News

From left: Paddy Donnelly and Dave Bent

ECI acquires ES Tech Group

In October, leading technology provider ECI Software Solutions snapped up UK-based e-commerce and product content specialist ES Tech Group for an undisclosed sum.

ES Tech is principally known for its highly respected EvolutionX e-commerce platform and the FusionPlus content repository solution. EvolutionX has gained a strong market share in the UK office products channel while, in North America, it has mainly made inroads into other verticals. Meanwhile, FusionPlus is viewed as the ‘go-to’ solution for product content in the UK.

ES Tech will now come under ECI’s Distribution division, but will continue to be run by its current management team, including Paddy Donnelly in Europe and Dave Bent in the US. Donnelly said he sees “limitless opportunities” for ES Tech’s customers and teams now it is backed by the “firepower” of ECI.

The two businesses seem a good fit, with plenty of cross-selling opportunities. ES Tech’s clients will now be able to benefit from ECI’s back-end ERP systems, while ECI’s Distribution unit can look to expand its addressable market by serving other industries – such as industrial and MRO – that ES Tech has been doing well in across North America.

It will also be interesting to see where ECI goes in the US with its newly acquired content syndication capabilities; no doubt, future discussions will be taking place with various stakeholders in the business products channel to see where its new platform could fit in.

For more on ES Tech Group, see our Big Interview with Donnelly and Bent in the September issue of OPI (page 20).

Canadian dealer groups merge

There has been an important development in the Canadian office products channel. At a meeting held at the end of October, the shareholders of leading dealer groups CIS and Basics voted to merge into a single organisation, effective 1 January 2023.

This transaction will bring together 42 independent resellers across Canada. All members will be individual shareholders in the new entity, with Guild Stationers – a separate group of smaller dealers – also having a shareholding. The enlarged organisation is to be headed by Angie Bukta, current President of CIS. Ian Landy, President of Basics, will leave his role at the end of this year.

Bukta highlighted recent industry consolidation as a catalyst for the merger, which included Staples’ acquisition of leading Basics member Denis/Supreme earlier this year. She confirmed to OPI that the two groups had been discussing a combination “for several months”.

Angie Bukta

In the short term, Bukta, in conjunction with board members from both Basics and CIS, will be working on the various legal aspects of the new organisation, including the shareholders’ agreement and the group’s name. Areas such as staffing and the office location also need to be finalised.

Comercial del Sur buys Carlin

Spain-based office supplies group Comercial del Sur has strengthened its position in its home market, announcing the acquisition of leading franchise chain Carlin for an undisclosed sum.

Established in 1989, Carlin currently has around 250 franchisees and some 300 outlets – down from almost 500 stores ten years ago and a reported 526 in 2018. There will now be a transition period, with the transaction becoming fully effective on 1 January 2023.

Lyreco confirms B2B marketplace

Lyreco has officially launched its B2B marketplace platform, Sustainable by Lyreco. In partnership with marketplace provider Mirakl, Sustainable by Lyreco has been available in the Italian market since September. The reseller said it had chosen to conduct a testing phase in one country before it rolls out the initiative to other nations, which is expected to start happening next year.

“After undertaking research among its customers, Lyreco worked with external and internal experts to develop a clear and transparent assessment methodology to evaluate which sellers and products would be suitable for onboarding to the new platform,” the firm said.

To be approved to operate on the platform, all sellers must be able to prove they are recognised as sustainable by a reputable organisation such as EcoVadis or B-Corp. Alternatively, they can complete Lyreco’s assessment questionnaire, which provides them with a ‘Sustainability Score’.

Products – and their packaging – in addition to being sold by an assessed seller – also have to meet certain Lyreco sustainability criteria under three umbrella terms:

• Planet by Lyreco (protection of the environment) • People at work by Lyreco (well-being and safety of people at work) • Community by Lyreco (improving the societal impact on local communities).

Dealer delivery solution goes live

The Dealer Delivery Network (DDN) last-mile delivery solution for US independent dealers has gone live. Last year, large dealer consortium SCIG announced the creation of an entity to develop a software platform – called DDN Hub – aimed at facilitating last-mile shipments to multilocation customers outside of a contracting dealer’s delivery footprint. Following a testing phase, the initiative has now moved to actual account onboarding and order fulfilment.

The DDN Hub was expected to be released in May, but was delayed to add accounting and payment functionalities – such as ACH electronic payment of fees to servicing resellers – to the original specifications. Dealer back-end systems can be fully integrated with the Hub or, as preferred by the dealer, used with various levels of manual processing.

A follow-on version will incorporate additional features to enable participants to coordinate on-site servicing dealer inventory with wholesaler shipments.

