3D Systems

growth slows

Delayed new product

availability/launches 

3D Systems announced last week disappointing financial results for Q4'14. Weakness in the US markets could not compensate fotr its strength in EMEA

Amazon: mobile

3D maker hubs

'Anticipatory delivery'

enhancement plans  

Amazon has been experimenting with a number of new shipping methods lately, but one of its latest may not involve delivery at all!

Avery registers

badgemaker buy

CCL label & container biz
offset 6% decline at AD

CCL Industries who acquired Avery in 2013 has invested in a leading badgemaker to strengthen its  range of conference products. Recently announced results showed solid gowth in sales and profits...

HP & Aruba take 
over rumors rife

Networker's strong sales
drives net profitability

Aruba Networks was tight lipped on rumours HP is going to snap it up as it talked up its channel credentials on a Q2'15 earnings webcast

IIDA's Positive
Productivity 

Office Design Awards

feature Boston's best

Last night at the Revere Hotel in Boston over 300 of New Englands A&D community and contract interiors dealers assembled for the IIDA annual design awards show. Spectacular work! Report tomorrow

Ingram growth
mobilised again

Strong sales from PC

refresh & new contracts

Ingram Micro, the world's largest technology distributor with $46Bn in annual sales, grew at an accelerating  pace in Q4’14 and added 2 more acquisitions...

Apple's Spring

Forward in time

Launch date of Watch
designed by Jony Ive

Apple has just announced its highly anticipated Apple Watch event; it's happening on March 9th.

IBM Rometty's

head in cloud 

Tour de force wows AM
with strategic direction

IBMhas the same challenge as its old tech peers:how to foster fast-growth unproven initiatives, while lucrative older businesses are slowing down. CEO Ginni Rometty impressed the analysts...

Can Keurig beat
current softness

K-Cup shakeup in Dunkin
& Smucker distribution

Keurig, Dunkin' Brands and Smucker today expanded their partnership by signing agreements for the manufacturing, marketing, distribution of their brands. Will this help Keurig accelerate its slowing growth rate?

Acme’s cutting
edge sharpens

Continued US strength
dampened by Europe

Acme United today announced powerful sales and profits growth in its Q4’14 financial results to 31 Dec'14

Wave is up at
Salesforce.com

No software company is

growing faster: mobility, 
cloud, social & enterprise

CRM giant Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff brimmed with excitement about its new Wave analytics cloud platform and his latest growth in sales and cash flow...

Do social media
links drive biz?

Promo effectiveness

under scrutiny again

Should marketers give up on trying social media to drive traffic to webstores – since it often doesn’t work and just craft content for specific sites e.g Twitter/Facebook

Adveo: adverse
trends unabated

Prospects poor: printer
ink plunges; nothing new

Donnelley down
on publishing

OP maker buys weigh on

variable print progress

R.R. Donnelley,the digital and print media giant, reported disappointing financials for Q4'14. It suffered secular decline in OP and relied on acquisitions for revenue growth... 

Staples launch

loans for SMB's

Aim: help business make

more happen... quickly 

Staples  today launched the “Staples Business Loans powered by Lendio” service to help small business owners by giving them quick and easy access to capital.

Pinterest poised

as marketers pet

Forrester: needs to up ad

offer to attract sponsors

Pinterest is poised to become Madison Avenue’s newest darling, and this year will be a critical period to see if the website can turn the initial hype into a serious advertising business, according to a new report from eMarketer.

Ink-sinking HP’s
Hollow Promises

Winsome Whitman’s tale
of 'turnaround' in tatters.
What growth/innovation

Hewlett Packard (HP),the world’s #1 tech maker, continued its decline in Q1'15 ended 31 Jan'15. CEO Meg Whitman’s air of clichéd confidence and broad brushstrokes again failed to convince sceptics about her ‘New style of IT’ rhetoric. Where are the growth businesses?

Service Sector

soars in Feb.

Strongest rise in biz

activity for 4 months

February data pointed to a robust and accelerated increase in US service sector business activity according to the latest Markit PMI survey

HP's huge cloud
services win

Deutsche Bank opts for
dedicated data center

IT giant Hewlett-Packardsaid that it has won a 10-year “multibillion dollar” deal to run computing systems for Deutsche Bank.

Exertis signs
iHealth deal

Distribution agreement

on connected technology

Exertis has agreed a contract with iHealth, to distribute the company’s innovative range of connected health products in the UK.

