Arrow E/tronics
sparks brightly

Solid components &
software attain gains

Arrow Electronics the $23Bn in sales global provider of IT products, services reported continued strong sales and profits for Q1'15 despite negative currency headwinds.

IS Group: new
digital drive

Chief challenges IDC:
Invest in CRM armed

specialist sales force

US marketing group Independent Stationers (IS) reported excellent progress in 2014 & Q1'15. We spoke with chief Mike Gentile & marketerJanet Eshenour...

PaperlnX Europe

crashed & burnt

UK, Benelux, now Austria
in admin; next Germany?

The dominoes keep falling across Paperlinx Europe. Will the indebted papermakers seek redress from the self serving, separated and surviving Australian management?

Domtar paper
demand down

Personal Care slow
too despite optimism

Domtar Corporation reported Q1'15 financial results ended 31 Mar'15 Its investment in personal care is paying off to compensate for sliding paper volumes...

Epson inks high
capacity sales

Exceeds expectations
with printing systems 

Epson, the leading printer and visual presentation products manufacturer achieved continued strong recovery in international markets for fiscal Q4'15 ended 31 Mar'15

Sealed Air
takes share

Protective packaging
maker maintains gains

Sealed Air Corporation, the maker of packaging for food and FM products today announced solid financial results for Q1'15

Sony sink
rate abates

Boosted by digital
image sensor biz

Sony reported a operating income of $2.7Bn for the current financial year, after years of losses, as sales $66Bn continued to slide...

Top 10 Market
GameChangers

Champs of reinvention +
New growth generators 

There’s constant talk about game changing events/people. We conducted our first review of the last 30 years in Oct 2011.  We refresh the study, highlight the best plus, the new growth generators. Updated

SCA surge in
personal care

Tissues sales boosted
by purchase in China

SCA, the Swedish personal care, tissue and forest products giant reported strong record sales and profits for Q1'15 The Tork brand owner is making strong headway in the US and China

Microsoft merge
with Salesforce?

Azure aims for $20Bn in
commercial cloud by '18

Microsoft  is aiming high for its Commercial Cloud said CEO Satya Nadella at an analyst meeting today during its BUILD developers conference today.

Alibaba secretly
backs Jet.com

Unable to match Amazon
fulfilment service model

The Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba invested an unspecified amount in Jet.com, the yet-un-launched startup that plans to take on Amazon, Forbes' Ryan Mac reports.

V i s t a p r i n t
ventures forth

Better marketing drives 
growth plus acquisitions

Vistaprint, renamed Cimpress, the leading online provider of professional marketing services to SMB's reported strong sales growth for its Q3'15.

Microsoft W10: A

new generation

Build Developers Conf.
Calls out Apple/Android

Microsoft is reaching out to software developers who have ignored Windows in a sign that the company is pulling out all the stops to keep its flagship product relevant.

Stratasys in 

3Dire straits

Demand for Makerbot
printers disappoint

Stratasys parent of leading 3D printer MakerBot, expects Q1'15 sales 12% below its previous forecasts...

Mondelz healthy
snacks growth

Emerging markets &
power brands strong

Mondelez International, the $30Bn+ in sales, brand snacks maker, today reported strong Q1'15 results despite heavy negative currency headwinds...

Cisco CEO: Go

Digital or Die!

Chambers urges change:
Dealers drive paperless

Cisco's CEO John Chambers has urged partners to keep up with the pace of change or join the 40% of today's successful companies that will no longer exist in the next decade. He also took a swipe at HP

Merger surge'14
Merger mania'15

Regional resellers join
party fuelled by megas

Increased M&A activity sparked by #SPLODGE activity took off in 2014 with Staples and WBMason making strategic moves. Now the regional dealers are involved. We summarize 2014 and speculate on 2015 prospects...Updated

IP packaging
less & paperless

Shifts to hygiene market.
Seasonal low demand hit

International Paper continued its transformation from printed papermaking into packaging and the hygiene market but Q1'15 results were down across the board

Iron Mountain
flatter results

Storage rental gains
offset by slow services

Iron Mountain (IRM), the global leader in information management services today reported slower sales results for Q1'15 to 31 Mar'15

Acco sliding
into the sunset?

Perilous position. Brazil &

Kensington getting killed

Acco Brands, the one time leading OP manufacturer, issued another set of disappointing financial results for Q1'15. It behaves complacently, blames outside forces, is reactive to market trends and shows no sign of recovery.

