2015 Dec pp banner1200 2 mob
2016 Jan pp banner1200
  • resilient leaders 23Bouncebackability
    Index Leaderboard

    Q4'22 analysis highlights
    resilient Winners v Losers


    Reports are all in for Business Supply players in Q4'22. Predictably they show inflated profits but weak sales recovery v pre-Covid 'norm' Q4'19. Proficiency Index reports the Leaderboard of makers, wholesalers & dealers' 'Bouncebackability' performance. It covers 100 leading paper & printer makers, hygiene, foodservice and packaging suppliers, OP/furnituremakers and retailers Updated

    Read More
  • Screen Shot 2022 12 09 at 2.14.03 PMHealthy Hygiene
    market normalizes

    Who won/lost market share?
    Price inflation average +12%


    Hygiene is now #1 business supply category alongside technology. Progressive business suppliers: brandmakers, dealers have pivoted into hygiene, safety, foodservice & packaging, WFH-tech & wellness services. Proficiency Index Q4'22 analysis is almost complete with brand volumes slowing, boosted by double-digit price hikes. Updated for KPTissue, Sappi & Suzano. Diversey delayed to 22Mar

    Read More
  • women marketeers top 9 jul16Top 50 Women
    Marketers 2023

    Leaders in creativity, sales,
    brand growth performance


    Marketing to businesses by brandmakers & resellers was traditionally dominated by men. As we celebrate International Women's Day, Proficiency Index recognises the most successful women leaders. This is 16th edition of 'Top 50 Women in Business Supply', the market's real growth achievers, including new entrants from progressive independent dealers.

    Read More
  • Screen Shot 2023 02 26 at 2.18.29 PMOffice Mkt Legends
    reunited in renewal

    MegaIndy leaders:Bigeard,
    Meehan+Sargent BOS mtg


    It's 10yrs since the top OP mega-independent dealer champs Lyreco's Eric Bigeard and WBMason's Leo Meehan met with Staples CEO Ron Sargent in Boston. We reflected on past glories, Covid, digital transformation and looked forward to a 'hybrid office productivity' future..Updated 

    Read More
  • Screen Shot 2023 02 24 at 2.48.36 PMHybrid work future
    hollows corp space

    Entrepreneurs' rise drives
    up 'officeless' productivity;
    less latency eg. commuting


    The contrast in opinions over the 'hybrid work future' & the 'return to work', is stark. New thinking is positive about the huge rise in entrepreneurial productivity. Old thinking believes a return to corporate office control is inevitable. Are corporations underestimating the hollowing out of office space; the time waste and the need to trust workers' motives? Updated

    Read More
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Subscribe to read!

Armbruster sara Steelcase 23 thumb medium300 0Steelcase stuck

w lower demand?

Collab specialists pivot to
furnish hybrid workspaces


Steelcase,
 
the ex-leader in collaborative office furnishings, recovery stalled in Q4'23 to 28Feb'23. Disappointingly, CEO Sara Armbruster 
r
eported a softer order book related to macroeconomic concerns, despite investments in the hybrid work future. What has happened to the former innovative industry leader? Results analysis 1600ET tomorrow

Read more ...

Subscribe to read!

owen andi HM thinkingMillerKnoll's hybrid

work growth stalls

WFH concepts offset soft,
'return to office' demand


MillerKnoll 
the enlarged #1 furnituremaker maintained its focus on strong WFH demand, with the contract market softly recovering with slowing orders. Retail designs stalled after recent growth. Upbeat ceo Andi Owen is focused on mobile systems innovation and integration of Knoll. Results analysis 1600ET tomorrow

Read more ...

Subscribe to read!

Screen Shot 2023 03 21 at 11.09.03 AMFlexTech takeover;
joins MTS leaders 

Maryland MPS dealer acq.
drives national expansion


Flex Technology Group (FTG),
the US #3 managed technology services provider has made a major MPS acquisition in the Mid-Atlantic region moving it closer to market leaders Marco & Pacific. CEO Frank Gaspari claims group revenues over "$400m with a strong pipeline of dealers looking to join FTG"

Read more ...

