Business Supply
As Amazon & WBMason acclerate rapid service levels to meet the immediacy needs of consumers, some deluded wholesaler leaders argue there is little need and costs are higher. What hope do dealers have to beat their #1 threat?
P u s h back on
US papermakers signalled months ago an 8% price hike effective in March/April 2019. Today that increase looks most unlikely given competitive pressure coming from Asian importers .... Later today
Softcat soars on
UK fast growing #2 IT reseller Softcat reported tremendous progress in its first half results to 31 Jan'19. CEO Graeme Watt talks about market share gains and the huge upside potential...
Can AMZN's tree
Amazon has recently accelerated moves to drive profitability & cut costs inc. Private Label expansion; a smaller vendors purge; the Walmart price war; & abandoning NYC HQ2. Do these actions point to a peak in its market domination plan, at least in its etail activities? Updated
"Don't ignore
Steve Haworth CEO of EVO Business Supplies, the VOW wholesaler, & Banner contract stationer duo, last year separated operations. Last week, we discussed with him progress, new developments & VC owner Endless' investment plans. Complete
Sycamore seeks
Vulture capitalist Sycamore Partners is looking to take most of its cash out of Staples through a recapitalization that will increase the debt load 25% to $5Bn. Financial engineering or asset strip?
A n t a l i s owner
Sequana (CEO Pascal Lebard, pic left) owner failed Arjo Wiggins papermaker & Antalis paper merchant has confirmed that a court judgement over an unpaid BAT dividend would be converted to a bankruptcy filing. Antalis fire sale next?
Productivity key
We've spoken w/many leading OP dealers in the US/UK recently. Progressives are positive about future growth prospects and driving a personalised 'managed productivity services' agenda. Here are the key ingredients... Updated
Wayfair's woeful
Giant furniture etailer Wayfair's popular adline "You got what I need" is increasingly ringing hollow with its fast growing base of customers suffering unreliable, incomplete & erratic deliveries from multiple 3PV drivers...
Cintas drives
Cintas, the uniform & business services specialist, posted impressive Q3'19 results and progressed along its strategic direction shift at higher profitability....
HP's Weisler on
On Day 2 of its Reinvent event HP Inc. CEO Dion Weisler claims that its acquisition of leading UK reseller Apogee helped it address a fragmented European managed print services market.
Miller momentum
Herman Miller, the leading upscale furniture maker, continued to report strong results and order pipeline in Q3'19. Like rival Steelcase it's benefited from strong project furniture market demand, but slowed in US
AMZN: Pvt Label
Business supply resellers’ worst Amazon fear hasn’t yet come to pass. Its huge expansion in private label & exclusive labels has not gained traction with users in spite of some dodgy promo search tactics. Is own label an own goal for Godzilla?
AMZN purges
Amazon's notorious reputation for squeezing suppliers has escalated over the past year. It's move towards private label and unrfair returns policies have extended to a purge on smaller supply partners announced on 2 March. Updated
FedEx: fearful &
FedEx CEO Fred 'Smug' Smith reported much slower growth boosted by price increases, effectively disguising a demand decline. Sadly, he continued his arrogant attitude towards its growing etail customer base e.g. Amazon & opening the door to lower cost flexible delivery services including Uber...
Steelcase storms
Steelcase, the $3.5Bn in sales global leader in office furnishings, reported stronger demand across US/Europe in Q4'19 with a powerful order book. fuelled by key acquisitions
"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