OfficeYes launches franchise opportunity
The Indian OP e-commerce business OfficeYes has set up a franchise-type opportunity for entrepreneurs. Since it was established last year OfficeYes has been focusing on the B2B channel and has already landed some major accounts such...
Spicers partners with Westcoast
Spicers has announced a collaborative alliance with the UK’s largest IT and EOS distributor Westcoast. The UK and Ireland OP wholesaler said the alliance will see the parties offer an extended range of products and...
Hot Topic: Sparkling and new: Gem OP
Wholesaling is an interesting place to be at the moment – wherever you look, there’s something going on. ADVEO is talking about further, though not imminent, European expansion; German competitor soft-carrier is moving ever further...
Final word: Tom Rodda
Why does a UK premier league footballer play on average 180 minutes per week and yet train for 720 minutes per week? Why does a pro golfer hit 1,000 balls per day yet only takes...
Now the hard work begins
As expected, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) didn’t stand in the way of the proposed merger between Office Depot and OfficeMax, voting unanimously at the beginning of November to approve the $1.2 billion...
Big interview: Charlie Cleary
Charlie Cleary has brought his dealer group – or buying group – through a lot of change in the last few years. As President of TriMega he has overseen, among other developments, a merger with...
5 minutes with: Richard Bennett
Describe what you do in fewer than 20 words.Get the right products in the right place at the right time for our customers within all of our channels.What has been the best moment in...
Google testing same-day delivery
After several weeks of speculation, Google has begun testing a same-day shopping service in the San Francisco Bay area in partnership with a number of national and local retailers, including Staples and Office Depot. A...
Category analysis: Core office products
Defining core office products is a subjective business, sizing them up even more so. From filing and archiving products over labels to desktop accessories and writing instruments, the category encompasses so many sub segments that...
Big Interview: Thomas Veit
What started out as an idea in a student flat in Germany became, for a while, a very new, innovative and hugely successful business model, particularly so in the then still very traditional German market....
5 minutes with… Andy Braithwaite
Describe what you do in less than 20 words. Oversee – and sometimes contribute to – the editorial content of OPI.Your first full-time job? Working in the tax department of a local council when the...
Big interview: Millan Alvarez-Miranda
Just over three years ago, Millán Álvarez-Miranda was CEO of Unipapel, a mainly Spain-focused group that operated as an office products wholesaler, manufacturer and contract stationer. Since then, he has overseen the transformation of...
Hot topic: Spread your wings
To summarise, there are probably three main threats to a traditional office products reseller’s business: a declining need for traditional office products, evolving customer purchasing habits, and new competitors offering said traditional products. These are...
Final word: Luke Chapman
In the UK we saw a dramatically different start to the year than usual for the whole channel. For the first time the 'first week peak' did not materialise and so far I've seen little...
O2o focused on taking share
UK reseller office2office (o2o) says its strategy is to gain market share through new contract wins and customer retention as the contracted office supplies market continues to face downward pressures in 2013.In an investor presentation released...
Category analysis: Visual communications
Sales of interactive whiteboards and interactive flat panel displays in the education and corporate sectors grew 15% year on year in 2012, but the latest market figures highlight some intriguing patterns.A study from Futuresource Consulting...
Show Review: Kaut-Bullinger
There are companies that manage to marry the old with the new, the traditional with the modern. Kaut-Bullinger is one of them and nowhere was this more evident than at its customer day (‘Kundentag’ in...
Abracadabra
UK dealer group Superstat has launched an initiative aimed at promoting the growth of independent dealers. Called Cadabra, the concept involves Superstat handling dealers’ back-office functions, including order processing, invoicing, sales and purchase ledgers,...
Special feature: Dr Benedikt Erdmann
German dealer group Soennecken has become a formidable player in it's 90-year history. For a start it's more than a dealer group; the cooperative encompasses a wholesale element as well as the recent addition...
Special feature: The right hire
A reseller’s salesforce should act as its war chest, armed with excellent sales techniques and product knowledge. But when often faced with limited time and resources, it’s not easy for businesses to get the right...
Big Read
EOPA 2023 winners revealed
The winners of the 22nd European Office Products Awards (EOPA) were announced at a special presentation dinner on Monday, 13 March 2023.
The annual EOPA were once again presented during the OPI Partnership event...