Jawbone just
not UP to par 

Apple Watch killing off
finess trackers already

It’s happening: the Apple Watch et al  is killing off fitness trackers faster than I thought writes WSJ's Joanna Stern

Samsung stung
by Apple iPhone

Pressure on Galaxy S6
as sales/profits plummet

Samsung Electronics continued to struggle in Q1'15, raising the stakes for the success of its new flagship Galaxy S6 smartphone.

Stand up for
Productivity!

'Sitting is new smoking'
campaign not embraced
by all furnituremakers?

The sit/stand ergonomics revolution is a powerful movement. Why then do makers waste money advertising in trade mags with lifeless images, whilst upstarts e.g. Varidesk/Stircommunicate directly with users?

Twitter toils
and troubled

Chief Costolo fails to
push promo power...

Twitter, the permission based broadcasting & marketing service disappointed analysts despite reporting strong growth in Q1'15. All dealers should master Twitter, the best promo tool available... ask Amazon!

Total sales
growth soars

Sales force recruitment
key to IT services drive

Total Computer Networks has doubled sales over the past 2years through national expansion. We spoke with sales chief Kieran O'Connor (pic left)

Iron Mountain

buys Aus peer

Expands international
market after rejection

Iron Mountain, the Boston based document storage leader expanded into the Australian market after having its fisrt bid in december rejected...

Amazon aiming
to get Grainger 

Slower growth makes
FM/MRO supplier target

Amazon's continued growth in business supplies has overtaken Staples and now threatens leading FM/MRO leader Grainger. Will it make a takeover bid?

Ecolab elevated
by innovation

Increases market share
in cleaning & sanitizing

Ecolab, the $10Bn in sales cleaning and hygiene supplies giant to the health care and food services market reported solid growth in sales and profits in Q1'15.

Philips: Lighting
dimmer results

Strong personal health/
lifestyle offset healthcare

Philips, the Dutch diversified healthcare, consumer lifestyle and lighting company reported slower sales growth and lower profits for Q1'15

U P M  paper

under pressure

Closed 3 machines.Turns
to biorefining & plywood

UPM Kymmene, the world’s #3 papermaker reported declining sales but increasing profits for Q1'15 ended 31 Mar'15

AMZN wholesale
business supply

Etailer confirms open
secret w/3m+sku range

As we reported in 2008, Amazon introduced Amazon Supply in 2012. Today, it confirmed its wholesale move into business supplies and local services via 2m resellers, that we reported last year.

Make it Easy,
Make more less

Staples Tom Foolery ad
tired. Bring back garage!

We have seen Staples''Make more happen' TV ad many, many times now. Tom Foolery is tedious. Time to return to the engaging and humorous 'Easy' campaigns?

Apple Nation

N i r v a n a ! 

Blow out numbers
for iPhone6+ sales

Apple has just announced spectacular growth in sales, profits and cash flow. We report on CEO Tim Cook'sphenomenal 'personal productivity' tools progress. Updated 

Container Store
sales slide again

Overpriced, overhyped
experience underdone.

Shares of The Container Store fell 25% today, 64% in 2 years, after it reported flat sales trends for Q4’15. Start entertaining customers, stop blaming outside forces...

Plantronics post
quieter quarter

Unified Communications
Bluetooth demand drops

Evernote: Watch
productivty app 

Apple's Most promising
feature cannot be seen

The Apple Watch has arrived, bringing the latest in wearable technology to wrists everywhere. But what does this device, which some call "revolutionary," do that we haven't already seen before?

Cisco's ONE
software vision

Is HP preoccupied with
division not integration?

Cisco clients are converging on tomorrow's 2015 Partner Summit. CRN interviewed channel chief Bruce Kleinto get his perspective on its new focus and competitors

Tullis Paper in
administration

PaperlinX damage hits
makers + slow reaction

In yet another blow to the UK paper industry, Tullis Russell Papermakers has fallen into administration after racking up heavy losses for 5 years. 

Dealer Alert!

One word for

you: Marketing

Sally's orders in decline?
Reach out to Lucy, NOW

Steve Strauss  a lawyer practicing with SMB's wrote an interesting piece in USA Today on what should matter most to entrepreneurs 

Will Pepsi sweet

move KO Coke? 

