R e t a i l
The financial media e.g. CNBC, WSJ, FT has been rhetorical in promoting the 'strong consumer' during 2019, almost to the point of denial of the economic slowdown. Now facts are being reported from leading 'WATCH' retailers that confirm sales growth has stalled, hit by tariffs and economic uncertainty. We preview and analyse Q4'19 results. Updated
HP's hopeless
The absurd $33Bn bid by Xerox driven by Chainsaw Carl Icahn for the 6X larger HP Inc. should not be happening, HP's board is behaving like an underdog talking about an unconvincing "undervaluation" rather than dismissing the dinosaur copier giant, or more positively counterbidding and taking over Xerox's better equipped direct salesforce
Target's tumbling
Leading US retailer Target reported decelerating sales growth trends in recent quarters compared with 2018. Q4'19 sales, including the Christmas-Thanksgiving holiday, sales fell in organic terms for the first time in recent years
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Purell's pure
Effective 1 Jan GOJO Industries, the Purell hygiene brand maker, named Carey Jaros as CEO. We interview Carey about her plans to accelerate the growth of the 'Purell Solution', to holistically fight the spread of illness causing germs. Tomorrow
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2020 Predictions:
What will happen with Amazon, Apple, Staples, Essendant, SPR, Depot, WBMason, HP/Xerox, Uber, Imperial Dade, SPOT (Spicers-OfficeTeam), EVO/VOW, Westcoast, dealers, groups, wholesalers, manufacturers in 2020. Here are our predictions.... Complete
Dealer Champions
We've concluded the Proficiency Index Dealer Productivity Championship 2019, the most universally accepted indicator of dealer profitability. Dealers have submitted sales forecasts for 2019/current employee numbers (FTE's). We've finalise the numbers and publish championship leaderboard today. Updated
Loser LSC Comms
LSC Communications (parent of TOPS, Pendaflex, Ampad, Quality Park brands), today announced that New York Stock Exchange will delist its common stock and trading has been suspended immediately.
Wesco wants
WESCO International, a leading provider of electrical, industrial services, is seeking to acquire a rival distributor to double its sales volume to $17Bn in $3Bn bid
Merry Christmas!
2019 was a tough year for business supplers with a slowing and uncertain economy in US & UK. Sadly, it was an 'OPocalyptic' year for the traditional OP industry, as the perfect storm of consolidation, secular decline, vultures & Amazon attacked. Make sure you renew your Proficiency Post Subscription and get the most insightful market analysis and best guidance for success in Megatrends 2020
Amazon urged
Paul Davis, who was Jeff Bezos’ second hire at Amazon in 1994, claimed it should be forced to separate the Marketplace, between 3rd Party merchants from its core etail business that stocks and sells products itself.
Amazon aces
Amazon is "on track to deliver 3.5Bn packages by the end of the year" via its in-house delivery network. Moreover, it is on course to be double that quantity by 2022
Xmas Crackers
MERRY CHRISTMAS!! 2019 will go down as another tough year for ‘turkeys’ (aka vultures) citing ‘political uncertainty' excuses as causes of failure. For progressives it’s been another cracking year of growth in new business supply categories: hygiene & safety; refreshments & food service, plus packaging.
AMZN Everything
20 years ago, Amazon opened its 'Everything Store' for anyone who wanted to sell something. Then it began demanding more out of them writes NYTimes Karen Weise. 2019 may go down as the year it lost control of its business & partnerships with 10 own goals conceded
Papermakers'
Domtar and other domestic papermakers are rumoured to filing another anti-dumping request with the US Department of Commerce to address the increased level of imports from asia
Old Pointless
OPI/Martin Wilde Associates is launching its 'State of the OP Industry' report. What's there to know? It's dying and unless participants compete by reinventing themselves to provide users with personalised productivity services in the broadline business supply world they can wave goodbye....
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