Subscribe to read!

Screen Shot 2023 03 20 at 1.57.22 PMAmazon+Microsoft
jobcuts overhyped

37k layoffs pale in comp/w
770k additions since 2019!


WallStreet's obsession with recession rhetoric particularly highlighted by CNBC knows no bounds. Perspective please! Amazon increased employees by +700k over the past 2yrs to 1.5M. Meanwhile, Microsoft increased employees +50% to 221k. The recent sad 37k cuts (AMZN 27k + MS 10k) were a minor adjustment for 2 strongly growing giants....

Read more ...

Subscribe to read!

Screen Shot 2023 03 20 at 12.07.16 PMHPE Greenlake
grabs integrator

Enterprising move boosts

MSP cloud client services


HP Enterprise 
just gave its GreenLake on-premises pay-per-use cloud service an AI-based boost with its acquisition of a specialist integrator. “Customers manage different cloud environments that dramatically increase the cost of digital operations management,” said Fidelma Russo. 
This could be a game changer....

Read more ...

Subscribe to read!

Wieland Diversey PhilipDiversey divested;
decline diversion?

Ingram owner Platinum's
chemicals maker acquired



Diversey,
 the $2.8Bn in sales, international hygiene & infection protection provider just reported delayed and disappointing results for Q4'22. Meanwhile, it changed ownership again, from Bain Capital to public, now back to privately owned via Platinum Equity chemicals making subsidiary. Updated

Read more ...

Subscribe to read!

Fedex truck crash off road 22FedEx fails from 

faulty leadership 

Losing market share. Cuts
costs and customer service


FedEx ceo Raj Subramaniam opaquely reported again on disappointing & inflated Q3'23 results. Huge price hikes boosted sales, but disguised serious market share losses to UPS & Amazon.The 'market cap gap' between similar sized UPS widened to $109Bn. The future is bleak for arrogant, cost cutting  'new boss, same as the old boss'; who blames the (strong) economy, not incompetent execution. Updated

Read more ...

Subscribe to read!

Screen Shot 2023 03 16 at 1.36.32 PMMighty 3M mired in 
mounting mgt mess

Earplug/PFAS legal issues;
& Health Care div. spinoff
distract from core focus

 
3M's cfo Monish Patolawala spoke with JPMorgan's Steve Tusa at its Industrials Conference yesterday. 3M's market cap is down -30% over past year, reflecting legal issues with defective miltary earplugs and PFAS chemicals. Meanwhile, it's spinning off the Health Care (25% mix) division and struggling with volume decline in its main businesses. Analysis here...

Read more ...

Subscribe to read!

smith gerry depot deckchair shifter 21Depot buys back
Vora stake. Why?

Multi-distractions divert
from core incompetence


On 28 Dec'22 activist VC HG Vora Capital took a 12% stake in ODP Corp aka Office Depot plus a board seat. Now as part of its $1Bn buyback plan ODP bought shares at a similar price cutting Vora's stake to 8%. What's going on? Is sinking ship Capt Gerry Smith shifting deck chairs to distract from its core incompetence? 

Read more ...

Subscribe to read!

Screen Shot 2023 03 15 at 11.10.28 AMWestrock: doing
good, doing well

African bean farms move
from poverty->productivity


Westrock Coffee
, the leading custom/private label coffee and tea provider to US restaurants, reported Q4'22 results. We talked with CEO Scott Ford about progress and plans for the "poverty to productivity" purpose driven beans importer from Rwanda through roasting and distribution processes

Read more ...

"Tomorrow's News Today,

not yesterday's news tomorrow."

twitter heart50facebook heart50

FREE PP NEWS

Please register to the site before you can sign for a list.
No account yet? Register

ppnew on mobile UK 2018

Member Login