Reacts slow to taste shift;
talks power partnerships

The AppleWatch
killer apps race 

Powerpoint, Starbucks,
Uber, Yelp & Shazam

WSJ's Geoffrey Fowler reviews the new AppleWatch that went on sale yesterday...

Dixons retreat
from Europe

First Germany exit,
now Netherlands

Dixons Carphone has offloaded its Dutch business, The Phone House Netherlands, to local owners.

RB higher on
hygiene sales

Health & cleaning maker
supercharging efficiency

Reckitt Benckiser (RB), the $15Bn in sales personal health and hygiene brands maker reported strong Q1'15 results...

Dealers feel
forced to sell?

Report predicts wave

of pressurised sales 

A third of UK mid-market business leaders are actively planning to sell their company, according to research study. Is this report self serving?

Slingsby's slip
& slide steeper

Deeper losses threaten
FM/IS supplier's future

HC Slingsby, the FM and industrial supplier reported a deeper loss for 2014, as sales declined again.

3DSystems hit:

dismal demand 

Same old excuses for
weak results & outlook 

3D Systems,a leading 3D maker reported disappointing financial results for Q1'15. Weakness in the US markets could not compensate for its strength in EMEA

Xerox sales
sliding again

Services stall; DocTech
down; low expectations 

Xerox Corporation reported disappointing results for Q1'15 as expected by the CEO Ursula Burns. When will its much heralded services drive produce growth? When will expectations rise?

PaperlinX: VTS

bought by Vink 

Administrators auction
sell off commences

Ex-PaperlinX UK wide format printing operation Visual Technology Solutions (VTS) has been bought from administrators Deloitte

Stellar makes
Impact buy

Northwest industrial
supplier moves SE.

Stellar Industrial Supply of Tacoma (WA) confirmed that it will acquire Impact Industrial Supplies, of Tampa Bay (FL) on 1 Jun'15

Avnet advance
accelerates

Electronics & tech sales
strong across world

Avnet Technology, a $28Bn in sales, global leader in technology distribution and services reported improving sales and profitability in Q3'15 

Starbucks strong
& tasty growth

Opens cafe emporium.
Testing delivery service

Starbucks, the leading worldwide coffee reseller, announced impressive results for Q2'15 ended 29 Mar'15. sales and profits are accelerating

Mighty Microsoft
higher on Cloud

Commercial strength +
strong Surface Pro3
offset soft Windows

Microsoft reported better than expected results for Q3’15 ended 31 Mar'15. Since CEO Satya Nadella took over as CEO sentiment has grown strongly towards its reinvention and focus

AMZN advances
biz supplies 31% 

Gross profits up to 32%;
AWS up 49% to 7%sales

Amazon reported excellent Q1'15 results whilst maintaining powerful investments in new fulfilment centres, tech and marketing. Business supply now represents 26% of its $100Bn sales forecast in 2015. Stock up 15% and rising!

Google gains 

from mobile ads

Urges resellers to design
better mobile websites

Google took a hit from the strong dollar, but better expense control boosted first-quarter profit margins, lifting the company’s shares.

Google to Fight
v AT&T/Verizon

Cheap Proj Fi wireless
service disrupts status

Web giant Google, launched a wireless service yesterday to challenge the dominant practices of AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile & Sprint. Let the mighty comms combat commence  

Amazon clears
clouds away

AWS drives into
corporate business

When Amazon reports today it will provide information on its highly profitable $5Bn, market leading  cloud company AWS

One Wesco
power slows

Demand deceleration.
Hit by poor weather

WESCO a leading provider of electrical, industrial, and MRO supplies, today announced slower Q1'15 results to 31 Mar'15

Stanley tools
up powerfully 

Intensifies plans to gear
up its security business

Stanley Black & Decker, the leading toolmaker & OP maker reported strong growth and profits in Q1'15, despite currency hits...

HON powers
hot growth

Demand for contract
& office furniture solid

HNI (HON) Corporation, a leading US furniture maker, reported strong Q1'15 financial results to 4 Apr'15. The furniture market is on a roll....

Logitech lags
market growth

Turnaround on track?
Core sales down 11%

Logitech International, the personal technology accessories marketer today announced flat sales again, but improved profit results in Q4’15 ended 31 Mar'15. Is it suffering analysis paralysis?

