The Slower Rise of
MPS is dying! Long live "Managed Technology Services' providers that drive productivity improvement for customers. We profile latest progress of the Top 8 resellers that lead the US market in 2021, although slowing in acquisition activity of regional independents....
Power Productivity
What will happen in 2022 with Amazon, Apple, Staples, Essendant, Shopify, SPR, FEMSA, Depot, WBMason, HP, U-Line, Imperial, EVO-VOW, Westcoast, Paragon, Lyreco, Raja, Bunzl, Brady, independent dealers, dealer groups, wholesalers, furnituremakers, paper-printermakers, MPS, OP makers; foodservice; hygiene suppliers; packaging; AI, robotics,Tech, cybersecurity; Hybrid-WFH; B2U marketing trends. PP's Top 20 predictions follow here
Hybrid work calls
The bigbox share of the market crashed again in 2021. Disintegrating Depot & sinking Staples lost another $2Bn sales as Amazon amassed; and Shopify soared. Progressive independent resellers got hammered on OP/MPS & furniture, but agility enabled them to pivot to IT, Hygiene supply in their local WFH market. We review and look forward...
Best Performers
The #OPocalypse aka perfect storm that impacted the office supply market in 2019; worsened in 2020 with Covid disruption; then recovered significantly helped by WFH tech, hygiene & packaging demand in 2021. Even progressive business suppliers suffered, but many pivoted rapidly. Proficiency Index reviews best performers in each category... Complete
Top Biz Supply
The near 2yr Covid pandemic devastated many small businesses and accelerated negative consolidation. Meanwhile, progressive M&A trends towards a 'paperless, officeless' more hygienic future driven by IT surged. We review the top positive & negative deals of 2021. Complete
Market Review'21
The global economy recovered. The paperless office accelerated. The vultures' attack disintegrated. It proved tough for traditional players unable to pivot to hybrid working, but welcome for WFH 'essential' suppliers like Amazon, Target & Shopify + supporting brands. Moreover, acquisition activity escalated in the IT, hygiene, FS and the fading OP space. We chronicle the main events between July to Dec'21. Complete
Market Review'21
The global economy recovered. The paperless office accelerated. The vultures' attack disintegrated. It proved tough for traditional players unable to pivot to hybrid working, but welcome for 'essential' suppliers like Amazon, Target & Shopify + supporting brands. Moreover, WFH specialists eg Best Buy, Home Depot & Wayfair all benefited greatly. We chronicle the main events between Jan-Jun'21
Dealer Champions
We've finalised the Proficiency Index Dealer Productivity Championship 2021 after a 2 year Covid hiatus. Sales/employee is the most universally accepted indicator of dealer profitability in the absence of private info. Leading dealers have submitted sales forecasts for 2021 + current employee numbers (FTE's). Complete
Most Responsible
Newsweek just published the US' Most Responsible Companies 2021 rankings. Together with Statista it lists Top 400 scores in Corporate Social & Environmental Responsibility (CSR). Great to see 40 leading broadline business suppliers featured. We comment on their achievements
Xmas Crackers &
MERRY CHRISTMAS!! 2021 will go down as a terrible year for ‘turkeys’ (aka vultures) citing the ‘Covid' excuse as cause for failure. For progressives, it’s been tough too, but rescued by pivoting quickly into new business supply categories: Hygiene & Safety; WFH Tech & Ergonomics & Packaging....
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