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In North America:
• OfficeMax has elected Perry Zukowski as EVP of human resources.
Zukowski was previously VP of human resources at General Binding Corporation (GBC).
• HP has appointed Sam Taylor to the newly created role of SVP of online sales. Taylor was previously SVP of online stores and marketing at Best Buy.
• MeadWestvaco has appointed Jason Thompson as director of investor relations with responsibility for the management of financial communications with shareholders and securities analysts. Thompson will start his new position on 14 June and will replace Mark Pomerleau, who is retiring from the company after 26 years of service.
• Imation has promoted James Ellis to VP of strategic growth programmes. Ellis, a former general manager of global product strategy at the company, has over 25 years’ experience in the data storage businesses of Imation and 3M.
• TriMega has promoted Michael Morris to VP of marketing. Morris, a director of marketing at the purchasing association since 2003, has played a key role in enhancing the group’s website and annual convention.
• Basics Office Products has promoted Sean Macy to president.
In Europe:
• Floortex Europe has announced the appointment of Gerald Simms as European sales manager, effective 3 July. Simms has previously worked for Acco Eastlight, Rexel and Esselte Dymo.
• Fellowes France has named Emmanuel Lombard as the new country manager for its domestic operation. Lombard was previously sales and marketing director at GBC France.
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• Office Depot is understood to have made its first strategic move into the lucrative Chinese market with the acquisition of a stake in online e-procurement company AsiaEC.com. AsiaEC.com was China’s first B2B ecommerce service provider and is an online and offline vendor of operating resources, including OP.
Sources say the two companies signed an initial agreement last month and are currently undergoing system integration trials. If confirmed, the deal will rival Staples’ entry into the region through a 2004 joint venture with OA365.com.
• Shoplet.com is relocating to its second new home in three years due to the company’s "explosive growth". As part of the expansion Shoplet.com said it plans to hire 12 new salespeople before the end of the year. "The existing space was becoming too tight as the business continues to grow in triple digits year-over-year," said CEO and chairman Tony Ellison. "The new space is almost three times the size of our existing headquarters and will accommodate our growth over the next five years."
• Tesco took over 11 hypermarkets in the Czech Republic owned by Carrefour last week. A spokesman for the retailer said that the deal had been suspended for several months awaiting final approval of the overall deal by the Slovak anti-monopoly office.
• Dell has formerly opened its new manufacturing plant in Xiamen, China. The 594,000 sq ft facility marks Dell’s second operation in the city and more than doubles the company’s production capacity in the country.