MMMomentum
slows down

Good growth in health,
safety, industrial; OP flat

The mighty 3M today reported strong sales and profits in Q1'15 but, slower rates of organic growth and big currency hits

Staples Makr
design move

Design & Print Apple
mobile app for SMB's 

Staples today completed the acquisition of Makr, an iOS design app maker and its parent company Happy.The maker movement gains momentum.. 

United progress

slowed by OP/IS 

Strong FM & breakroom 
offset by weak industrial 

United Stationers, soon to be rebranded Essendant, the US#1 business supplies wholesaler, reported decelerating sales and profits growth for Q1'15 ended 31 Mar'15. Updated

Home & Office
trends merge

Emphasis on comfort,

softer tones, acoustics

Last week, Italy's biennial furniture show Salone Ufficio took place in Milan. Over 2000 exhibitors demonstrated the latest designs in office and home interiors...

Dynamics Duo
drive progress

Personalised approach
mobilizes BMI resellers

The decision US #1 wholesaler Essendant (ex-United) made recently to get out of the software business and partner with industry leaders ECi and BMI has opened up great opportunities. We spoke with BMI leaders Larry Schiff and Craig Greitzer...

Chain reaction:
charge more &
copycat more! 

Independents lead the
way to productivity

Recent market studies show independents are charging 9% less than bigboxes. Moreover Walmarthas joined the same day delivery service pioneered by WBMason in the 90's. 

PaperlinX assets
up for auction

Papergraphics picks up
hardware sales team

Paperlinx UK is well and truly dead as planning begins for a massive series of auctions to sell off hundreds assets across the country.

Walmart joins
delivery wave

Testing in California
after Asda UK roll out

Walmart is watching the roll-out of subsidiary Asda's network of home/office deliveries in the U.K. to see how it can match the Amazon, Costco, Tesco and Google drives...

Ransomware:

a real threat 

Cybercriminals, using
malware freeze PC's

More small businesses are falling victim to “ransomware,” in which malicious code locks up computer files and cybercriminals demand a ransom to free them.

StoraEnso paper
sales slide softer

No.2 papermaker 

CEO

shifts to renewables

Stora Enso reported weak sales but increased profits in Q1'15. CEO K-H Sundstrom described transformation plans to cut paper capacity and investment in new growth opportunities...

Earth Day 2015

Top 50 Green
Brands of 2015

Customers pick ethical
& sustainable favorites 

Today is the 45th anniversary of Earth Day. A moment in history where millions strive to achieves equilibrium between sustainability and economic growth 

Tesco troubles
tot up to $10bn

Sales decline & fraud
issues take their toll

Tesco, UK's biggest retailer suffered a slump in sales and became embroiled in an accounting scandal that cost them dearly. New CEO Dave Lewis: "encouraging signs of recovery"

Yah Boo Yahoo.
Misser Marissa

Misguided Mayer's ad
revs fall in hot market

Yahoo’s complacent chief Marissa Mayer continued her 'milky way'  declining performance journey with contrived empty, market pleasing expressions. "Returning an iconic company to greatness" is delusional

Canon shifts
focus to care

Moving from print to
security 

cams & safety

Canonis looking to spend another $3Bn to acquire a company in a growth sector after announcing it would buy security camera maker Axis Communications in February.

SPR: powerful
growth gains

GP: Higher industrial/OP
sales; flat auto & profits

Genuine Parts Company (GPC) parent of SPRichards and Motion Industries today reported powerful sales and profits growth for Q1'15 to 31 Mar'15. SP was boosted by OfficeMax OP contract gains...

Hygiene King
K-C FORCE-ful

Personal care + Prof
sales strong in USA

Kimberly-Clark (K-C) the global personal hygiene brands manufacturer, reported solid Q1'15 results. Continuous improvement processes are working…

Mobilegeddon
is upon you!

Dealer Alert! Make open
webstores user friendly

“Mobile friendliness” will factor into Google’s mobile search algorithm starting TODAY. We have been hammering the mobile  imperative for 3 years. Mobilegeddon is upon you, ACT NOW! Updated

Can good #2's, 

Make good #1's?

Do over promoted execs
believe they're better?

It is on ongoing debate. Ambitious #2 executives pushing to advance move up or elsewhere to prove leadership skills with mixed results. We discuss office market moves...