BOSS charity launches patronage scheme

The BOSS Business Supplies Charity has announced the launch of an individual and corporate patronage scheme. All those who have a connection with the business supplies industry are being invited to become an Individual Patron and partner with the charity on a regular basis for £50 ($55) per month.

In addition, 12 businesses that are among the charity’s strongest supporters are being recruited as Corporate Patrons.

All Patrons will receive acknowledgement on the new BOSS Charity website and a quarterly newsletter. They will also have the chance to attend the first annual BOSS Charity Patrons’ Dinner at Stationers’ Hall on 16 February 2023 with guest speaker Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards.

“We have launched the patronage scheme in response to the extraordinarily steep cost of living increases, which are now causing real distress,” said BOSS Charity Chair Martin Wilde. “Our discussions with businesses and individuals over recent weeks have shown there is a real desire to support the charity’s work – and becoming a Patron is a great way of doing just that.”

The independent charity – first established in 1925 by what later became the BOSS Federation – has also announced the date of its next annual Charity Golf and Spa Day as 14 June 2023.

For more details about the BOSS Charity’s Individual Patrons Scheme, please contact Vice Chair Kelly Hilleard at Kelly@BOSSCharity.org.

New ownership at Kaut-Bullinger

From left: Robert Brech and Rudolf Egerer

Leading German independent dealer Kaut-Bullinger has been acquired by its former minority shareholder. The Egerer family, which previously held a 38% stake in the company, has now become the sole shareholder following a transaction between themselves and the Schambeck family, which held the remaining 62%. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

The company has overcome some serious challenges in the past six years since Robert Brech was drafted in as CEO to lead a restructuring. He has had to make some difficult decisions, including exiting the retail business and closing Kaut-Bullinger’s iconic store in Munich.

The slimmed-down reseller now has annual sales of around €90 million ($87 million). The new owners clearly have confidence in Brech. Despite his turnaround task seemingly complete now, it has been confirmed he will stay on as CEO.

Guichard family to delist Manutan

The majority shareholders of European MRO and business products reseller Manutan are prepared to pay a hefty premium to take the company private.

The Guichard family group have proposed a public tender offer to acquire all of the firm’s outstanding shares. They are offering up to €105 per share, a significant premium on the closing price of €66 on 25 October.

The Guichard family group control around 73.5% of Manutan’s share capital, meaning it will require around €275 million ($275 million) to acquire all of the outstanding shares. Once they have secured 90% ownership of the share capital and voting rights, they will be able to delist the firm from the Euronext Paris stock exchange.

Peter Birks

Leadership change at Ryman

Peter Birks, CEO of Ryman and the London Graphic Centre, left the business in October. Birks – who formerly ran Staples’ retail operations in the UK – joined Ryman in mid-2021 in a new position at the company.

Chairman Theo Paphitis told OPI: “Having spent many years running the business personally, I am delighted to once again be running the day-to-day activities of Ryman; steering it through a challenging time for the retail sector.”

Experienced exec joins Nemo Office Club

UK dealer organisation Nemo Office Club has named Nick Wilkinson as Senior Business Development Manager, succeeding Mark Allan who moved to a position at one of Nemo Office Club’s members.

Wilkinson has spent most of his career in our industry since joining Spicers in 1987. He has also worked for VOW, Snopake and The Business Performance Group/Highlands.

ECI makes senior appointment

Shahin Hatamian has joined ECI Software Solutions as Chief Product Officer.

In his new role, Hatamian “will guide ECI’s product vision and be responsible for translating that vision into a strategy roadmap, overseeing the creation and execution of all product-related activities”.

Former HP exec joins Armor

Remanufactured ink and toner supplier Armor Print Solutions has named Philippe Chaventré as Director of its key French market in a newly created role.

Until recently Sales Director of HP France’s Office Printing Services & Solutions division, Chaventré spent more than 14 years in a number of roles at HP’s Personal Systems and Printing units, having previously worked for the Hewlett-Packard Enterprise arm.

Senior promotion at Complete

UK dealer Complete has appointed experienced executive Michelle Naphtali to the role of Managing Director of Sales. Reporting to Chief Commercial Officer Adam Noble, she will be responsible for the reseller’s three regional managing directors.

Naphtali joined Complete earlier this year in a people development role. She has 30 years’ experience in the UK business products channel and has worked for well-known companies such as ISA, Corporate Express and UKOS.

Nick Wilkinson

Shahin Hatamian

Philippe Chaventré

Michelle Naphtali

NEWS Jamie Fellowes & Barry Lane honoured

Jamie Fellowes

Fellowes Brands Chairman Jamie Fellowes has been named 2022 Legend of the Industry by the Business Solutions Association (BSA). He was presented with the award at the BSA Awards Luncheon on 10 November during Industry Week ’22 in Las Vegas (for more on the event, see page 58).

