Workplace360 Issue 2. March 2023

Createthe Right Impression

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TIME TO DIVERSIFY C

reated in part due to the onset of digitisation and fastforwarded by the pandemic, the resultant boost towards hybrid working or work-from-anywhere – whatever you prefer to call it – hasn’t done any favours for many in the business supplies industry.

Recent ONS statistics (25 January to 5 February 2023) reveal around 40% of adults were working from home at some point in the past seven days.

Looking back at the figures from 2022, the percentage varied between 25-40%. According to ONS, this indicates that “homeworking is resilient to pressures such as the end of [COVID-19] restrictions and increases in the cost of living”. In other words, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we work and is likely to increase as time marches on.

There is a ‘but’ here, though. Hybrid working – my favoured term – has provided an impetus for many throughout the entire

supply chain to get creative. Solutions are on offer to cater for companies and their employees whatever the work environment. Doing the homework on homeworking on page 36 explores this topic in more detail.

Of course, this adjustment is only symptomatic of a wider transformation in our sector. The key to keeping up is ‘diversification’ – a word you’ll probably see frequently in the pages of Workplace360. Plenty of industry people are banging the diversification drum, and it seems like 2023 will hear the beat the loudest so far.

You’ll also find numerous thoughts and comments on the subject throughout this issue about progressing into new product categories and vertical markets. Two big advocates of this strategy are Go2’s Alister Hall (read Metamorphosis on page 12) and Nectere’s Paul Musgrove (read Dancing in the rain on page 16).

Staying safe and secure (starting on page 28) dovetails nicely with this theme, covering the safety, security and workwear sectors. With dozens of sub-categories, there’s ample opportunity to branch out into diverse markets and evaluate previously unexplored product ranges.

Naturally, investigating and analysing these various areas takes time – and time is a luxury most of us do not have. Nemo Office Club’s Alan Calder examines this issue and offers some sage advice in Finding time to grow (page 42).

This topic is also pertinent to the future of workplace supplies. In a thoroughly enjoyable discussion with LOTF coChairs Rachael Lewis and Alex Stone, what comes across loud and clear is that we all must make the time to protect our industry by nurturing and supporting the next generation of business leaders (read the interview on page 48).

On a final note, I’d like to thank everyone who has taken the time to get in touch about the inaugural issue of Workplace360. I’m very happy to report they were all overwhelmingly positive.

In February, this Guess the Reader... post appeared on our Workplace360 LinkedIn group. For those who didn’t work it out, the answer is Matthew Bennett, Director of Endeavour Sales and Marketing

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42

Training is time well spent –if it makes business sense, says Alan Calder

24

A closer look at the collapse and subsequent acquisition of

The safety, security and workwear categories provide plenty of opportunities to diversify

36

Hybrid working is here to stay. Luckily, there’s plenty of product innovation happening right now to cater for all employees – wherever they work

In conversation with... Nectere Chairman Paul Musgrove

Complete Business Solutions

TEXT&GRAPHICS

SUSTAINABLY SOURCED

CLIMATE NEUTRAL

PAPER PACKAGING

Super deduction tax break ends soon

Businesses can claim 130% capital allowances on plant and machinery investments – which include office furniture – on expenditure until 31 March 2023.

The UK government introduced the ‘super deduction’ scheme in 2021 to encourage companies to make investments following the COVID pandemic. However, the deduction period is now coming to an end and expenditure must be incurred on or before 31 March. Qualifying plant and machinery include computer equipment and office chairs and desks. Therefore, if they have not already done so, resellers may be well advised to have conversations with their customers about super deductions. It might spur increased spending over the coming weeks.

Amazon Business awarded YPO contract

Major UK public sector purchasing organisation YPO has awarded a new digital marketplace contract to Amazon Business. YPO previously awarded a four-year framework contract to Amazon Business in 2019.

Following what was described as a “robust” tender process that began last October, it has now named Amazon Business as the sole provider of a new digital

marketplace. The latest framework began on 24 January 2023 and will run for up to four years. The maximum value has been set at £500 million.

The purchasing organisation highlighted Amazon’s use of small business resellers. “Amazon is partnered with up to 85,000 SMEs in the UK, with small businesses accounting for more than half of everything Amazon sells in its online stores,” it stated. “These small businesses selling on Amazon have created over 250,000 jobs nationally.”

