etail delivery businesses in Q4’14 ended 31 Jan'15.

Women drive
office market

Research reminder:
Reach 

beyond buyer

Last year, Essendant (ex United) released user research that found 72% of office buyers were women. We update with latest market research that  confirms the trend and offer advice on how best to reach them.

Danwood upside

down delusion

Can Francis transform
after fantasy forecasts?

Danwood Group, once the darling of UK document services market, has turned turtle, masking its declining performance.  CEO Steve Francis, has turned on the industry and its own service standards. Where is the real growth?

Inventor creates

storm in K-Cup

Feels bad not making

 
coffee pods recyclable

The inventor of the popular Keurig K-Cups says he regrets ever making the non-recyclable, single-serve coffee pods, which are piling up in landfills.

Costco captures

more SMB share

Business supplies hubs
& sales force expansion 

Costco Wholesale reported impressive market gains in its Q2'15 ended 15 Feb'15 accounts today. Growth in is accelerating for this $100Bn broadline business supplies reseller

E M P A T H Y

7 Leadership traits: 

Embrace female powers
of influence over control

Control is a mirage. The most effective leaders right now--men and women--are those who embrace traits once considered feminine: Empathy, Magnanimity, Patience, Accountability, Taking advice, Humility, Yielding to work-life balance…writes Leigh Buchanan of Inc.magazine

#Paint it Purple

Make it Happen on 
Intnl Women's Day

All around the world, International Women's Day on Sunday March 8th represents an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women while calling for greater equality. We publish a series of articles to support the marketers challenge to achieve empathy with their needs

Top 10 Things
to know about
women in biz.

The secrets to why she
buys & why she doesn't

One of the world’s greatest emerging markets is closer than you think. Women are the world’s most powerful consumers, and their impact on the economy is growing every year writes Female Factor's Bridget Brennan

Samsung ape

Apple again 

Copycat tactics taking

toll & confusing users

Applesold the highest number of smartphones globally in Q4, overtaking Samsungfor the first time since 2011, according to the research firm Gartner.

Starboard stir
Staples again

Activist wants faster
action. How long will
Sargent suffer fools?

Activist investor Starboard Value LP is calling for board changes at Staples even after the merger plan with rival Office Depotand its reinvention program. Does it want faster growth or deeper cuts? You guessed it!

School Specialty:
s l o w  revival

Can it compete w/faster,

leaner & fitter rivals?

School Specialty, the one time leader in educational supplies, reported a better set of Q3'15 financial results to 24 Jan'15 but is still operating at a loss. It is now operating 40% lower volume levels than 2008

Wayfair wave
on a rapid roll

Home office furnishing
etailer's first results

Wayfair, the Boston based home furnishings etailer, is blazing a trail as it scales up to meet demand from midmarket consumers and micro businesses. It reported its Q4'14 results today...

Tablet demand
topsy turvy...

Booming B2B market v
soft consumer demand

The drive among firms to boost productivity will propel western European commercial tablet market to 11 million units by 2019, according to IDC.This contrasts with slowdown reported by Best Buy today

Art Lifting the

spirit of giving

Elevating community

by decorating offices

Making light
work, naturally

3M introduce products
to enhance productivity

TechData late
to mobility party

Tech wholesaler playing

catch up with Ingram

Tech Data Corporation the $27Bn technology supplies wholesaler today announced the introduction of its new Mobility Solutions & Retail division, effective March 1, 2015.

Best Buy chiefs

suffer analysis

paralysis again

Deluded over market

gains, Amazon & NPS

 
Best Buy chief Hubert Joly and CFO Sharon McCollam are fond of enumerating their quarterly reports. Yes, its comprehensive stuff, but we feel, misses the BIG market picture...

The innovative

edge of mobile

5 things we learned at

MWC2015 Barcelona+

Facebook CEO Forum

Today kicked off one of the biggest events in the smartphone and tablet markets: the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona plus the apperance of Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg

Herman Miller

growth slows 

Leadership shuffled

after COO departure

Herman Miller announced management shifts aimed at strengthening its North American contract business as the the office furniture leader cut its sales guidance for the year ending in May.

Dealers falling
behind times?

IBM fears resellers failing
to adapt to marketplace

IBM has warned that if its resellers and distributors fail to move with the times, its innovation pipeline could dry up. Do the same feelings exist with vendors in the business supplies market?

Battle of

the Sixes

Can copycat Samsung

learn from missteps?

Samsung Electronics introduced a flagship smartphone with a curved screen and mobile-payment system, seeking to spark sales after a painful year that saw its leadership eroded by Apple and Chineseupstarts like Xiaomi 

Amazon contract

market moves?

#SPLODGE plans to spur
corporate supply drive

 
Over the next 9 months as we await the FTC decision on Staples/Depot merger expect Amazon to accelerate its attack on the contract business supply market. Here's the likely scenario...

Will all bigbox's 
disown delivery?

Cost cutting plan opens

personal service door

Office Depot/Max has outsourced its deliveries progressively in recent years. Now it seems Staples is following suit. Meanwhile, Amazon is moving in the opposite direction. Opportunity knocks for personalised delivery! Complete