Rometty's plan
to reinvent IBM

Big Blue's shift towards
analytics, mobile, cloud

IBM reported Q1'15 results today with sales continuing to slide for profits holding up

Getting things
straight on web

Everything connected in
theory, few in practice

It seems everything is connected to the Internet: socks, shoes, shirts, hats, glasses, appliances, beds, homes, drones, cars and even diapers. Yet, for the Internet of Things (IoT) to play a role in shaping our future, we need to get a few things right.

Knoll Knock Out
numbers excel

Govt & Comm growth
boosted by acquisitions

Knoll,today announced impressive growth results for Q1'15 ended 31 Mar'15, as it moves into higher margin interiors and residential business

PCA's paperless,
packaging flat

Acquirer of Boise hit
by DeRidder outage

Packaging Corporation (PCA) today reported Q1'15 financial results to 31 Mar'15. Packaging was flat  whilst paper volumes continue to slide

Scala steps
up at Staples

Seasoned tech exec to
up broadline biz supply

Staples confirmed today that global merchandising chief Mike Edwards, has left the company and will be replaced by highly respected Peter Scala... 

Staples Promo
products king

Accolade advances ad
specialties range in NA

Staples has agreed to acquire Accolade Promotion Group (APG), a leading distributor of promotional products in Canada from parent Golftown.

New News Head
... Lucy Jermyn

Radio broadcaster joins

Proficiency Post team

Lucy Jermyn, radio broadcaster for Eagle FM and ex-Radio Aire award winner joins the small productive team at Proficiency Post today to cover breaking news in the burgeoning personal productivity services market... 

Boston Midnight
Bike Marathon

Tomorrow's News Today
delivers early at 3.30am

The historic Boston Marathon winner Lelisa Desisacompleted the course today in 2 Hours 10 mins. Whilst he was sleeping, 800 bikers rode the extended 30 mile course in a similar time!

PaperlinX Euro 
assets available

Preece deceitful deep
regret over job losses

PaperlinX having failed to make its European operations profitable; failed also to accept offers for its Benelux business, Instead it chose the CYA solution of administration isolating itself in Australia.

Brother buys
Domino Ptng

Challenges Avery labels
and packaging market

Brother International confirmed the purchase of UK's Domino Printing Sciences Plc for £1.0Bn ($1.6 billion) to expand in labels and packaging as the home and office printing market declines.

The iPhone6+
phenomenon

'Fundamentally different'
takes more share in Asia

MakerBot layoff
20% workforce

3D leader reacts 

to
slower current demand

Leading 3D maker MakerBot has laid off 20% of its employees.  The news comes two months after parent Stratasys new CEO Jonathan Jaglom was appointed

Comp shopping

sites get crushed

Dominant Google/Amzon
drive down copycats 

The biggest antitrust battle in a decade centers on comparison-shopping websites, many have been crushed by the rise of new ways of finding goods and services online.

Antalis & Arjo
retrench again

Xerox boost fails to
slow print paper plunge

Sequana, parent company of leading European papermaker Arjo Wiggins and #1 distributor Antalis reported continued decline in printing papers. Like many complacent players it seems to blame economic factors not user trends...

Acme’s cutting
edge sharpens

Continued US strength
dampened by Europe

Acme United today announced powerful sales and profits growth in its Q1'15 financial results to 31 Mar'15

Convert to low
cost provider! 

From price of everything
to lowest cost to serve

As the OP market declines and the broadline business supplies booms, gross margins will tumble as original brands dominate products supply. Lowering cost-to-serve therefore should be resellers new priority 

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...

United confirms
Connolly COO

Phipps appoints CIO
to drive IT integration 

United Stationers aka Essendant has confirmed two new leadership appointment in its drive to become the the #1 integrated broadline business supplies wholesaler  

HP logo? Shifting
deckchairs again

Meg confirms cosmetic,
style v substance plan

What's CEO Meg Whitman fussing over: The fate of HP , or the font of a new logo? Meg said "it stands out from competitors". Really?

Winning in the
Digital Future

Oracle CEO Mark Hurd

shares strategic vision

“The world is changing dramatically,” Oracle CEO Mark Hurd said from its OpenWorldconference. "CIO's have to maintain status quo whilst redesigning systems to fit the modern world"

Not so Kind
to your health?

FDA smacks snacks
on false claims

If you're deciding between a candy bar and a fruit-and-nut bar, and health is top of mind, the best choice seems obvious...Kind. But is it?