Award criteria were based on the performance and security of a bidder’s digital marketplace, policies, procedures, sustainability, continuous improvement, innovation and cost. These, said YPO, were designed in line with its customers’ key national and regional priorities, which include: expanding opportunities for regional suppliers, decarbonisation, supporting job creation, increasing equality, diversity, health and wellbeing, alongside achieving the best value for money in the public sector.

bid from Amazon Business

“During tender, Amazon Business best demonstrated and provided evidence for SME engagement, initiatives to achieve environmental targets and investment in positive environmental practices within the wider supply chain,” YPO noted. “The bid from Amazon Business also demonstrated competitive pricing, ensuring that delivery costs are minimised for public sector customers.”

YPO Managing Director Simon Hill commented: “Given the framework is now in its second iteration, customers will continue to be able to access this innovative digital marketplace in a compliant way, which provides a streamlined way for our public sector customers to purchase the products that they need.”

YPO Managing Director Simon Hill

The

[...] demonstrated competitive pricing, ensuring that delivery costs are minimised

Pilot launches online platform for dealers ALSO launches in the UK

Pilot Pen UK has launched Pilot Pen Pro, a new online ordering platform for trade customers. It provides access to the full range of over 1,500 products, with commercial information, and is designed to help customers quickly identify products and order with just a few clicks. Users will have access to full account details and order history as well as the ability to create a wishlist.

European technology distributor ALSO has established a new greenfield operation in the UK. In the past, the company was represented only indirectly via Platform-as-a-Service partners, but it has now launched ALSO Cloud UK – offering channel partners direct access to ALSO’s cloud commerce marketplace.

The ALSO Cloud Market Place (ACMP) enables IT professionals to buy, sell and manage best-inclass technology solutions and devices through a portfolio of nearly 200 vendors. According to the company, the “benchmark technology” offers managed service providers “everything they need to accelerate growth and increase efficiency”.

Migration, provisioning, account management, licence renewals, billing and analytics can all be done through the ACMP. UK channel partners may use it as a white label solution with their own branding, giving them full control and offering their customers subscription-based self-serviced access to the ALSO portfolio.

ALSO CEO Gustavo Möller-Hergt said: “An increasing number of customers have been asking us for access to the full ALSO service and vendor portfolio. This is why we have decided to enter the market with a local presence.

“It will enable UK resellers to provide their customers with access to workplace, business and cybersecurity applications as well as the cloud infrastructure of global vendors. Value-add resellers and ISVs can also offer and charge for their own services and applications through the platform.”

Key features of the platform:

• simple navigation to make it quicker to place orders

• responsive design for all browsers and devices

• enriched product content such as product imagery and logos to download

• real-time pricing including any agreed trade discount specific to the user

Pilot Pen UK Marketing Manager Adam Smith said: “The new e-commerce platform and ordering capabilities are an integral part of helping our customers have more information and control at their fingertips and, at the same time, improving the ease of doing business with Pilot.”

ACCO Brands EMEA awarded EcoVadis status

ACCO Brands EMEA has been awarded Bronze medal certification by sustainability business ratings provider EcoVadis.

The assessment takes four areas of impact into consideration when viewing a company: environmental impact, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable sourcing.

The Bronze award places ACCO Brands in the top 50% of all businesses rated. The vendor scored particularly well in the sustainable procurement element of the assessment, ranking in the top 20% of companies in the manufacture of ‘other articles of paper and paperboard’ category.

ACCO Brands EMEA Sustainability Director Jacqueline Wellhaeusser said: “This favourable rating in our first review is a clear sign of the strength of our sustainability programme that we have had in place for more than 12 years and is also very much an encouragement to go even further.”

US firm to enter UK videoconferencing market

of dramatic changes in daily and working life; how people interact and communicate, almost from anywhere,” Hörnkvist explained.

He added: “Our goal is to emphasise the vital role hardware plays to improve the meeting experience. We are a trusted advisor on the best endpoints to drive the end-user experience.

“It’s about matching the right equipment to the right rooms and helping organisations to transition at whatever stage of the journey they are on.”

