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  • hybrid office zoom mtg 22Furniture mkt on
    high hybrid alert!

    Corp office recovery softer.
    Strong WFH demand slows


    Furniture Market Review Q4'22-23: Covid crushed the corporate furniture market. Leading makers still report -30% demand declines compared with the 2019 norm. During Covid, WFH suppliers like Amazon, Wayfair, DWR (MillerKnoll) exploded with record revenues, now normalizing. We review leaders disappointing results and the new hybrid work developments accelerating the wellness & ergonomics movement e.g. Fellowes. Updated for Steelcase/MillerKnoll

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  • Emperor no clothes 23Old OP Emperors

    have no clothes!

    Trad product sellers outed
    by productivity srvcs shift


    There's been much recession talk recently: macro economic headwinds, high inflation, depressing optimism. How much is real given the huge prices boost on lower volumes? Whilst ex-leaders eg. Acco, HP, Newell, 3M & VOW decline despite complacent commentary, progressive players reinvented to meet the 'personalized productivity service' needs of users. We highlight losers and the big winners..Complete

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  • resilient leaders 23Bouncebackability
    Index Leaderboard

    Q4'22 analysis highlights
    resilient Winners v Losers


    Reports are all in for Business Supply players in Q4'22. Predictably they show inflated profits but weak sales recovery v pre-Covid 'norm' Q4'19. Proficiency Index reports the Leaderboard of makers, wholesalers & dealers' 'Bouncebackability' performance. It covers 100 leading paper & printer makers, hygiene, foodservice and packaging suppliers, OP/furnituremakers and retailers Updated

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  • Screen Shot 2022 12 09 at 2.14.03 PMHealthy Hygiene
    market normalizes

    Who won/lost market share?
    Price inflation average +12%


    Hygiene is now #1 business supply category alongside technology. Progressive business suppliers: brandmakers, dealers have pivoted into hygiene, safety, foodservice & packaging, WFH-tech & wellness services. Proficiency Index Q4'22 analysis is almost complete with brand volumes slowing, boosted by double-digit price hikes. Updated for KPTissue, Sappi & Suzano. Diversey delayed to 22Mar

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  • women marketeers top 9 jul16Top 50 Women
    Marketers 2023

    Leaders in creativity, sales,
    brand growth performance


    Marketing to businesses by brandmakers & resellers was traditionally dominated by men. As we celebrate International Women's Day, Proficiency Index recognises the most successful women leaders. This is 16th edition of 'Top 50 Women in Business Supply', the market's real growth achievers, including new entrants from progressive independent dealers.

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Envoy futureFEMSA's Envoy:  
'For Sale' options?

VC/MBO Spinoff? IPO? Sale
e.g. BradyIFS? Stick v twist?


FEMSA 
the $27Bn Mexican based convenience store & fuel station chain (Oxxo) shocked business supply markets in mid Feb, stating it was "exploring strategic alternatives" over its $2Bn+ Envoy rollup of US hygiene and packaging resellers. We update on the strategic options available (Report 22Feb'23). We fear this will not play out well and see major difficulties ahead... 

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Screen Shot 2023 03 29 at 1.05.05 AMHigher Hygiene,
Heightens Health 

Call for 'Clean' campaign
to drive wellness: eyecare
air quality & ergonomics


National Cleaning Week
(Mar26-Apr1'23) largely focuses on surfaces. Covid heightened awareness of a cleaner environment... everyday, not just surfaces. Perhaps now's the time to broaden the scope of 'cleaning' to higher hygiene? Hygiene embraces worker wellness inc. better air quality; elevating ergonomics: better lighting; reducing eye strain and wrist RSI etc. Improving health, improves productivity! Later today

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schneider todd cintasCintas' resilient
revenue recovery

Uniform, Health & Safety
Services growth returns


Cintas, 
the $9Bn uniform services specialist, continued its powerful sales recovery in Q3'23. CEO Todd Schneider plans to accelerate its 'Ready for the Workday' strategic services direction "enabling customers more time to focus on their business, that boosts mutual profitability". 

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musgoves nectere jan16Nectere's Never
Neverland nailed

Struggling dealer group's 
forced wholesaler switch?


Nectere
, the UK&I small dealer group, has always promoted ambitious but hollow expansion plans, now looks in dire trouble. After failing to find buyers, we understand an MBO is improbable with owner- chairman Paul Musgrove resigning, as it heads towards the graveyard. In a last desperate move it has been forced to switch wholesaler from VOW to SPOT, splitting its membership...

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Screen Shot 2023 03 28 at 3.32.44 PMPepsiCo promotes
CO2 cutting goal

Plans to pivot from petro
PET to recycled packaging

 
Jason Blake, Chief Sustainability Officer for PepsiCo, shares with Packaging World's Anne Marie Mohan how it is incorporating sustainability in every area, with a focus on innovations in packaging that will help reach its elevated carbon reduction goals. "We need a multi-stakeholder approach to make incremental progress—we’re not going to make transformational progress"

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Screen Shot 2023 03 28 at 2.13.36 PMKIND snack packs
up plastic wraps

Mars advances from petro
to recycled PP film package

 
Mars’ transition from a petroleum-based polypropylene (PP) film wrap to one made of advanced-recyclable materials for its KIND snack bar is the culmination of a closed-loop collaboration between its packaging design partners. "We want to contribute to a circular economy where packaging never becomes waste, but is recycled, reused, or composted,” says CPO Barry Parkin,
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bezos jeff amzn driverAmazon aces high!
FedEx fail. UPS flat

Transport tracker shows
AMZN tops giants' volume


New US parcel delivery data from Pitney Bowes outlines top carriers’ volume performance in 2022; and what lies ahead for the sector. The meteoric rise of Amazon Logistics since it fired FedEx in 2019 has driven the latter off the road and benefited the more flexible USPS and UPS in market share and profitability. Amazingly Amazon will be the leading US transporter in 2023. 

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Hume Rich TDSynnex 23TDSynnex stalled.

Losing mkt share?

#1 $62Bn tech wholesaler
integration slows progress


TD Synnex
, the #1Global IT wholesaler, recovered from serious Asian supply problems, but is now suffering slower demand. CEO Rich Hume commented opaquely about declining volume growth in its Q4'23 financial review. We comment on the analysts' more comprehensive Q&A. Updated 

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Watt graeme softcat 23Softcat: soft sales,
greater GP revs

CEO Watt: Won mkt share.
Gearing for future growth


UK #1 tech products and services reseller Softcat reported double digit GP growth in its H1'23 results to 31 Jan'23. CEO Graeme Watt was optimistic about future growth given new major contract wins and claimed market share growth in uncertain market conditions. Full analysis here...

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Screen Shot 2021 04 07 at 6.24.12 PMIs Shopify really
catching Amazon?

Rising rivals like Walmart
only a fraction of Godzilla


Many Seeking Alpha analysts have highlighted the rapid growth of Shopify, the MCommerce platform provider. even suggesting it is catching Amazon. Reality check! Yes its grew its Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) 3X since 2019 compared with Amazon's 2X, but it's still a fraction of Godzilla's $1Tn volume. We analyse the analysts' numbers...

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