There is no doubt that the office products (OP) industry is entering a critical phase in its history:
- Economic recovery now appears to be under way in many countries. How is this being reflected in terms of overall demand for OP?
- There is some evidence that many traditional OP items are now in structural decline, while demand for new products – such as FM supplies – is increasing. In which products should manufacturers and distributors invest and which should be reviewed?
- Profound changes are occurring in the structure of supply: e-commerce is now firmly established and both Amazon and eBay are becoming significant channels. The traditional OP wholesalers, OP dealers and dealer groups are continually being challenged.
- There has been significant merger and acquisition activity in 2013: what have been the results of this and who will be next?
In such turbulent times, senior industry executives need a reliable yardstick against which to assess their own perceptions and strategies. Martin Wilde Associates (MWA) – specialist researchers to the global OP market – and OPI – the global OP industry media firm – are proud to announce the launch of a new annual research study, The State Of The Industry Report 2013-14, which aims to be a ‘must have’ authoritative sourcebook for the OP industry, that:
- Covers the US and Europe in detail, and provides commentary on other key regions.
- Includes insights and data from in-depth interviews with senior OP industry executives at c.20 key manufacturers and distributors around the world, supplemented by additional data collected online from dozens of senior OP industry executives.
- Collates the 2013 financial performance of the key 15 OP distributors in the US and Europe.
- Includes analysis and commentary from Martin Wilde, who has unrivalled experience of researching the global OP market, supplemented by further data, analysis and predictions from OPI, the leading global OP industry media organisation.
The data collected from the senior OP industry executives will include commentary on the following:
- What happened to sales volumes, margins and profits in 2013?
- How will sales volumes, margins and profits change in 2014?
- Which product categories are growing or declining?
- Which product categories will win or lose in 2014?
- Which distribution channels won or lost in 2013?
- What are the prospects for key channels in 2014?
- What were the defining industry events in 2013?
- What are expectations for the OP industry in 2014?
Research for the study will commence in December 2013, with the report being published by the end of March 2014.
This authoritative industry-wide report is available for only US$800 (£500) if ordered before 31 January 2014 and for US$1,200 (£750) thereafter.