A US start-up says it plans to shake up the videoconferencing category as it looks to enter the UK market as part of a global expansion programme. Boom Collaboration was established in 2020 by Fredrik Hörnkvist and Holli Hulett in a bid to “disrupt the sector and stand out from the crowd”.

The Texas-based business has already developed what it says is an extensive conferencing portfolio and operates in 20 countries. It plans to extend to 30 more, including the UK. “Through these interesting, challenging and evolving times, from lockdowns to hybrid working, conferencing has been at the fulcrum

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Tim Griffin takes charge at Exertis UK

Technology, audiovisual and business products distributor Exertis has announced a restructuring of its UK management team.

The DCC-owned wholesaler has announced Tim Griffin as the new CEO of Exertis UK. Griffin was formerly Managing Director of Exertis’ global operations, DCC Technology, but will now focus on heading the business for the UK and Ireland.

Former UK Managing Director Paul Bryan recently took on a new role, leading Exertis’ operations in France, Benelux, the Nordics and the Middle East. Meanwhile, Clive Fitzharris, who was Managing Director of Exertis International, has been named to Griffin’s previous position of Managing Director of DCC Technology.

Boom works with a variety of partners, such as AV integrators, traditional telecoms resellers and accredited partners like Zoom and Barco. “Many resellers used to sell traditional telephone technology then IP handsets, but now cloudbased unified comms systems are taking over with video at their heart,” stated Hörnkvist.

“Resellers have to adapt to maintain their revenue streams and that’s where we come in.”

Business supplies reseller Banner has announced the identity of its new Managing Director. Parent company EVO has promoted Viv Slater to the role.

Slater joined Banner in 2015 as Corporate Sales Director, a role that included managing the acquisition and integration of the Staples UK book of business in 2020. She first joined the business supplies industry in 1991, working in sales for Guilbert before moving to office2office in 2000. She has also held management positions at F&B Partnership and PHS Data Solutions.

EVO CEO Andrew Gale called Slater “the logical choice” to head Banner, saying she had led the Corporate team “with distinction” over the past few years.

“I’m confident that Banner will deliver further profitable growth under her leadership and I believe that she is the right person to lead [the business] in the next phase of the journey,” Gale commented.

Boom Collaboration founders Fredrik Hörnkvist and Holli Hulett

Banner confirms new Managing Director

Ryman sees a return to profitability

Ryman reported a positive EBITDA number for its financial year that ended on 26 March 2022. In the previous FY, the company posted an EBITDA loss of £8.5 million after COVID lockdowns forced its stores to close for long periods – something that sent annual sales down by 40%.

The 12 months from April 2021 marked a solid recovery by the 200-store Ryman network as all locations reopened. The top line grew by around 41%

to £103 million, although this was £20 million below the figure achieved in the 2019/2020 financial year. Online sales – which had surged during the pandemic –softened but were still well up on pre-COVID levels.

“The reopening of our stores and the careful management of our costs translated into a significant improvement in underlying profit, with a return to positive EBITDA of £1.3 million,” stated Ryman owner and CEO Theo Paphitis in his strategic report.

Paphitis added that there have been “encouraging signs for continued improvement”. Like-for-like sales between April 2021 and December 2022 were up 12.3%, while in the Christmas 2022 trading period (six weeks to 24 December), growth at Ryman stores was 7.2%. New ranges extending into the arts and crafts market reportedly performed well and will be developed further.

The retail entrepreneur said the Ryman team was maintaining a cautious outlook given the uncertainties with the global economy and the continued cost pressures on businesses and consumers. The Ryman board has undertaken a review, led by Paphitis, which has identified “material savings”.

“We have considered the suitability of our store portfolio to our key customer groups, products and brands we work with, which will result in some closures, or relocations and openings,” noted Paphitis. “A review of the supply chain has also identified benefits related to working capital requirements.”

ASL acquires again as performance improves

Print and managed services provider ASL Group has made an acquisition in the Northwest. Private equitybacked ASL has bought Warrington-based Sharples Group, effective 3 February, for an undisclosed sum. It is ASL’s sixth acquisition since Primary Capital Partners invested in the firm in June 2019.

ASL said Sharples will add “significant scale” to its operations in the Northwest region, which was established following the acquisition of B&M Digital in 2020. News of the deal came shortly after ASL published its annual accounts for the year ended 30 September 2022. Sales for the period grew by 11% year on year to £37.6 million, while underlying EBITDA rose by 56% to £6.3 million.