Fellowes began working in the family business while in high school in 1964, became a full-time employee in 1969, and has devoted his entire career to Fellowes Inc.

He’s also been active in the wider industry for the past 50 years, being involved in several associations. He currently serves on a range of philanthropic charity boards and has been the recipient of many awards over the course of his career.

BSA President Travis Kaste referred to Fellowes as “truly an icon in our industry”.

Also honoured during the luncheon was Barry Lane who received the 2022 BSA Leadership Award. He began his career in the commercial OP industry in 1978 and joined Avery in 1982 where he is currently VP of Commercial Sales.

Lane has always put his energy into building customer relationships, spearheading manufacturer peer group exchanges and supporting the industry’s charitable efforts. He’s been actively involved in several trade associations, particularly BSA and AOPD.

Barry Lane Dave McQuarrie

John Bruno

New Chief Commercial Officer at HP Inc

HP Inc has appointed a permanent Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) to take on the role vacated by Christoph Schell earlier this year. Since then, company veteran Luciana Broggi has been filling in on an interim basis.

Along with the news that Broggi is to retire from HP after more than 30 years, HP has confirmed that Dave McQuarrie, currently General Manager of Personal Systems, will be its new CCO as of early 2023. McQuarrie has been with the print and PC giant since 2017, joining from Lenovo.

Xerox names COO

Xerox has appointed a COO following Steve Bandrowczak’s promotion to CEO earlier this year after the sudden death of John Visentin.

Joining the tech firm in the role is John Bruno, who most recently spent seven years at insurance brokerage Aon, serving as COO and CEO of its Data & Analytics Services division. He has also held senior positions at NCR, UPS, Cisco, Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs.

Unite exec takes on bigger role

Constance Martiny Sondag, previously Country Manager France at European procurement marketplace Unite for more than ten years, has been promoted to VP Sales Northern and Southern Europe.

Viking appoints regional MD

Viking UK and Ireland has named an experienced supply chain exec as its Managing Director. RAJA-owned Viking has promoted from within for the role, appointing Simon Allan-Brooks to lead the business. Allan-Brooks joined the company in 2020 as Logistics Director.

The appointment of a Managing Director for the UK and Ireland forms part of RAJA’s strategy to give more autonomy to individual operating divisions.

SSI adds staff members

Canada-based technology services provider SSI has expanded its team to support its growing user base. Joining the company are Rowen Rio Alfonso and Sara Densmore, who have been hired to speed up the development of new software features and provide additional technical support.

Alfonso will develop new features for SSI Web, the company’s web storefront, and give technical support to SSI customers using the solution. Densmore, meanwhile, joined SSI’s support staff and will provide technical assistance to customers.

Constance Martiny Sondag

Simon Allan-Brooks

Rowen Rio Alfonso

European visual communications and office furniture supplier Rocada has established a subsidiary in the UK as it looks to grow in the UK and Irish markets.

The Spain-based, family-owned manufacturer, which was founded in 1976, established Rocada UK as an entity a few months ago and the new subsidiary began trading on 10 October. The company has drafted in Ken Trenberth as a Director to run the operation.

Trenberth is a familiar face in the UK business products sector, particularly from his time at Setten & Durward and then Rapesco. He is charged with launching the Rocada brand into the market, and will initially be focusing on gaining traction in the OP channel, especially with mid-market resellers.

Climb of Life 2022 raises more than £50,000

About 90 participants took part in the Climb of Life on 4 November as the UK business products industry once again went the extra mile to raise funds for the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR).

While 2022 is the 35th year of the Climb of Life, this year it was christened ‘Sweet 16’ to mark the 16th year the event has supported the ICR.

Tackling cold and windy – and this year incredibly boggy – conditions in England’s Lake District, eight groups of hikers conquered a total of ten peaks between them, raising almost £51,500 ($59,100) in the process. In total, the Climb of Life has now donated more than £1.75 million to the cancer research charity.

Leading the fundraising efforts were OPI, Hamelin and EVO, with Avery UK and Office Power also recognised by organiser Philip Lawson for raising significant amounts.

Richard Hoey, ICR’s Director of Communications, said: “It is fundraising like the Climb of Life that enables our scientists to continue finding new approaches to cancer treatment. It is hard to pronounce, but we have recently found working with the Royal Marsden that the experimental drug guadecitabine may reverse a cancer’s resistance to immunotherapy – making it sensitive to treatment again. This gives new hope to a number of patients in the later stages of the disease, possibly prolonging their lives.”

The next Climb of Life will be held on 10 November 2023.