Messy WHSmith
slip sliding away

Cost cutting culture: ‘What
Horrible Stores experience

WHSmith, UK’s #1 High Street & travel location retailer, reported results for half year ended 28 Feb'15. CEO Stephen Clarke continued Kate Swann’s10 years of growth-less commentary

Jawbone moves
UP4 payments

Can troubled fit-band

maker match Apple?

Just as the Apple Watch arrives to take over many of the functions of a fitness band, Jawbone has announced a new line of bracelets with payment features just like an Apple product.

Grainger grinds
to slow growth 

Bad weather; oil & gas
weaknesses hit profits

Grainger, the North American leader in MRO/Industrial & office supplier reported unusually disappointing Q1'15 results to 31 March'15

Google v EU?
Settle quickly

Microsoft & Intel case
precedents show way 

Google’s antitrust standoff with the European Union, began in February 2010, has reached a climax with EU filing aformal complaint for abusing its dominant market position. Now what?

Etail midsized

market movers 

Top internet resellers
inc. top office leaders

Internet Retailer has just published its 2015 Top 500 Guide. Not surpringly the office market etailers are well represented...

Nestle to sell
frozen food biz 

Pruning peripheral ops

to coffee, water, snacks

Nestlé SA is negotiating to sell its frozen food unit to the Brakes Group, part of the food giant’s effort to slim its sprawling portfolio of businesses.

The Attack
of Activists 

Vulture capitalists or
reinvention catalysts?

The activist investor wave is up! Possibly inspired by agitators like William Ackman and Carl Icahn, Jeffrey Smith of Starboard has made a huge impact on the bigbox OP operators & Yahoo.Updated

Depot fake USA
claim case ends

FTC forces lift of labels 
on foreign made desks 

The Federal Trade Commission has ended an investigation into Office Depot's use of "Made in the USA" labeling after it agreed to remove inaccurate claims and increase oversight over the source of products 

Intel predicts 
PC's decline... 

Chipmaker sees 4th yr
fall despite Windows 10

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich reported declining Q1'15 results and expects similar falls this year.

Depot closure:
Florida concern

Call for transparency
w/1700 jobs threatened

Staples imminent takeover of Office Depot will probably mean the closure of the Taj Mahal HQ of Office Depot in Boca Raton. Recruitment firms are calling for transparency...

P/linX Benelux
in Administration

Jobs sacrificed in selfish
interests of inept board.

How will top mills react?

PaperlinX Limited, advised today that PaperlinX BV the  operating company in the Netherlands and Belgium, filed for administration after today's ING bank lending extension deadline passed...

Bunzl buying
bonanza roll

Doubts raised about
inconsistent service 

Bunzl,the international distribution group of packaging, hygiene and food services reported Q1'15 results, plus 4 more acquisitions...

Paperlinx: Euro/
UK offers tabled

Will Oz parent save
2000 jobs or close ops?

A deal to salvage  the wreckage of Paperlinx UK could be imminent, with two bids being considered by administrators. Meanwhile Paperlinx is consiudering a Europe sale...

Mayer's way to
ruin & riches? 

Can Yahoo's chief
mobilize core ad sales

Fast Company's Harry McCracken interviewed Yahoo's CEO of 3 years Marissa Mayer.He states that she is a work in progress but is Marissa just feathering her own nest?

Fuel Detroit:
Leadership

OutThink. OutPerform.
conference series start

The first in a new series of leadership events organised by Josh Linkner started symbolicly in Detroit with an all star cast including Ford CEO Mark Fields, Jessica Alba, Magic Johnson, and Seth Godin.Updated

Brand purpose

debate. Yes/no?

Food giants Mondelez &
Mars argue differences

Many brands have made delivering a clear purpose a priority. But, demonstrating a purpose is up to individual employees rather than a brand, according to Glenn Caton of Mondelez (Cadbury's)

Depot fake USA
claim case ends

FTC forces lift of labels 
on foreign made desks 

The Federal Trade Commission has ended an investigation into Office Depot's use of "Made in the USA" labeling after it agreed to remove inaccurate claims and increase oversight over the source of products 

#SPLODGE: FTC
to OK merger

Starboard on activist
work at Staples & Yahoo

Starboard Value chief Jeffrey Smith appeared on CNBCtoday to comment on his investments in Staples, Office Depot & Yahoo.  He was less than convincing about his constructive interests... updated

Staples steers
digital course

Reinvention mobilizes
personal productivity

Staples new mobile app due out this week is one in a series of digital projects intended to transform its business from retail superstore to a multi-channel business supplies champion 

IBM brokers big
analytics deal

Health data partnership
w/Apple, JnJ, Medtronics

IBM has initiated a personal wellness monitoring service in partnership with leading health care and technology leaders under the name Watson Health...