Ecolab elevated

by innovation

Increases market share

in cleaning & sanitizing

Ecolab, the cleaning and hygiene supplies giant to the health care and food services market reported excellent growth in sales and profits in Q4'14.

Mondi paperless
packaging move

Industrial pkg strength
offsets cut paper decline

Mondi, the once mighty papermaker, is shifting its focus towards packaging in line with other industry leaders to offset falling paper demand. according to accounts to 31 Dec'14

Disintegrating

Depot defunct

Chainsaw CEO Smith’s
'execution' applies to
people cuts not growth

Office Depot/Max,the bigbox car-crash combo, continued to lose market share according to Q4’14 results. Annual sales rates have fallen 40% since 2007. Thankfully, we've been saved the woolly webcast rhetoric... 

Paperlinx doors revolve rapidly

Price fired, Preece hired.
5th CEO change in 3 yrs

Frost Bites on 

#BostonStrong

Frigid Friday brings fine
results from local firms

February 2015 will be the snowiest and coldest month in Boston's history. We moved here to bring you first hand analysis from the new base of the personal productivity movement with Staples, Keurig, WBMason, Iron Mountain, Wayfair & Creative Office Pavilion all progressing strongly...weekend review

The Key to

Productivity

Facebook: "We always
automate routine tasks"

Cloud security
software soars

Total Cost of Ownership
(TOC) levels set to cut

The Cloud security software market is set to grow at over 48% annually over coming five years, according to analyst ReportsnReports...

Office OSCARS

2015 Winners!

The Top Office Stars:
Creatives, 

Advertisers,
Resellers & Suppliers

We enjoyed the OSCARS 2015 ceremony last night. OK there were no brash blockbusters, but The Theory of Everything & The Imitation Game were brilliant biopics. We thought it would be fun to nominate the current Office OSCARS...

Bunzl builds &

bundles again

Spain and Canada buys

make it 17 acquisitions 

Bunzl, the international distribution and outsourcing group, today published its annual results for the year ended 31 December 2014.

W/Coast Ports

working again

Full operations resume.
Months to clear backlog

West Coast ports resumed work on last night after the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association, reached agreement on a new five-year labor contract

15 Shades of

Grey Marketing

Avoid Boring, Dodgy,
& Selfish Messaging

Went to the movies on Friday to see '50 Shades of Grey'. It has certainly attracted much co-branding activity aimed at the younger women audience. It reminded us of the poor marketing messaging in the office market...

Varidesk voice
PRODUCTIVITY 

Why do furnituremaker

marketers not get it?

The sit/stand desking movement is alive! The 'sitting is the new smoking' campaign gathers momentum. Yet it takes direct marketer Varidesk to show the right way to market with user commercials.

Nestle notches
market growth

Euro & China hold back

progress Nespresso hot!

Nestlé missed its long-standing target of 5-6% organic sales growth for the second consecutive year., but still took market share...

FTC sues Sysco

to stop merger

Ironically, US Foods deal
would aid competion

FTC states that Sysco merger with US Foods would mean higher prices, diminished service for restaurants and customers. Sysco chie Bill Delaney believes the facts are in his favor...

Iron Mountain

scaling smartly

Storage rental gains plus
takeovers boost growth

Iron Mountain (IRM), the global leader in information management services today reported stronger sales results for Q4’14 ended 31 Dec'14

Wholesalers'

Wave is U P!

Growing strength in FM,
B/room, 

tech & furniture

"Wholesalers may die, but the wholesaler role lives forever", so said godfather of OP wholesaling, United's founder Howard Wolf back in the 80's. So true, even if OP wholesalers have struggled for real growth in recent years. Now that's all changing...

Food for

thought?

If FTC block Sysco-US
Foods merger plans,

will it deny SPLODGE?

At EMERGE, Cleveland Research were cautiously optimistic about the prospects of the #SPLODGE (Staples/Depot) acquisition. However they warned about FTC's likely rejection of the mighty food services merger. How relevant is it?

HP: the whitebox

H-Ware reseller

Partner plans w-Taiwan
network equip makers

Former tech giant, HP's defensive move comes as commodity-style hardware is displacing brand-name equipment in data centers

Better Capital

strips suppliers

Channel out of pocket

after City Link collapse

A report released by joint administrators Ernst & Young (EY) shows the list of channel firms that are owed thousands by Better Capital owned courier City Link(also owner of SPOT(Spicers/OT)  

Yahoo ballyhoo?

Mayer on mobile

Developers Conference

a test for dissed CEO? 

