Leading Scottish independent dealer Langstane has been celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2022. To mark that occasion, and to find out how Langstane has been dealing with recent market challenges, the guest on this episode of OPI Talk is the company’s Managing Director Colin Campbell. Campbell talks about the Scottish business products market, how Langstane has diversified its product and service offering and customer base, current inflationary and macroeconomic pressures… and what he thinks...

In this episode of OPI Talk, NPD’s Leen Nsouli discusses the back-to-school (BTS) season and year-to-date performance of the office supplies sector in the US. Nsouli looks at some of the reasons for the challenging BTS sales picture during August, the continued share gains in the online channel and the potential for environmentally friendly products. Episode recorded and edited by Andy Braithwaite Music by: Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r... Attribution...

This week’s OPI Talk features Paddy Donnelly and Dave Bent, Group CEO and President North America respectively at ES Tech Group.   OPI’s Heike Dieckmann caught up with both for the Big Interview in the September issue of OPI. One of the many topics discussed was the vital importance of a great online customer experience. This then seamlessly led to the challenges so hotly debated particularly in the US business supplies space right now around technology and content. As this excerpt from the...

The board of Australian dealer group Office Choice recently approved a new strategic plan. Therefore, it seemed like an opportune moment for a catch-up with the organisation’s CEO Brad O’Brien. OPI’s Andy Braithwaite spoke to Brad about the plan, the independent dealer channel in Australia and Office Choice’s recent OPIX event, held in partnership with GNS Wholesale Stationers.   Episode recorded and produced by Andy Braithwaite Music by: Extreme Energy by...

A closer look at ACCO Brands’ Q2 2022 performance with the company’s CEO Boris Elisman. ACCO Brands reported its second quarter 2022 earnings on 9 August. Shortly after the manufacturer’s analyst conference call had ended, OPI’s Andy Braithwaite spoke with ACCO CEO Boris Elisman about the results and some of the main issues and trends in ACCO’s key markets.   Episode recorded and edited by Andy Braithwaite Music by: Extreme Energy by...

Vending firm Selecta now refers to itself as a ‘food tech company’ after repositioning itself in the workplace food and beverage space. In this episode of OPI Talk, Toby Venus, Commercial Director at Selecta UK & Ireland, discusses some of the latest office breakroom trends, including the growing popularity – and sophistication – of micro markets. Click here to read a recent opinion piece by Toby on the role of technology in creating better breakroom experiences.   Episode recorded...

Writing instruments vendor uniball recently announced a rebrand of its operations in North America to uni. As the company’s President Mike Parker says in this episode of OPI Talk, it’s more than just a name change. It’s symbolic of an ambitious strategy by uni to essentially double its sales in North America over the next five years as it looks to expand its product portfolio and grow its presence in the art and creativity categories. Uni’s roots may go back 135 years, but it has very much...

Lyreco Germany’s Falko Köhler is making something of a name for himself in the business products industry. Following an impressive appearance at last year’s OPI European Forum Online and a place in OPI’s 30 Under 30 feature, the now-31-year-old was presented with the 2022 Young Professional of the Year prize at March’s European Office Products Awards (EOPA). In his EOPA acceptance speech, Köhler said: “We need to push a dusty industry into the digital era.” In this episode of OPI Talk,...

The guest on this episode of OPI Talk is Adriano Alessio, Managing Director of the country’s last remaining B2B independent dealer group, In Ufficio. Adriano Alessio has been a key figure in the Italian office products market for the past 25 years, both as Managing Director of In Ufficio and as President of the now-defunct trade association AIFU. In this OPI Talk interview, Alessio discusses the impact of COVID on the Italian business products sector, talks about his efforts to help In...

OPI Talk speaks with South African industry veteran Hans Servas as he prepares to retire as Chairman of the country’s shop-sa stationery and office products trade association. As reported recently on the OPI website, South African trade association shop-sa has appointed a COO ahead of the retirement of its current Chairman Hans Servas at the end of this month. Servas enjoyed a long and successful career in the country’s stationery and office products sector before taking on the Chairmanship...

There have been a couple of big stories in the European aftermarket print supplies channel in the past few weeks. First, it was announced that the European Commission had rejected a Voluntary Agreement for the imaging equipment sector, saying the proposals didn’t go far enough in terms of sustainability targets. That means the EU will now draft its own legislation for the sector. And then, shortly after that, Clover Imaging announced it was pulling out of the European market, with almost...

Our guest in this episode of OPI Talk is Jeanette Bresitz, Managing Director of UK dealer group Office Friendly.  OPI’s Heike Dieckmann spoke to Bresitz for the Big Interview in the June issue of OPI. About a year into the job at Office Friendly but with plenty of experience in our industry, she quickly addressed some simple necessities for the group’s dealer members. Throwing off the shackles of a restricted core office products offering was just one of them, an endeavour that also involves...

