HP: Transform to
Today at its annual Reinvent global partner event, HPInc. made a range of initiatives, inc. new products, services & sustainability moves designed to help partners exceed customer expectations.
Vistar acquires
Performance Foods Group has confirmed a the acquisition of a leading wholesaler in the fast growing convenience & business supply channel to supplement its successful Vistar operations..
Leaner, Cleaner
The Cleaning Show kicked off today at London ExCel Centre with an opening address by Steve Ashkin, the green cleaning guru. Top brand makers & distributors exhibited latest hygiene products & services
Office O u t l e t
Ex-Staples UK office superstore chain Office Outlet, has collapsed into administration, putting 1,000 jobs at risk. We reported on its tailspinning trend early last year, in spite of the usual VC Hilco's hype
Plantronics
Headset maker Plantronics and its expensive acquisition Polycom are relaunching as "Poly" to focus on providing collaboration & comms tools for the modern workspace. Will Logitech return & takeover as LogiPoly?
Jangro partners
Support services provider, Churchill Group, is set to dramatically reduce its single-use plastic consumption by introducing a range of recyclable cleaning products. with leading hygiene distributor Jangro
M i g h t y 3M's
Mighty 3M, the $36Bn manufacturing conglomerate today announced a realignment from 5 to 4 business segments. "The new alignment will enable us to better serve global customers" says CEO Mike Roman (pic left)
Xerox activist's
Sinking old print/copy giant Xerox continued its asset stripping plan with the proposed sale of its Financing business, accounting for 65% of its $5.2Bn debt load
ACS Business
ACS Business Supplies is moving HQ to Baildon, Yorkshire (UK) to increase office space for 50 additional employees to provide more managed productivity services for clients. We spoke with CEO Mike Hussain
M P S i s d e a d.
The Managed Print Services (MPS) evolution started around 2005; it has grown strongly as it cannibalised the transactional printing business. Paper & print demand continues in terminal decline and now the new MPS: providing 'Managed Productivity Services' for customers should be your priority....Updated
Lexmark's late
Former printer leader Lexmark's Sammy Kinlaw, VP of worldwide channel sales reveals how he plans to grow its UK partner base. Can this late move usurp the channel brand leaders?
N e w e l l CEO
As icommented in 2018 quarterly report analyses, disintegrating 'House of Cards', Newell Brands today announced that Michael Polk, CEO since 2011 will "retire" his executive position in Q2'19.
School Specialty:
School Specialty, ex-leader in educational supplies, reported slower sales trends & continued losses. The CEO resigned last month as sales lagged 60% below levels of 2008 with no real growth plan
AMZN & Uber
Investment analysts continue to warn on the impact on FedEx and UPS of Amazon growing a 3rd-party logistics provider service and use of USPS & Uber as leading delivery providers
Envelopes licked;
Long standing core office product category, envelopes has been replaced in the inflation calculation basket by smart speakers e.g. Alexa and electric toothbrushes. Welcome to the modern world....
Westcoast preps
UK #1 independent IT wholesaler Westcoast has advised reseller partners to buy channel stock, not built-to-order products, ahead of #BREXIT leave date
"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