Marissa Mayer has said that, when she first joined Yahoo as CEO in 2012, She is working hard to change course. Is she succeeding?

Walmart wakes
up to reality

US growth boosted by

Sams & Neighborhood. ECommerce progress

The world’s #1 retailer, Walmart (inc. Asda in the UK) continued its recovery pattern in the US, in Q4’14 ended 30 Jan’15 with bright signs of life in online and Neighborhood markets..

United in the

ESSENDANT!

Wholesaler's 'Beyond

Essentials' promise

rocks the house!

United Stationers launched its long awaited name change today at its game changing #CORELive2015 event in Nashville. The response from the independent dealers was magnificent! We spoke with CEO Cody Phipps and top dealers

West Coast port
strike ceaseless

Irony: Fruit rots on dock

contrast w/fruitless talks

Labor Secretary Thomas Perez met with both sides yesterday in a 4 month labor dispute on the West Coast ports that has disrupted shipments and is costing American businesses multi-$100m

Top Image 

Danwood deal

Enhanced document system
will boost content processing

Top Image Systems a leading business process provider, and Danwood Group the UK's leading document management services reseller recently announced a partnership.

Mobilize personal

productivity...

Action Plan for success
in the paperless future

The progressive trends are tremendous. Apple & Amazonhave M-powered the new entrepreneurial revolution with affordable personal technology and personalised wholesale and rapid delivery services. The need for OP resellers to differentiate themselves with personalised productivity services is even more URGENT…

Clorox CEO sees

cleaner future

Chemicals mkr positive

on growth & innovation

New CEO of cleaning giant Clorox, Benno Dorer was interviewed for the first time today on CNBC-TV today and did a fine job in revealing his growth plans... 

Mondelez snacks

healthy margins

CEO Rosenfeld talks M&A

and growth with CNBC 

Highly regarded food giant Mondelez' chief Irene Rosenfeld was interviewed on CNBC this morning on her plans for M&A and boosting margins...later today

Supply chain

strangulation

VC/activists advance
bigbox bully tactics

Vulture capitalist Better Capital's ownership ofSPOT (Spicers/OT) in the UK; activist investorStarboard's stakes inStaples/Depot follow the familiar one-dimensional approach to cutting costs by squeezing suppliers with zero commitment to growth...analysis later today sorry

Let's get serious.
Be cybersecure!

Salesforce Marc Benioff

on 

big tech's direction

We’re in the early stages of a data-science revolution, says trend spotting Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff.Essential guidance for OP dealers...

FBK for friends.
Twitter for biz.

Market misunderstands 
permission promo power

Facebook has 1.3Bn active members. Twitter only 300m active users. Game over? We clarify the difference between the social media king and the #1 business broadcasting service....complete

SPR: powerful

growth gains  

Higher sales/profits
from Motion & OP

Amazon drone

plans shot down

FAA frustrate Prime Air

but, Bezos undeterred

Amazon says it is still committed to delivering products by drone despite new federal rules that it considers an obstacle to commercial use of unmanned aircraft.

Mondelez moves

healthy snacks
high on agenda

Buys Enjoy Life; 

boosts
Better Choices range

Mondelez, the global snack brands powerhouse inc. Cadbury, Kraft and Ritz, announced the acquisition of Enjoy Life Foods, which specializes in allergy-free foods. 

United advance

growth gains

Strong FM & workplace
sales offset HP declines

United Stationers, the soon to be rebranded, US#1 business supplies wholesaler, reported accelerating sales and profits for Q4’14 to 31 Dec'14

Energizing Entrepreneurs

United’s CORE LIVE 2015
will inspire integrated
business supply strategy

EMERGE! United Stationers, US#1 OP wholesaler’s exciting game-changing CORE Liveevent in Nashville starts today! EMERGE will help independent dealers drive growth in the expanding business supplies market. Report later today

Amazon rival

raises $140m

Ex-Quidsi chief plans for

10m sku's marketplace 

Jet.com raised $140 million in a new funding round before rolling out its etail service, building up its cash hoard to take on giant Amazon

CDW uncovers

Kelway cost

US reseller claims 'off to

great start' with UK VAR

In November, CDW the $12Bn in sales IT reseller, bought a 35% stake in Kelway(CEO Phil Doye, pic left) for an undisclosed sum as it planned to smash the £1bn sales barrier....

Frost Bites

Boston 2015!

