Details

29 Mar 23

Updated: 29 Mar 23

FEMSA'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... 

Read more ...

Details

29 Mar 23

Updated: 29 Mar 23

Higher 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

Read more ...

Details

27 Mar 23

Updated: 27 Mar 23

Is 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...

Read more ...

Details

25 Mar 23

Updated: 25 Mar 23

B2B buyer journey
is obsolete. Fix it!

Rethink the funnel! Refocus
on hybrid B2User-chooser

B2B marketing is intellectually stretching and probably dying! This is not helped by legacy thinking holding many B2B marketers back. Prime example: the concept of a “funnel” – assuming a central buyer, is redundant. Business supply buying has shifted to hybrid working 'user chooser' WFH/WFA executives 

Read more ...

Details

23 Mar 23

Updated: 24 Mar 23

Hollowing Offices:
a real space crisis!

Vacancies rise to >20% as
corp v workers disconnect

The stalled recovery of the office market in the aftermath of Covid has created a deep divide between employers and employees expectations on future hybrid work needs. 'O f f i c e l e s s'  trends are increasing rapidly with realtors challenged by a declining market and changing space configurations eg. new cafes to attract workers. How do the top firms CBRE, JLL, C&W view 2023/24? We investigate and comment...Updated

Read more ...

Details

21 Mar 23

Updated: 21 Mar 23

Do AMZN analysts
discount assets?

'BuywPrime' success tests
signify biz resellers growth

All the press talk recently about Amazon has been negative: -27000 job cuts? Slower AWS growth? Slowing ecommerce, competitors catching up? Stalled Fulfilment Centre plans? Wishful thinking maybe? It's still winning market share across the board and perhaps readjusting itself for another big growth push? New developments are a Prime example!

Read more ...

Details

17 Mar 23

Updated: 17 Mar 23

Old 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

Read more ...

Details

7 Mar 23

Updated: 8 Mar 23

Newell nears nadir;
writing on the wall?

Typical Ravi rhetoric diverts
from core strategy failings?

Newell Brands, the $9Bn house of business & consumer brands, sales volume plummeted in home, commercial & writing products during 2022. Ex-Max Ravi Saligram is retiring as ceo, guilty of 'fiddling while the house burns', with market cap plunging -40% over the last year. What confidence is there that new boss Chris Peterson can break the 'same as the old boss' maxim? We comment....

Read more ...

Details

5 Mar 23

Updated: 5 Mar 23

The $2B Question:
Who are u at Work

Personality tests revival for
new era of hybrid working 

Employers are finding personality tests, measuring how employees think and feel, more useful than ever while navigating hybrid work. "But the tests are not always up-to-date " writes NYTimes' Emma Golldberg. How do leading assessors meet the challenge of a new office culture measuring engagement, satisfaction, collaboration, productivity? We discuss...

Read more ...

Details

4 Mar 23

Updated: 7 Mar 23

Downsizing Acco
accepting defeat?

"Happy" ceo cites inflation,
economy not dud strategy?

'OPI Talk' interviewed Acco ceo Boris Elisman last week after disastrous Q4'22 results: down -30% in OP volume v pre-Covid norm Q4'19. The "Happy with our strategy" chief blamed inflation, economic uncertainty, Ukraine war, as key factors, yet hardly mentioned terminal OP decline as a cause for major downsizing activity. Moreover, he ignored price inflation as a huge positive? Tomorrow

Read more ...