Analysis: OfficeMax New Zealand sold
Platinum Equity has completed its acquisition of OfficeMax New Zealand although the US firm still has not found a buyer for the Winc New Zealand business it has agreed to divest.In April 2018, it...
Comment June 2018
Wow! No sooner had the ink dried on Thomas Schinkel's opinion piece on the potential merger of SP Richards (SPR) and Essendant (page 30), that the cat was set right among the pigeons with...
Digital issue June 2018
To view a flip version of the February issue of OPI magazine please click the links below.Type A — Europe & UKType B — North America and ROWThe new OPI magazine app is published. Please click on one...
Opinion: Making Essendant (and SP Richards) great again?
On 12 April 2018 Genuine Parts Company (GPC) and Essendant announced the divestment of GPC's office products business, SP Richards (SPR), and the merger of the divested business with Essendant. The pitch deck for the...
Hot Topic: Virtual reality check
Virtual reality (VR) as a technology is now making significant inroads into everyday life and hardly a day goes by without the mainstream media running a story of how it's being adopted by different...
Analysis: Office Depot execs impress at analyst conference
Office Depot Inc CEO Gerry Smith and his new senior management team delivered a high-calibre series of presentations to the financial community at the company's analyst day in New York on 17 May.After ringing...
Analysis: ADVEO still on downward slope
Unfortunately, Q1 numbers weren't pretty for European wholesaler ADVEO, with total sales 17.8% lower than Q1 2017 at €107.2 million ($126.5 million).EBITDA of €2.8 million was said to be in line with budget after...
Analysis: How serious is Sycamore?
Even before the dust had settled over the prospect of wholesalers Essendant and SP Richards (SPR) merging, Staples — via its owner Sycamore Partners — shook things up even more in the US office...
Category Update: Visualising collaboration
The chameleon nature of the office environment is playing right into the hands of today's visual communications (viscom) players. As the workplace continues to morph into collaborative spaces with a strong focus on interior...
Category Update: Core stability
It's an undisputed fact that sales of core office products have been under significant pressure for several years. Yet, although vendors and resellers aren't exactly reporting record sales, they are quietly confident that there's...
Advertorial: Supplies Network
OPI speaks to Greg Welchans, President and Chief Marketing Officer of Distribution Management and Supplies Network, about creating more cost-effective, efficient distribution options.OPI: Firstly, can you provide a brief overview of Supplies Network?Greg Welchans:...
Spotlight: Built on solid foundations
At the end of April, about 110 partners from Pilot Corporation across the globe — predominantly Europe — got together in Rome, Italy, for a few days of strategic meetings, networking and — on...
How To: Managing in a crisis
In the first part of this guide in the May issue of OPI, I talked about the importance of being open and honest in your social media communications. Never is this more important than...
5 mins with… Savannah Guernsey
Describe yourself in one sentence.I don't like to sit still, physically or mentally.  What's your most prized possession? If I had to pick something, it would be the first edition of Toni Morrison's Beloved that...
Final Word from Anil Abrol
I read with great interest last month's Plastic Soup Hot Topic where Michelle Sturman pointed out that the world is awash with single-use plastic packaging. Thankfully, countries all over the world — especially coastal and island...