Will DIGGER EMERGE

at CORELive in Nashville

It's snow time in Boston again, the stormiest on record. Proficiency Post will not be postponed. We're digging out and travelling to Nashville somehow, someway today to bring you 'Tomorrow's News Today'. #BostonStrong!

The Good, the
Bad & the Ugly

#SPLODGE Analysts'
bandwagon baloney at
epidemic proportions

 
Seeking Alpha doesn't seem to require qualifications as a platform for investment advice. This is particularly obvious from its comments on recent Staples/Depot merger developments...

Systemax shifts

into MRO supply

Global Industrial buys

Plant Equipment Group

Systemax, the IT reseller (inc. Misco & Tiger Direct) expanded its  Global Industrial Business recently, and completed another acquisition of a North American MRO Supplier

Papermakers

P l u n g e 

Printerless trend forces
race

to reinvent or ruin
for ex-OP leaders

 
Mondi & Antalis, will be the last of the leading papermakers to report Q4’14 results. We review comparative performance of the leaders and plans for reinvention and update on the ant-dumping action called by US makers... Complete!

Feel good factor

fans movement

Furnituremakers on fire. Sit/stand trend hots up. Haworth & Kimball up!

Positive economic trends fuelled company confidence to invest in ergonomics that drive worker productivity and longevity. We highlight trends and report furniture makers latest results.

Coke closes on

Keurig coffee 

Will Soda king take top beverage maker

Coca-Cola has increased its stake in Keurig Green Mountain, the leading US coffeemaker for the 'at home' and business market. How long before a full bid?

Unifying 'Omni- 

Channel' service

Kodak enables mastery
of multi-contact problem

Call center confusion drives people crazy. Both frustrated customer service reps and impatient customers hate the hiatus of conflicting multi-channels. Here's how to solve it...

Smucker stalls

as Folger falls

Coffee giant moves into

natural & healthy snacks

J. M. Smucker,the beverage and food services brands supplier, today announced slower Q3'15 results ended 31 Jan'15. Competition caused declines in US retail and business sales.

Wayfair wave

is up 76% Q4

Home office furnishing
etailer's conference call

Wayfair, the Boston based home furnishings etailer, is blazing a trail as it scales up to meet demand from midmarket consumers and micro businesses...later today

Sappi sapping
paper volumes

Packaging push fails

to offset demand drop

Sappi, the Johannesburg based papermaker, reported another complacent 'in line with expectations' Q1'15 set of disappointing results

HON powers

hot growth

Demand for contract

& 

office 

furniture solid

HNI (HON) Corporation, a leading US furniture maker, reported strong Q4’14 financial results to 3 Jan'15. The furniture market is on a roll....

Cisco kid back

shooting stars

Chambers optimistic

mood

infects analysts

Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers was so optimistic on the company’s conference call yesterday that one analyst said it sounded like he had “won the lottery for life.”

Are you driving

digital future
fast enough?

Cisco's chief's 5 tips for

CIO's & business leaders

John Chambershas been chief executive of Cisco Systems, the world’s largest maker of data-networking equipment, for 20 years.

Staples defends

Obama's attack

"BuzzFeed report misled
on insurance threshold"

President Obama directly criticized Staples over a recent report that says it threatened to fire part-time workers in order to avoid providing them health insurance...

China crisis:

sales collapse

Fire blamed for OP

makers huge losses

China Stationery reported a staggering loss of RM172.54 million ($48.3M) for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2014. Commodity stationery demand is dying fast

Apple Watch

w o n d e r f u l

Personalised to inspire movement, fitness & healthy lifestyle

Apple CEO Tim Cook championed the Apple Watch(designed by Jony Ive, pic left) as an essential device that will be driven by a host of personalized apps, setting it apart from anything else on the market.

Acco slides;

sinking fast

Perilous paper position. Kensington getting killed. Devastating Depot effect

Acco Brands, the ex-OP manufacturing leader, issued another set of disappointing financial results for Q4’14 ended 31 Dec'14. Management is complacent and reactive to market trends and shows no sign of recovery...

Amazon Godzilla

Titanic or Hood?

Seeking Alpha analysts
join bandwagon bigots

The investment analyst community has been on Staples and Amazon's case for months now. Accusations of failing profitability, broken business models abound. They ignore their business supplies dominance (and wholesale strength).

Synnex Secret

Sauce Shows'15

Signs up rival Ingram's

mobility leader  

SYNNEX Corporation announced its fifth annualSecret Sauce Road Show schedule for 2015. Meanwhile it continued to build its mobility division with a high powered leader

Sealed Air

takes share

Protective packaging

maker

 maintains gains

Sealed Air Corporation,the maker of packaging for food and FM products today announced strong financial results for Q4’14

Canon's $2.8bn

move to CCTV

Plans to shift from office

equipment & cameras

Canon plans to acquire Axis AB, a Swedish security video solutions provider, for $2.8 billion, in a search to growth outside its struggling traditional businesses.

Sell productivity

not products.

Here's how!

Stop selling paperclips that increase biz costs

Our 2014 review of over 100 OP dealers’ webstores confirm that most still have not moved on from promoting ‘low prices on paper related products’ to ‘providing lower cost solutions’ for their customers. We show you how to promote productivity partnerships with your customers…

Imation impossible

Deluded CEO turnaround plan too-little-too-late to stem terminal tailspin

Imation, the former storage media giant, today reported a continued downward slide in its results for Q4’14, plus more action to downsize its redundant businesses

Coke losing fizz.

Take Keurig gig

Soda sales stall; tastes

shift to healthy 

drinks

Coca-Cola posted higher volumes in its fourth quarter, but the beverage giant warned that 2015 would be a “transition year” as it works through cost-cutting plans and flat demand

Soporcel: super 

paper position

Navigates share gains

as rivals war on price

Leading brand papermakerPortucel Soporcel of Portugal reported record results for Q4'14 and the year in a market that has sparked internecine warfare across a declining market

CDW: Creative

Distribution Win

IT services 

provider powers into Govt 

cloud & education markets

CDW Corporation, the $12Bn leading US multi-brand technology solutions provider to business, government, education and healthcare, today announced continued impressive Q4’14 results

HiTouch homes

in on SE market

13 acquisitions: Alabama, MidAtlantic & FLA in 3yrs 

HiTouch Business Services, the leading productivity services provider, led byMichael Brown continued on its acquisition trail

Who will back

Radio Shack?

Any news from Amazon/

Sprint to pick up pieces? 

HP buys into

data security

Strategic move into ID encryption software

HP has acquired Cupertino-based Voltage Security, which specializes in encryption and other data-protection measures. 

Makers to copy

7thGen move?

Welcome decision to withdraw 

webstore & work with resellers

 
Seventh Generation, maker of eco-friendly cleaning products will focus on supporting resellers web marketing efforts. Will the likes ofHP follow suit?

Proficiency not 

snow Postponed 

Boston bombarded but, Tmrw's News Today, OK

The third major storm in two weeks blasted beleaguered Boston with more than 2 feet of snow today, once again smashing records, jamming travel, but not disrupting PP News

West Coast port 

strike near over?

Retail, OP, paper supply disruption costs $7Bn

West Coast ports were expected to reopen to shipping today after a weekend shutdown that heightened labor tensions and hinted at the ongoing dispute's potential to sap billions of dollars from the U.S. economy.

R e t h i n k i n g

Retail at Ryman

Chief Theo Paphitis pushes continuous experimentation towards omni-channel model

Ex-Dragon’s Den (US equivalent Shark Tank) star Theo Paphitis, bought Ryman’s a leading UK stationery retailer, 20 years ago. What progress has he achieved in the face of Staples and Amazon’s attack?

6 Mobile Mkting

tips for resellers

How dealers can text users without intrusion 

Mobile commerce capability to enable shoppingbrowsw and buy shopping, especially for small business owners and executives is essential

United & BMi

to collaborate

Expect enhanced digital

& web mobile services  

United Stationers andBusiness Management International (BMI) have agreed to terms for ongoing collaboration that will bring United’s enhanced digital services to BMI clients.

Domtar paper demand down

Personal Care sales strong w/production capacity boost

Domtar Corporation reported Q4’14 financial results ended 31 Dec’14. Its investment in personal care is paying off to compensate for sliding paper volumes...

Arrow E/tronics
regains its spark

Solid components & software attain gains

Twitter stalled
by confusion

Chief Costolo fails to

push promo 

power 

GoPro captures Hero4 action

User versatility boosted by ads showing ‘dogs point of view’

GoPro, maker of the world's most versatile wearable cameras, announced financial results for Q4’14. As predicted its cameras were the hottest sellers in business and the Christmas holiday season…

Sony sinking

rate abates

Profits boost by Mobile &Devices offset imaging

Brand refresh: avoid replication, and 'workplace'

Millers mimic Guernsey & go green like Shoplet/Innovative

5 years ago Innovative, the progressive Minneapolis reseller went through a brilliant 'blue/green' brand makeover. Now others are following with anaemic, pastel shade versions. Don't follow them...

