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  • resilient leaders 23Bouncebackability
    Index Leaderboard

    Q4'22 analysis highlights
    resilient Winners v Losers


    Reports are all in for Business Supply players in Q4'22. Predictably they show inflated profits but weak sales recovery v pre-Covid 'norm' Q4'19. Proficiency Index reports the Leaderboard of makers, wholesalers & dealers' 'Bouncebackability' performance. It covers 100 leading paper & printer makers, hygiene, foodservice and packaging suppliers, OP/furnituremakers and retailers Updated

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  • Screen Shot 2022 12 09 at 2.14.03 PMHealthy Hygiene
    market normalizes

    Who won/lost market share?
    Price inflation average +12%


    Hygiene is now #1 business supply category alongside technology. Progressive business suppliers: brandmakers, dealers have pivoted into hygiene, safety, foodservice & packaging, WFH-tech & wellness services. Proficiency Index Q4'22 analysis is almost complete with brand volumes slowing, boosted by double-digit price hikes. Updated for KPTissue, Sappi & Suzano. Diversey delayed to 22Mar

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  • women marketeers top 9 jul16Top 50 Women
    Marketers 2023

    Leaders in creativity, sales,
    brand growth performance


    Marketing to businesses by brandmakers & resellers was traditionally dominated by men. As we celebrate International Women's Day, Proficiency Index recognises the most successful women leaders. This is 16th edition of 'Top 50 Women in Business Supply', the market's real growth achievers, including new entrants from progressive independent dealers.

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  • Screen Shot 2023 02 26 at 2.18.29 PMOffice Mkt Legends
    reunited in renewal

    MegaIndy leaders:Bigeard,
    Meehan+Sargent BOS mtg


    It's 10yrs since the top OP mega-independent dealer champs Lyreco's Eric Bigeard and WBMason's Leo Meehan met with Staples CEO Ron Sargent in Boston. We reflected on past glories, Covid, digital transformation and looked forward to a 'hybrid office productivity' future..Updated 

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  • Screen Shot 2023 02 24 at 2.48.36 PMHybrid work future
    hollows corp space

    Entrepreneurs' rise drives
    up 'officeless' productivity;
    less latency eg. commuting


    The contrast in opinions over the 'hybrid work future' & the 'return to work', is stark. New thinking is positive about the huge rise in entrepreneurial productivity. Old thinking believes a return to corporate office control is inevitable. Are corporations underestimating the hollowing out of office space; the time waste and the need to trust workers' motives? Updated

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Screen Shot 2023 02 13 at 2.24.41 PMUber One saves

me; Way more...🎵

Top SuperBowl ads feature
leading business suppliers


SuperBowl commercials seem to be on the rebound. We've seen way-too-serious ones, overly long ones, safe and boring ones to remind us of things we don’t need help remembering. But, nothing beats a great ad, and the 2023 versions were regarded as some of the best yet? 

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Screen Shot 2023 02 08 at 1.25.53 AMThe Pich perfect
legend lives on!

Office Productivity champ
recalls his 80s innovations
still 'state of the art' today


It's 10yrs since we met 80's office productivity champion Bill Pichler (on left w Howard Brown), who built the most admired OP dealer on the planet in the 'Golden OP' era. The beautiful modern Eastman 400sq.ft facility in LA was the centre of innovation in design, hospitality & systems. We recalled the great times with the legend last Monday. Updated

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Fisher Mark EnvoyEnvoy packages
32nd acquisition

FEMSA-Advent rollup race
resumes in HyPac supplies


The hygiene & packaging market's rapid roll up is racing ahead. FEMSA's Envoy anAdvent's Imperial lead the way in acquiring US jansan and packaging dealers. Envoy ceo Mark Fisher announced the acquisition of a large NJ industrial packaging reseller (Its 4th in 2023) complementing its growing northeast presence

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Screen Shot 2020 02 14 at 4.26.33 PMNewell's 'nowhere
man' heads for exit

Typical Ravi rhetoric diverts
from core strategy defects


Newell Brands, 
a $9Bn house of business & consumer brands, sales plummeted in Q4'22, with declining volumes of home, commercial and writing products, offset by high price inflation. Ex-Office Max ceo Ravi Saligram is retiring after failing to recover losses and 'fiddling while the house burns', with cheesy, cost cutting project diversions; including mass layoffs. Updated 

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Ribiéras JeanMichele SylvamoSylvamo sink saved
by huge price hikes

Management diverts attn
away from falling volumes


Top international packaging maker International Paper, spun off its papermaking unit in Oct'21, now renamed Sylvamo (shampoo?). New ceo Jean-Michel Ribiéras' opaque report distracted from sinking volumes, by priding itself on "outstanding"  price inflated sales and profits, 

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Holesale warehouseHeralding in stock

-less wholesalers?

Do VOW or SPOT have any
broadline biz supply plan?


The powerful presence of OP wholesalers has rapidly diminished by half, over the last 15yrs, from a mixture of AMAZONIFICATION & incompetent, self destructive management. Vultures killed Spicers to be revived partly by Paragon/SPOT; & VC Endless has endured continuous VOW failure. Can the current, narrowline, depleted versions survive? Updated

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Mullen Joyce InsightInsight recovery
weak in slow mkt

Steady sales in USA/APAC
Weak rebound in Europe


Insight Group 
ceo Joyce Mullen reported declining organic sales in Q4'22. The group lags leading IT resellers e.g. CDW, Computacenter, Softcat & Synnex. There are encouraging signs of services growth as it plays catch up.

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doheny ted sealedair boxSealed Air: down, 

despite price hikes

Protective packaging and
foodcare recovery routed


Sealed Air Corp, 
the $5Bn+ maker of protective packaging for Food & FM products reported depressed results in Q4'22. CEO Ted Doheny seemed satisfied considering its decline in a buoyant market; and an obvious loss of market share, saved only by price hikes. Analysis here

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Laguarta Ramon pepsico 23 Pepsi price hikes
hide flat demand 

Super snacks sales AMEA,
LA offset weaker US & EU


PepsiCo
 t
he $86Bn giant food & beverages marketer to consumers and business continued to outperform its rivals in sales growth, excellence, innovative snacks & nutrition in Q4'22, CEO Ramon Laguarta was pleased with results but price hikes disguised slight volume declines  Analysis here

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Jope Alan Unilever 22Unilever appoints
new leader in July

Lameduck ceo hikes prices
as 

hygiene mkt share 

falls


Unilever
the $60Bn+ hygiene, personal care, food & refreshments giant reported inflated sales growth in Q4'22. Departing ceo Alan Jope commented on developments in nutrition and personal care brands, but failed to achieve real growth in a buoyant market. New ceo starts 1July'23. Analysis here 

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not yesterday's news tomorrow."

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