Fastenal's fast

growth slows

Vending sales strong;
energy sector slowdown

Fastenal Company, a leading US reseller of MRO/vending supplies, including office supplies, reported decelerating growth results for Q1'15 ending 31 Mar'15

Sprint restart
w/Radio Shack

Roll-out of home/office
iPhone setup service

Sprintannounced the launch of its new Direct to You mobile set up service to home or office, starting tomorrow

Keurig in denial
re user issues?

Complaints about new
2.0 & K-cup recycability 

Keurig Green Mountain revolutionized home & office coffee brewing with its K-Cup machines. However, it is behaving defensively over consumer issues with its new brewer and pod recycling

Tencent tops
$200Bn value

Joins tech elite above
IBM, Amazon & Oracle

China's social networking giant Tencent hit a market cap of more than $200Bn today, joining the tech elite of Apple, Google, Alibaba, Microsoft & Facebook...

Amazon: Feds
OK drone tests

Bezos closes on vision:
Everything next hour

Flying in the face of many skeptics, Amazonwill be able to test its new drone delivery service in U.S. airspace after all.

Empire expands
Florida footprint

US No.1 furniture dealer
3rd state acquisition   

The US fastest growth contract furnisher, the $400m+ in sales, NY based  Empire Office has made another dealer acquisition in Florida...

#SPLODGE: King
quits Staples 

Protests over Starboard
short term opportunism

The former CEO of Sainsbury’s Justin King has resigned from the board of Staples, in protest at its capitulation to activist investor Starboard Value, 

PC sales sink

to 6 year low

Currency & fading
'XP effect' blamed

According to market research analysts IDC & Gartner said the global PC market struggled badly  in Q1'15, the worst since 2009.

HP: not ceding 
cloud market?

Reaffirms commitment
to Helion public service

HP has denied report by New York Times that it is "ceding" the market to cloud giants like Amazon Web Services, Google and Microsoft.

Apple Watch
wonderful

A week on the wrist by
Re/Code's Laure Goode

Of the half-dozen smartwatches I’ve tested in recent years, the best experience was the  Apple Watch. If you’re an iPhone power user and you’re intrigued by wearable technology, you’ll love it, too.

Starboard force 
Staples change

Is ex-retail accountant
relevant to reinvention?

Staples has accepted Starboard Value's nominee Kunal Kamlanito its board, a move that prompted a rebuke from another director...

Club: catch up
w/ecommerce 

Dealer group drives
new webstore support

After four months of trialing and testing Office Clubhas launched a 'Club Store' ecommerce platform to simplify browse and buy experience for users

HP: The Future
of PC's/Printing

Chief Dion Weisler 

on HP

split & dealers' reaction 

HP's PC/Printing chief Dion Weislertalks about the company split and the future and what it was like when he found out he was going to be running HP Inc from 1 Nov'15.

How to succeed

w/Social Media

3 things marketers can
do to promote brands

With marketers looking for ways in which to measure social media influence beyond engagement. Leading marketers addressed the issue yesterday at Internet Advertising Bureauevent

Sysco/US Foods

opposition rises 

Triangle restaurants

divided by merger plan

The merger plan between Sysco and US Foods, has divided Triangle restaurant owners that depend on the suppliers for food, beverages, supplies and equipment. 

MSC boosted by
national accnts

Softer export demand &
bad weather hit growth

MSC Industrial Supply a leading MRO distributor today reported results for Q2'15 ended February 28, 2015.

HP: Meg's head
in the clouds? 

Admits latest Helion can't
compete as top provider

HP has re-branded and relaunched its own cloud offering unsuccessfully several times. One of the backers of the OpenStack open source cloud platform. Its Hollow Prospects continue... 

Nestle weigh in

on water wave

"People want bubbles.

But only healthy bubbles"

Nestlé SA aims to exploit growing health concerns about soda as it rolls out new products and ramps up investment in its main US market...

Paperlinx wants
s u s p e n s i o n

e x t e n s i o n

Considers an offer for
European operations?