Growth

inspiration for entrepreneurs

Top brand strategists

drive innovative ideas

Entrepreneur Magazine held its 7th Annual Conference in Miami yesterday with a stellar line-up of thought leaders covering branding and customer acquisition with social media tools. The keynote Barbara Cocoran painted a phenomenal path to progress...

Epson inks high capacity sales

Exceeds expectations with printers in emerging markets-

Epson,the leading printer and visual presentation products manufacturer achieved continued strong recovery in international markets for fiscal Q3’15 ended 31 Dec'15

Brother bucks
print downtrend

Gains significant 

share
w/strong large MFD's

#S P L O D G E

is happening!

Murderous, messy move

to cut $2bn aka 50k jobs 

It's 'fill-yer-boots' time for progressive independents led by 'disruptive duo' Jeff Bezos' Amazon & Leo Meehan's WBMason. Staplesis taking over disintegrating Office Depotin a $6Bn merger. Analysis and industry leaders' interviews inc. Ron Sargent here

Staples Guy'd 

for SMB Success

Campaign to help 'make more

happen' low price guaranteed

Staples today launched a new brand campaign featuring the “Staples Guy,” who showcases how the company helps small business customers succeed....

King Keurig
cools down 

Doubts raised re CEO

hype & 

disappointing

K2.0 brewer sales

Keurig Green Mountain, the $4Bn+ in sales leader in specialty coffee brewers for US homes and offices, disappointed with flat sales and lower profits in Q1'15 ended 27 Dec'14. Shares dived 12% as CEO Kelley'shoneymoon period ends

Stora Enso: paper
sales slide softens

World #2 papermaker's new CEO

on shift to renewable materials

Knoll Knock Out

numbers excel

Govt & Comm 

growth

boosted by acquisitions

Knoll, today announced impressive growth results for Q4’14 ended 31 Dec'14 as it moves into higher margin interiors and residential business

Essentials rise

up Top 20 List

St.Louis leader buys

Universal Bus Supply

St. Louis-based Office Essentials has acquired another local office supply dealer, Universal Business Supply. We speak with sales and marketing chief Kate Dougherty...

Amazon packs

up Radio Shack

Plans to buy 1000+ stores

from bankrupt tech retailer 

Amazon aims to bolster its local presence nationally by acquiring strategically located RadioShack retail stores after the electronics chain files for bankruptcy. 'Robin Hood' Bezos is on a roll....

P a p e r w o r l d

pale & pathetic

Conference 2015 wake: papers

over cracks of

last century 

agenda 

The Annual Paperworld Fair 2015 renewal ended yesterday.. Sadly the ‘must-do’ event of the 90’s has faded into obsolescence and the conference should be held in a more modern business supply environment...

Staples/Depot

destruction on? 

Vulture cap Starboard's

murderous merger. Top

resellers ready to rock?

We understand theStarboard induced merger talks betweenStaples andOffice Depot have advanced further. Who will lead the mass destruction?Chainsaw Roland Smith or Reinvention Ron Sargent?

U P M  paper
under pressure

Declining sales continued;

turns to biorefining future 

Stratasys stretch

3D market lead

MakerBot unveils 5G investments 

to fuel
30%+ growth

Stratasysparent of leading 3D maker MakerBot today announced preliminary fiscal 2014 results as well as full-year 2015 guidance...

Crystal Rock

cracking up?

Organic sales in decline

as competitors close in 

Last month, Crystal Rock, the Northeast water and OP dealer,  announced its financial results for its fiscal year that ended October 31, 2014.

Sysco/US Foods

merger stalled...

FTC frustrate distribution

giant's plan to dominate 

Food services leaderSysco’s negotiations with FTC over its acquisition ofUS Foods have reached a standstill, as the company announced an agreement to divest far more in assets than originally planned to obtain approval.

Winsome Whitman wins as HP loses

Strategy free, mobile &

cloud-

free; huge reward

Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman grabbed massive compensation in 2014 in spite of the old-tech company's continued sales slide...

Amazon Primes

profits by $5Bn

How ‘unprofitable’ etailer

boosts

GP w/o buying
better; 

scales service

Bandwagon broadcasters and industry analysts persistently criticize Amazon for lack of profitability and seemed surprised by its Q4'14 strong results. Meanwhile, it increased Prime prices and boosted membership and gross profits...