OPI TALK

EOPA 2022 Industry Achievement winner Geoff Betts

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 overcome supply chain challenges.

 

Episode recorded and edited by Andy Braithwaite
Music by:
Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r...
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

 

NPD – behind the office supplies numbers

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 highlights? Was there any share shift between online and bricks-and-mortar? What can we expect in 2022?

Listen to the interview to discover the answers to these questions, and more!

 

Episode recorded and edited by Andy Braithwaite
Music by:
Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r...
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

“The challenges seemed to be every day”

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 Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r...
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

The workplace of the future with Bisley

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 excerpt from the interview. For more in-depth information and to read the full feature in the magazine, make sure you are subscribed to OPI.

FY earnings follow-up with ACCO’s Boris Elisman

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 chain issues and ACCO’s M&A plans.

 

Episode recorded and edited by Andy Braithwaite
Music by:
Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r...
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

 

Talking dealers and technology with ECI

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 tips on how resellers can make the most of the tools they have at their disposal.

 

Episode recorded and produced by Andy Braithwaite
Music by:
Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r...
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

The Supply Room’s Source acquisition

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 BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

Selling business furniture during a pandemic

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 of OPI Talk, Marcelo speaks about some of the challenges he has faced since taking over at NBF in August 2020 and current trends he sees in the workplace furniture market.

 

Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite
Music by:
Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r...
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

OPI Talk end of year podcast

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.

Opportunities in the videoconferencing category

When you look at what products and services businesses will need to function efficiently in a hybrid working environment, then a fit-for-purpose audio and video communications system surely makes the list.

Demand in the videoconferencing market has surged in the past couple of years and looks set for a period of sustained growth. For resellers that describe themselves as ‘solutions providers’ and want to go beyond the transactional selling of headsets and webcams, videoconferencing could be an interesting area to look at, particularly as it ties in with adjacencies such as furniture, ergonomics, acoustics, viscom and collaboration tools.

Sweden-based Konftel has specialised in B2B audio solutions for more than three decades, but is something of a ‘new kid on the block’ in videoconferencing. In this episode of OPI Talk, Andy Braithwaite speaks with Stefan Eriksson, Konftel’s Chief Marketing Officer, to find out more about the potential in this growing category.

 

Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite
Music by:
Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r...
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg