Since our last issue published in mid-December we have seen three further examples of vendor consolidation with Pukka Pads acquiring Concord Filing in the UK, ADVEO selling its Spanish production facilities (not really ‘consolidation’, I know, but it could turn into that) and Esselte’s North American business being snapped up by RR Donnelley. This is a pattern that could well continue throughout the year as secular declines in traditional categories show no sign of easing up.
And of course, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the goings on at Staples and Office Depot this year. Staples has just launched a major rebranding campaign and is adding new categories all the time. Incidentally, we have updated our former Facilities Focus page, which is now known as Beyond OP, to reflect the importance of these adjacent product groups. And Office Depot is the subject of this month’s Hot Topic following its merger with OfficeMax, a story which is bound to develop as the year goes on and progress is made with integrating the two former rivals.
This issue of OPI will also be available at Paperworld in Frankfurt and I hope to see many of our readers there again this year. Despite its challenges, Paperworld remains the largest international show in our industry and let’s hope it will evolve in a positive way for the office channel.
All the best,
Andy Braithwaite , Editor
