Thinking out of the box
As expected, it was another challenging set of quarterly results that the three global power players – Staples, Office Depot and OfficeMax – reported in November. Log onto opi.net for fuller coverage of the actual...
Houston, we have a problem
An audit from the city of Houston in the US has identified overcharging of up to $6.6 million by Office Depot. A report released on 7 December by Houston's City Controller said that overcharges in...
All change at Karnak
Italian contract stationer and mail order firm Karnak is in the final stages of an organisational overhaul that it hopes will clarify its market position and bring operational efficiencies.The location of Karnak's headquarters in the...
Beta blocker
Evolving relationships between manufacturers, dealers, wholesalers and dealer groups in the UK is the subject of this month's Hot Topic and one of the talking points is the entry of two leading IT and EOS...
5 minutes with: Simon Wallis
Describe what you do in fewer than 20 words.I am responsible for the Synergy Partner Sales & Marketing programme and added value services including managed print services. What’s your most amusing industry-related experience? I recently overheard...
Final word: Rick Marlette
At United Stationers' recent Vision show, I was acutely aware of a growing red/blue split in the US office products industry. Red is the colour of wholesaler SP Richards' logo while blue is the colour...
Dealer spotlight: Paagman-style
Times are hard and retail has been suffering particularly badly, so it's refreshing to visit a store that's full of vibrancy, interesting products and – perhaps most importantly – full of customers. It’s the Paagman-style retail...
Whose job is it anyway?
According to the head of a prominent UK reseller: "Dealer groups are an ugly wart on the side of wholesalers." This opinion certainly lies far to one end of the debate surrounding the roles of...
