Newsweek published its ‘Green Rankings 2015’ for global companies. We list the leaders in the business supplies market, plus latest initiatives in corporate social responsibility (CSR): sustainability, ethics and cutting carbon emissions...tomorrow
4 insights into
24 Mar’13
Over the past several years, sustainability and business owners’ efforts to be green have evolved from mere fad to frontline strategies in many industries.
How to drive
11 Nov’12
Entrepreneur magazine’s Michelle Goodman recently published a great article on how to make the sustainability changes that will provide the greatest return on investment for your company. We highlight 6 similarly committed OPS reseller stars…
12 small green
By Scott Zintz
22 Apr’12 (Complete)
Last week, I attended a brilliant seminar led by Scott Zintz, the green guru at Independent Stationers. Here are 12 practical steps you can take to make a difference…
100 Greenest US Companies
21 Oct 11 (Updated)
Earlier this week, Newsweek published its annual list of the greenest companies. Its goal is to to quantify environmental footprint, policies, and reputation....
The rise and rise of the…
16 Aug’11
We reported on the ‘Charitable Champions’ and the ‘Sustainability Stars’ of the OPS market in our article dated 31 July. We now turn our attention to US local resellers demonstrating real commitment to the ‘buy local’ cause…
Ingram Micro’s
By Lucy Jermyn,
9 Jul’11
Ingram Micro, the world’s #1 technology wholesaler, has published its inaugural social responsibility report for 2010.
Sunday Times - 2011
12 Jun’11
Three of top 5 OPS resellers listed in the 2010 Proficiency Index list on 23 Dec’10 have been honoured by finishing in the top 8 of UK’s best green companies
Greening of
12 Apr’11
American businesses are increasingly measuring the savings from their green workplace practices more than ever, according to a new survey released today by Buck Consultants, (A Xerox Company)
Sustainability:
8 Apr’11
To commemorate Earth Day 22 April, many leading business magazines are profiling sustainability champions in the corporate world. With due respect to green leaders like Dell, Brother, HP and Staples we profile 7 superstars of sustainability in the independent marketplace. Profiles later today
Sustainability
By Lucy Jermyn,
2 Apr’11
Long a cause célèbre of the eco crowd, sustainable business practices are yielding big savings at companies like PepsiCo and Wal-Mart
Climate Week UK
22 Mar’10 (Complete)
This week is Climate Week in the UK, appealing to businesses to ‘grasp the green future’. Commercial Group is the OPS’ green leader in the UK. We spoke to CEO Arthur Hindmarch and green champion Simon Graham (pic below) about progress and plans.
Electric Staples!
24 Jan 11
Even as carmakers seek to convince buyers of the virtues of electric vehicles, one key group needs little persuasion: delivery fleet managers.
Proficiency Index Survey
23 Dec 10 (Refreshed)
The tremendous initiatives by a number of OP industry leaders in corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability, ethics, recycling and cutting carbon emissions moved us to check out the progress of the industry at large. Here are the winning resellers and manufacturers…the independents excelled
C o - c r e a t i n g
By Lucy Jermyn,
23 Dec 10
A few weeks back we featured a piece about co-creation innovation. That's what is called the practice of finding a synergistic partner and creating something together.
Carbon cutting
By Lucy Jermyn
27 Nov 10
Although aggressive climate action is basically frozen in the U.S., the hard work of carbon emissions reduction continues among states, cities, corporations, and nonprofits.
"Tomorrow's News Today,
not yesterday's news tomorrow."
Etailers escape
Five years ago, we reported that the rapid OP etailer expansion was peaking, as a result of Amazon's aggression and the incidence of high customer churn from its disloyal 'casual dating' model. Progressive resellers exercising a deep customer intimacy model have achieved sustained success as etailers escape the market...
Etailers maul
Seeking Alpha analyst Wolf Richter reports on the rise and rise of ecommerce at the expense of retail stores especially, the mall locations. We discuss and analyse his findings... Later today
Is it all clicking
"Wayfair, the #1 US furniture reseller is a newly minted Fortune 500 entrant. It has two visionary founders, 2,300 data geeks, and skyrocketing sales. Now it just needs to turn a profit" writes contributgor Jeffrey O'Brien. We discuss his article plus its growing delivery service issues weighing on the brand
AMZN v Walmart
Walmart's steady growth trend has attracted praise from financial press. However, its important to get real when comparing progress v #1 Amazon. Godzilla's US sales online are 6X v Walmart from faster webstore experience & delivery service. We compare the key metrics.....Updated
Will Tariffs trump
The huge hike in tariff rate to 25% proposed on Chinese imports will almost certainly be passed on where possible to consumers. However, will businesses resist particularly on paper-related private label products? Updated
Disconnected
Late last century, normal OP dealer motivation was maximising margins and maintaining relationships with stationery buyers. Enter the digital 2000's, Amazon has led the market with personalised service beyond the buyer to Lucy, the typical user chooser, with faster delivery service across a broader business supplies selection. Time to go beyond the buyer! Complete
Will Bain expand
VC Bain Capital an original investor in Staples has invested in the FM/Hygiene supply market in recent years. In 2017, it bought a top hygiene brand Diversey from Sealed Air and last week took a majority stake in Eastern US jansan reseller Imperial Dade. What's the plan? We look at the options to invest further or flip? Complete
Will A l i b a b a
Alibaba, the Chinese based global ecommerce marketplace giant, formed a 'collaborative partnership' with Office Depot last month. What is Alibaba's intent given that it has yet to penetrate the US market successfully? Complete
Fastest delivery
"Traditional retailers "Walmart and Target are a step ahead of Amazon in delivery moving to same-day" according to retail equity analyst John Zolidis. Keep up, Amazon have been delivering same day to the world's major cities progressively since 2014.
Will AMZN's CRaP
Amazon's etail growth rate has slowed dramatically over recent quarters. Meanwhile, it's cutting its 'CRaP' defined products; shifting to imported private label; cutting back on small vendors; and splitting deliveries into multiple drops. We discuss the consequences...Updated
Stanley's Smart
Home Depot's
Printers plunge