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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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.

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  • 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 

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  • 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

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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 

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Screen Shot 2023 02 08 at 1.25.53 AMThe Pich perfect
legend lives on!

Office Productivity champ
recalls his 80s innovations
still 'state of the art' today


It's 10yrs since we met 80's office productivity champion Bill Pichler (on left w Howard Brown), who built the most admired OP dealer on the planet in the 'Golden OP' era. The beautiful modern Eastman 400sq.ft facility in LA was the centre of innovation in design, hospitality & systems. We recalled the great times with the legend last Monday. Updated

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Johnson Fisk SCJ 23SCJ: Doing the
right thing 'cleanly'

Environmental champion
speaks plastic pollution


SC Johnson,
the family owned $12Bn cleaning brands giant, has a long history of responsibility on environment and health effects of the chemicals in products. "We’ve often made changes in product formulation before regulations required, even if it hurt sales". CEO Fisk Johnson explains history and progress...

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salerno rich aramsco ceoAramsco conceded
in acq rollup race?

Has Hot hygiene M&A mkt
left #4 consolidator adrift?


Cleaning & restoration supplier Aramsco
owned by PE firm Odyssey Investment Partners, has made 7 acquisitions over the past 2yrs, but none since May'22. What's happening? Has it been intimidated by the relentless rollups of fellow VC's & FEMSA's Envoy? We discuss progress with ceo Rich Salerno.

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lloyd frost united 22United unplugs
from OP tradition

Smart svcs provider's one
source biz supply success


There are now less than 50 progressive, productivity service providers in the US/UK business supplies market. That's a huge crash from the 30k traditional, transactional OP dealer community in 1990. We have profiled the best practice successes of WBMason, Innovative, WHouse Direct & Commercial. Now we discuss the progress and plans of UK's United Business Services with ceo Darren Lloyd... 

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Screen Shot 2022 12 11 at 1.00.25 PMStarbucks' Schultz
to unseat unions?

Like AMZN, ensure 'ethos'
exercised by local leaders 


"Why is Howard Schultz taking unions so personally? His opposition clashes with his image of Starbucks as a model employer" reports NYTimes' Noam Scheiber and Julie Creswell. This echoes Amazon leaders' attitude who similarly eschew a 'them & us' environment and want direct comms between leaders & associates. 

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Screen Shot 2022 10 07 at 11.58.36 AMPro-Link brand's
'Ace' growth plan

Cleaning specialist group
provides personalized svcs


The OP & Hygiene supply industries continue to be populated by 'buying groups' that offer little market share benefit for brand makers. Meanwhile, there are a number of progressive, marketing driven groups determined to differentiate themselves from transactional giants with a personalized, productivity growth agenda. We discuss Matt Herriot, Pro-Link ceo's progress and plans... Later today

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heinrich micbhael gartenGarten fresh food

service to offices

Healthy, nutritious lunches
& snacks vending...on-site


Garten
was founded by Michael Heinrich in San Francisco in 2014 with a vision to provide healthier, nutritious food and snacks to businesses, in-office or WFH. Through acquisition and organic growth it has grown rapidly in its quest fto improve the  well being of workers

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Screen Shot 2022 09 06 at 1.34.04 PMDPA: Distribution
Partners' ambitions

1100 member group's plan
for industr'l supply growth


Distribution Partners America (DPA)
buying group's ceo Zac Haines discusses the biggest challenges facing the organisation post Covid and the initiatives and plans to combat them. We plan to discuss progress with Haines this week and will update asap

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Screen Shot 2022 08 08 at 1.40.29 PMOffice furniture is
dead. Long live
office furniture

MillerKnoll merger max's
brands hybrid challenge


Ben Watson is overseeing the merger of Herman Miller and Knoll, with the belief that good design means good business. “The moment we’re in now, is the most intense that I’ve ever been in my career in furnishings” he said. NYTimes' Ben Birk reports

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not yesterday's news tomorrow."

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