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5 Dec 19

Updated: 5 Dec 19

Brandmakers: Are

shows worthwhile?

Trade Expo limited effect:
Poor engagement, demos
by reps, low interest & ROI

Industrial Distribution writer Paul Kiesche asks the headline question about Trade Show effectiveness. We have witnessed the same diminishing experience with OP Expos over the past 20 years ranging from plummeting Paperworld to dealer group events. Networking & private meetings are the order of the day. We revisit the topic...

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5 Dec 19

Updated: 5 Dec 19

Why's SPR exiting
growth markets?

Reverses hygiene & food
service supplies expansion

US #2 OP wholesaler SPRichards merger plan with #1 Essendant in Spring 2018, seems a long time ago now. Since then SP has created confusion about its future direction. Will it invest in business supplies category expansion or withdraw? The decision to sell a growth business bought only 5 years ago escalates doubts again. We discuss...

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4 Dec 19

Updated: 4 Dec 19

Shopify for sale?
Suitors in pursuit

Who'll make move? AMZN,
Walmart, Google, Costco?

Shopify, the rapidly growing ecommerce platform for entrepreneurs with $60Bn in gross revenues, has been subject of takeover rumours for 3 years now. With a market cap of $40Bn which of the leading business suppliers will be interested or most in need of their expertise? We discuss the leading candidates...

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3 Dec 19

Updated: 3 Dec 19

Depot's Dance
of the Deluded

Smudger Smith & Co
'Elf' themselves again

Office Depot's had a year to forget... again. CEO Gerry 'Smudger' Smith arrived in Jan'17 with a "transformation" fanfare for selling managed IT services to SMB's. In 3 yrs, Smudger's led a real sales sink of 15%; a 40% profits plunge; & a 50% market cap crash to a meagre $1.2Bn. Is time running out for the delusional chief? Complete

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28 Nov 19

Updated: 29 Nov 19

Amazon's haste 
& safety stress

More signs Bezos has lost
customer service control?

NBC News has published a report that Amazon employees working in fulfilment centres or making deliveries are complaining about overstretched, crashing systems that are losing control of safety & quality causing danger to customers & public at large....

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27 Nov 19

Updated: 27 Nov 19

Facebook Fiasco:
Privacy matters!

McNamee & Ali G criticize
Zuck's "Authoritarian" acts

Roger McNamee an original investor in Facebook turned against its privacy free policies in his book 'Zucked', covered by NewYorker magazine. Recently, Sacha Baron Cohen aka Ali G delivered a scathing video attack on the social media giant calling it out for facilitating hate crimes.  We review & comment on their critiques....

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26 Nov 19

Updated: 26 Nov 19

Is the consumer
really strong?

Brandmaker CEO's less
optimistic, yet Wall Street
analysts hype up market

US GDP fell below 2% in Q3'19 with CapEx down, emphasizing market uncertainty caused by tariffs & economic softness. CEO's at major producers & resellers of brand consumer & business products have reported slowdowns since Q3'18, yet analysts opine the "consumer is strong"? Revisited & updated inc. Best Buy

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24 Nov 19

Updated: 25 Nov 19

'Chainsaw' Carl
goads Xerox bid

Threatens hostile HP bid.
Hustles HP to counter bid
$9Bn+ for ailing dinosaur.

Iconic activist investor 'Chainsaw' Carl Icahn is adept at self serving deals. He took a 10% stake in sinking Xerox in 2015; slashed assets and led an audacious $33Bn bid for rival HP that was dismissed for a second time today. We expect HP to counter bid, fulfilling Icahn's crafty plan to cash out without concern for the merger's merits. Updated again today

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19 Nov 19

Updated: 19 Nov 19

Wayfair warning!
Is model broken?

As owners cash out, Citron
asks: has it been AMZN'd?

After 8 years as a public company, $8Bn in sales furniture etailer Wayfair has never been further from profitability, opines market analysts Citron Research. Latest Q3'19 reports confirmed decelerating growth, crashing shares and increased losses. We discuss Citron's critique...

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16 Nov 19

Updated: 18 Nov 19

Fake followers,
values & ethics 

Shuts down 5.4B accounts
How genuine is Zuck & Co

So far this year, Facebook has shut down 5.4 Bn (v 3.3Bn in 2018) fake accounts, but millions likely remain, the social networking giant reported. Who is CEO Mark Zuckerberg kidding on his public assurances of honorability, privacy protection and ethical practices. We review...

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