Tesco turnaround
UK"s biggest supermarket Tesco has posted its second year of rising sales, boosted by the Booker food supplies wholesaler buy in March 2018, as it defied the wider gloom over the retail market
Logitech lifts
Logitech, the IT accessories maker, is showing an appetite for acquisitions this year. "It could be 4 or a big one" stated bullish CEO Bracken Darrell after recently failing to acquire Plantronics. Which takeover targets are on its radar?
PC & mobiles set
Global PC and mobile phone shipments are forecast to decline this year, according to market researcher Gartner. The recent buzz around foldable phones, is expected to inject innovation into the smartphone market, the analyst firm continued.
MSC Industrial
MSC Industrial Supply, a leading MRO distributor reported improving results for Q2'19 with CEO Erik Gershwind & customers more positive about the market outlook..
Firm UKEconomy
The UK economy grew faster than expected during the three months to February, in spite of forecasts that #BREXIT uncertainty would dampen activity during Q1'19 writes the Financial Times Gavin Jackson
Independent
David Guernsey, spokesman for the steering committee guiding the merger between ISG, TriMega & Pinnacle dealer groups, today issued an update on progress. Details are expected to be finalised for the new 1000 members strong group later this quarter
Marketing to baby
Marketing segmentation this century has coralled consumers into age groups: Baby Boomers, 'GenY' aka 'Millennials' & 'GenZ'. Its not working its 'marketing mush'. It's more about attitude not age writes FT's Michael Skarpinker
Imperial return
Imperial Dade the $1.6Bn NJ based jansan & foodservice distributor recently made its first buy since June'18, after a rapid roll-up of 17 acquistions. Is this a resumption or a reality check?
Batten down for
Economic data across advanced global economies have deteriorated since Q3'18, indicating fading growth and the need to prepare for slowing demand reports the Financial Times. Gear your business to help customers save money & time... Provide Managed Productivity Services! Here's how....
Fiducial: Flat
Leading French office supplies dealer Fiducial Office Solutions continued its declining revenue and profits trend for the 10th year. Can Ex-Spicers new CEO Jean-Yves Sebaoun appointed in June'18 turn the tide?
Mobile Webstore
We've hammered home the mobile webstore imperative for 9 years now. Yet still less than 20 resellers in US/UK have responded to Amazon, Wayfair & Staples moves that drive huge sales volumes with users. We review leaders' progress inc. Staples' new webstore... Updated
Top FoodService
The US FoodService market (exc. food) is estimated at $300Bn and grew at 3-4% over recent years. Some of the leading progressive business suppliers are making early inroads. We study the Top 20 players and rising stars.
Private L a b e l
Staples launch of 'Worklife Fulfilment' products is the latest bigbox to push private label following Amazon, Depot's Workonomy; and fated Adveo & old OfficeMax iterations. Meanwhile, core delivery service competence drags. What's the motive? Where's the valid user research? Where's the vendor partnership? Updated
HP counters
PC/Print giant HP Inc. has banned dealer partners from trading with a set of copycats in EMEA as it clamps down on counterfeit print supplies. Increased pressure by the dominant player is boosting partner margins....
Fakebook's fraud,
Facebook' founder Mark Zuckerberg recent attempts to absolve his company in the face of intense criticism has been exposed as disingenuous at best; and highly fraudulent at worst...
WeWork buys
Leading co-working space provider WeWork has acquired Managed by Q, a platform for office tenants to hire on-demand service workers for office-management tasks like cleaning or staffing reception desks. Smart move...
"Tomorrow's News Today,
not yesterday's news tomorrow."
Death of Indie
Does size matter? The office market over the past 35yrs has been dominated by bigboxes & Amazon's lead in business supplies, points to a continuation. But emerging trends show the big guys are declining fast & Amazon peaking. The rise of progressive resellers providing 'personalised productivity services' embracing mobile technology, can & will succeed.. Tomorrow
'Industry Week'
The Business Supplies Association (BSA) plan to rationalise vendors' heavy schedule of 20+pa shows & create an 'Industry Week' has been quashed. Understandably, leading wholesalers & resellers wouldn't cooperate. Great idea, so what's Plan B? We feel consideration be given to a more customer centric 'Business Productivity Show' for the IDC. We spoke w/BSA pres Barry Lane... Monday
Do Workplace
Company workplace wellness programs — efforts to get workers to lose weight, eat better, stress less and sleep more — are an $8 billion industry in the U.S. Recent research reports heathier behaviour, but not necessarily healthier results? We discuss findings...
User behaviour
Marketing Week's Charlotte Rogers reports that research shows marketers are shifting away from classic demographics to find more accurate ways to segment users based on their behaviour and personal interests...Updated
Sycamore Partnrs:
Vulture capitalist Sycamore Partners owner of Staples & Essendant recently hiked the former's debt load by $1Bn to $5.2Bn, with estimated interest payments of $400m+ pa or c3%/sales. Many analysts ask: Is this a repeat of the ToysR Us bankruptcy situation; and Sycamore's Nine West demise? We discuss... Complete
Retail retreat
The NYTimes reported yesterday that "planned retail store closures in the US already exceed 2018 total". A similar story applies in bigbox business supplies, with Staples & Depot expected to merge or accelerate closures this year...
Staples rebrand
Staples rebrand of its logo, webstore and 5 new private labels under the 'WorklifeFulfilment' byline has attracted much interest in marketing circles e.g. Forbes. We discuss the comments, criticisms and conclusions ...Updated
Marketing to baby
Marketing segmentation this century has coralled consumers into age groups: Baby Boomers, 'GenY' aka 'Millennials' & 'GenZ'. Its not working its 'marketing mush'. It's more about attitude not age writes FT's Michael Skarpinker
Batten down for
Economic data across advanced global economies have deteriorated since Q3'18, indicating fading growth and the need to prepare for slowing demand reports the Financial Times. Gear your business to help customers save money & time... Provide Managed Productivity Services! Here's how....
Private L a b e l
Staples launch of 'Worklife Fulfilment' products is the latest bigbox to push private label following Amazon, Depot's Workonomy; and fated Adveo & old OfficeMax iterations. Meanwhile, core delivery service competence drags. What's the motive? Where's the valid user research? Where's the vendor partnership? Updated
'Fakebook' fraud?
A c m e United