International giant paper merchant  PaperlinX has asked that the suspension of its shares from trading on the Australian stock market be extended. What is going on?

#SPLODGE: Will
FTC force Depot
contract sell-off?

Market doubts depress
shares sub-

Staples' bid

The Staples takeover value of Office Depot was $11/share. Today the share price is stuck at $9.24. Is the market having doubts about the FTC decision? Will Staples sell off the toxic contract division to appease them?

Samsung slide
rate softening?

Hopes Galaxy S6 Edge
can halt sinking profits

Samsung Electronics delivered fresh evidence that its recent profit slide is moderating as it prepares for the global launch of its next flagship smartphone,

PaperlinX: raven
rivals race to
pick up pieces

Oz merchant collapse
has dire consequences

PaperlinX UK shutdown last Wednesday has caused widespread negative reaction in the paper world internationally. Bad management of people & suppliers in a declining market? We analyse the root causes...

How SMB's make
marketing work

Affordable investments

in growth gain returns

Small Medium Businesses (SMBs) have struggled to put marketing spend on their agenda in 2015, even though the majority believe they would benefit from a boost,

3D printing biz

market boom

Lower prices; more
choice boost sales

Group Content 
Collaboration

Initiative 

eases users'
shopping/lowers cost

The open collaboration between US supergroups TriMegaand IS gets stronger. First, the joint EPIC conference, now standardizing content management in co-op with manufacturers and wholesalers.  Mike Maggioexplained the details...complete

Old  o f f i c e

space obsolete?

10 new ways of working.

Office is where you are!

The success of virtual companies that thrive via remote working, means the traditional office has had its day.

Gender gap >>
generation gap

Emotional browse & buy
behaviour 

matters more

Almost every conference we attend highlights the importance of marketing to the new generation of Millennials (15-35 year olds). We don't disagree, but argue here why it is more important to understand how to market to women...complete

Paperlinx CEO's
pathetic excuse

Preece: Why Paperlinx
collapsed & what's next?

Paperlinx has less than two weeks to sell its second-biggest European business or it may meet the same fate as its insolvent UK operation. CEO Andy Preece explains...

Mobile ads set
for $100Bn '16

Expected to exceed
50% 

of digital market

According to a new report from research firm eMarketer, advertisers will spend $101.37 billion placing ads on mobile phones and tablets globally in 2016.

Grainger champions
Choice badge

200,000+ private label
products in the selection

Grainger,the leading US MRO/industrial supplier, has introduced the Choice badge, to enable customers to select the right exclusive products to fit their needs.

Paperlinx broken

& busted. Board

behaving badly?

Australian protectionism

to avoid responsibility

1000+ Europe job losses & UK liabilities?

PaperlinX, the beleaguered $2. 2Bn paper merchant, not surprisingly, yesterday placed its main UK company into administration. The big question is: Why are they not listening to known offers to save thousands of European jobs?

Twitter turbo
charges range

New Curator tools will
display on media sites

Twitter plans to display more of its tweets outside of its site and in front of a bigger audience with its new Curator tool..

Dealers! Get a

visual purpose 

Look beyond a logo.

Build your brand value

We've been appealing to dealers for 10 years to go 'beyond the paperclip' and adopt a modern, impactful image of personal productivity services providers. Here is another attempt to convert you...

XMA & Viglen

sales soar

Westcoast firms suffer

currency depression

XMA ownerWestcoast acquiredViglen last year and claims the integration is "progressing on schedule and will be complete during 2015".

Amazon Dash
delivery button

Place it. Press it. Get it.
Ideal for water, coffee,
ink & cleaning supplies

Amazon introduced a real 'easy' button that works for immediate ordering of essential supplies that run low in office or home...

Walmart press
suppliers again...

Giant wants lower prices
& pull back on joint-ads

Walmart is pressurizing suppliers to cut the cost of their products, in an effort to regain the mantle of low-price leader and turn around its sluggish US sales.

HP v Autonomy:
$5Bn fraud case

CEO Lynch/CFO Hussain

'misrepresented' profits

HP said it has filed suit in London against two former senior officials of Autonomy, the U.K. software firm it purchased and then accused of misrepresenting its financial condition. 

Moulton defends
deception claims

SPOT chair 

wants last
word on City Link shame

Better Capital chief Jon Moulton has hit back at MPs who accused his company of "deliberate deception" over the collapse of parcel delivery firm City Link.