OPI Talk speaks with Alain Josse, Managing Director of RAJA Office. On 19 May 2022, European packaging, industrial equipment and business products reseller RAJA held a press conference in the French capital, Paris. After the conference, OPI News Editor Andy Braithwaite caught up with Alain Josse, recently named as Managing Director of the RAJA Office Division, which largely consists of former assets of Staples Solutions and Office Depot Europe. Alain provides details of the new executive...

OPI Deputy Editor Michelle Sturman reveals more about OPI’s CSR mission and why this is a crucial topic for the business products industry. The environment has been an important part of OPI’s editorial coverage for many years. Now, as OPI Deputy Editor Michelle Sturman explains, it is something that will be featured in even more depth in the future in line with our new CSR mission statement.

OPI Talk speaks with Tricia Judge, a leading authority on remanufacturing in the imaging supplies industry. 14 April 2022 is Global Reman Day, a worldwide initiative to promote and raise awareness of the remanufacturing industry across many sectors – including imaging equipment and consumables. To mark this occasion, the guest on this episode of OPI Talk is Tricia Judge, Executive Director of the International Imaging Technology Council. Tricia is a globally recognised authority in the...

Alan Calder, Marketing Manager at Nemo Office Club, talks about his group’s Keep It Local campaign. The COVID-19 pandemic put a renewed focus on buying from local businesses and supporting local communities. Even before that, UK dealer group Nemo Office Club had been fighting the buy local corner. Now, it has taken things further by establishing a longer-term campaign called Keep It Local and will shortly be running the very first Keep It Local week. OPI’s Andy Braithwaite caught up with...

Stewart Superior Managing Director Geoff Betts was recognised for his outstanding contribution to the European business products sector at the recent 2022 European Office Products Awards in Amsterdam. In this episode of OPI Talk, Betts reflects on some of the secrets of his success and gives his views on the current state of the industry – including some potentially controversial comments on procurement. He also reveals some exciting news about how Stewart Superior is helping its customers...

Earlier this month, POS data and market intelligence firm The NPD Group released some eye-catching numbers for the US office supplies industry in 2021. Revenue increased by 11% versus 2020 to $14.5 billion, a figure that was also 12% higher than pre-pandemic 2019. In this episode of OPI Talk, Andy Braithwaite speaks to NPD Industry Analyst Leen Nsouli about those 2021 results. What were the drivers behind the double-digit growth two years in a row? What were some of the key category...

OPI Talk’s Andy Braithwaite spoke to Acme United CEO Walter Johnsen on 2 March, shortly after the company’s latest earnings release that showed another record year for the supplier. Walter talks about the challenges of doing business – both this year and last year – provides some colour on Acme’s 2021 results, gives his views on what the invasion of Ukraine might mean, and looks ahead to what might be in store for 2022.   Episode recorded and edited by Andy Braithwaite Music by: Extreme...

Our guest in this episode of OPI Talk is Jeanine Goddard, Creative Director at office furniture manufacturer Bisley. Starting out, in office products terms, with steel waste paper bins, Bisley has been around for a long time and has always been known for high quality and for innovation.  OPI’s Heike Dieckmann spoke to Goddard for a How to… guide in the March issue of OPI, discussing workplace trends as well as the essentials for employers to get right in a post-COVID office.  This is an...

2021 was a record year for ACCO as its PowerA acquisition at the end of 2020 drove annual sales over the $2 billion mark for the first time. But it wasn’t just about PowerA. ACCO posted healthy comparable growth too, with EMEA leading the way, up by 15%, and improvements in the other two reporting regions. In this episode of OPI Talk, OPI News Editor Andy Braithwaite looks at ACCO’s 2021 results with CEO Boris Elisman. Topics covered include key sales channels, price increases, supply...

OPI Talk speaks with Ben Jarvis, Product Manager at ECI Software Solutions. The stakes have never been higher for independent resellers to have robust technology tools for both customer-facing transactions and back-office productivity efficiencies. With this in mind, this episode of OPI Talk features Ben Jarvis, Product Manager at ECI Software Solutions in the UK. He gives his take on how dealers stack up on the technology front, provides insight into recent category trends, and offers...

Recently on the opi.net news service, we reported on the acquisition of leading US dealer Source Office & Technology by The Supply Room. OPI News Editor Andy Braithwaite caught up with Source founder John Givens and The Supply Room COO Yancey Jones Jr to learn more about the transaction and discuss The Supply Room’s growth strategy.   Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite Music by: Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r... Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC...

In the first OPI Talk podcast of 2022, we speak with Marcelo Podesta, President of US-based National Business Furniture. Prior to the recent news that Marcelo Podesta is to lead two of the three new business units at international reseller Takkt following a restructuring, we had already arranged to speak with the former Officenet and Staples exec in his capacity as President of Takkt subsidiary National Business Furniture (NBF) – a role he will continue in, incidentally. In this episode...

In this final OPI Talk of 2021, OPI CEO Steve Hilleard and News Editor Andy Braithwaite discuss some of the main events and stories of the past year and look ahead to what we might expect in the business products industry in 2022.