Despite the improvement – which was in line with expectations – the company said the figures were still “suppressed” by global supply chain issues that caused challenges in the fulfilment of orders. As a result, it has invested in carrying over additional levels of inventory and noted the “strong pipeline of opportunities as customers re-engage in projects that have been delayed or disrupted”.

“The business has continued to provide exceptional levels of customer support and the directors have placed particular focus on cost control, cash generation

and customer retention,” ASL stated in its strategic review, adding that revenue and profits had been “higher than historical levels”.

Other highlights from the financial year included a relocation to a new 3,500 sq m head office facility that provides the capacity to more than double the business, and the acquisition of London-based Gemini Office Solutions last September.

More recently, ASL has negotiated an additional banking facility that it says will support further acquisitions in the current year and beyond.

Metamorphosis

Go2 Managing Director Alister Hall is a popular guy right now. Unsurprising, as the company won the 2022 Dealer Excellence BOSS award in the ‘under £5 million’ category

Alister Hall, Managing Director of independent dealer Go2, has been a massive advocate of diversification – the buzzword for 2023 – for a long time. It’s one of the reasons he left the office supplies company he’d worked at for over 20 years to establish his own business – Nu Office – and explains the decision to rebrand to Go2 in 2019.

Hall admits he effectively “slapped himself in the face” by choosing Nu Office as the name due to his belief that dealers are hamstrung by the word ‘office’. Nevertheless, the name made sense in 2014. Upon leaving the firm he had worked for since the age of

18, he opted for the route of setting up a division – Nu Office – within a commercial cleaning company owned by two school friends.

Access to infrastructure, a supply chain and clients meant Hall hit the ground running, pitching jan/san and washroom products to existing accounts. The timing couldn’t have been more opportune, having launched during a period of focus on facilities supplies from the wholesalers and dealer groups. Utilising the supply chain access as a springboard, Nu Office was able to tap into potential markets on a whole new level which led to winning profitable accounts.

206% SALES GROWTH IN 2022

60% PERCENTAGE OF ORDERS TAKEN THROUGH THE GO2 WEBSITE

The Go2 team with Managing Director Alister Hall (centre)

MOVING FORWARD

Despite the relative success of Nu Office, Hall wanted to break away and become fully independent. In 2019, an amicable decision was reached with the commercial cleaning company, enabling Hall to branch out on his own. He rebranded the company to Go2 and subsequently signed up with Office Power.

Released from the shackles of the ‘office’, Hall says: “If anyone asks what Go2 is about, I say we are like Amazon Business but with reps,” adding that while he considers the online giant to be his biggest competitor, it’s also an easy win against it. “We provide all the positives of Amazon, plus account managers and services.”

Go2’s current number of employees is ten – five permanent staff and five contracted agents. Two members of the permanent Go2 team are Client Service Specialists Riley Pond and Izzy Lancaster, who help to deliver the “final mile red carpet service”. Customers have a dedicated account manager with experts from vendor partners drafted in for specific projects such as furniture fit-outs.

Predictably, facilities management represents the company’s largest category, while stationery now makes up just 10% of sales. The remainder comprises office furniture, print, jan/san, breakroom, workwear and education supplies. In terms of services, some –like warehousing – are dealt with by Hall and his team directly, while others, including managed print audits, cloud storage or cleaning resources, are negotiated deals through supply partners or arranged on a commission or fee basis.

GROWTH SPURT

With fingers in many pies, Go2 has rapidly grown. Sales from 2021-2022 rose by an impressive 206% –primarily through constantly adding new product areas and solutions. Hall hopes to replicate some of last year’s success through a repeat contract as a service provider to an events management client. Understandably keen to maintain the partnership –worth around £500,000 to the dealer last year –all indicators point towards the re-awarding of the contracts this year.

The expectation is for the events to be upscaled now the country is out of the pandemic, potentially adding a further £250,000 to the company’s revenue.

Having gained huge experience in events management, the appetite for additional development remains high but ultimately rests in the hands of

10% PERCENTAGE OF SALES ATTRIBUTED TO TRADITIONAL OFFICE SUPPLIES

the client. “I’ll happily provide services for several events a year as it’s a nice top-up for Go2,” says Hall, but adds he would be equally delighted if the business was expanded.

MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE

Category and vertical market expansion only partly explain the dealer’s success. In 2020, John Warne joined as Sales Director and Hall believes Go2’s accomplishments can also be attributed to the pair’s tenacity in gaining a foot in the door with the appropriate departments.

“When I speak to my peers, they’re almost being held hostage by their clients – bending over backwards for them, dropping prices, not generating margin or valuing themselves. If you win on price, you lose on price. We win and retain on process.”

It begins by talking to the financial decisionmakers because they essentially want to reduce the number of suppliers on their books. Next is acquiring knowledge via the facilities managers – they know

what is required, who does what, and who purchases which products. “This kicks off a simplification procedure where everyone starts to see the bigger picture and wants to become part of the solution –one which doesn’t revolve around price.”

In Hall’s world, this simply means putting in a process for procurement more efficient and streamlined than a customer already has –particularly with respect to reducing the burden and cost of dealing with hundreds of merchants and the subsequent invoices. “It’s a consultancy exercise where clients paint their dream to you, and you present it back to them,” he says.

Thoroughly prepared to walk away from clients likely to “constantly haggle on price”, Hall believes plenty of companies understand the ‘process’ and the value it can offer. “Customers have a Go2 single login and access to all the required workplace supplies and solutions. It kills any argument.”

The majority of Go2 customers are professional services firms such as solicitors and accountants. Interestingly, Hall has observed a twist in the tale of hybrid working – increased footfall to the workplace. One client, for example, currently employs more staff than before the pandemic, as they can be accommodated in the building thanks to a freeflowing hotdesking arrangement.

If you win on price, you lose on price. We win and retain on process

“This undeniably is the new way of operating, and I believe it’s starting to work. In our world, this means there remains a necessity for what we provide.”

The onset of flexible working has led to a ‘Back to Office Shop’ offering, with three specific target audiences – business owners, office managers and employees. Take-up of the service is currently limited to a few buyers, but with an upcoming website refresh designed to offer a ‘store-like’ feel, the expectation is for a jump in companies subscribing and joining the Go2 family. As it stands, 60% of all orders are directed through the website.

THE SECRET RECIPE

The team is now concentrating on building brand recognition and gradually onboarding clients. “We see each customer as a medium- to long-term project, working collaboratively and growing organically with them,” notes Hall.

Without revealing the whole ‘Colonel’s secret recipe’, utilising social media communication platforms has been a revelation in enhancing relationships, according to Hall. Creating client-specific messaging groups permits two-way direct access for swift decisions to be made, including product ordering on the fly.

At present, Go2 customers are predominantly based in and around the capital, although a push into verticals such as hospitality will likely result in geographic expansion. A recent contract, for example, relates to a hotel chain with locations across the country.

Another involving a large facilities provider is being trialled in London. If there is a favourable outcome for the London pilot, Go2 will supply other

branches around the UK. The hospitality sector is an underserved market ripe for the picking, states Hall, with the potential to expand into other areas, for instance, universities and residential accommodation.

TIME TO TRANSFORM

Hall believes the company is poised for more opportunities and while the focus is on acquiring prospects, he doesn’t want to overcommit and become a Jack of all trades, master of none. “A nice solid pipeline suits me fine,” he says.

He also acknowledges that transforming the portfolio is not without its challenges. Mitigating some of the issues, particularly involving supply chain management, two contractors have recently been hired – one in purchasing, the other in wholesale and logistics.

Acquiring this type of expertise will become increasingly valuable as the metamorphosis of Go2 continues. An advocate for dealers working together to remodel the industry, Hall states: “Dealers have to be strong, proactive, push back and drive change. It won’t happen any other way.”

Dealers have to be strong, proactive, push back and drive change. It won’t happen any other way

Go2 won the Dealer Excellence (under £5 million) category at the 2022 BOSS Awards

Dancing in the rain

Pulling no punches, Nectere Chairman Paul Musgrove believes more dramatic changes in the marketplace are on the horizon. Interview by Workplace360 CEO Steve Hilleard

Workplace360: Paul, you’ve been in the industry for many decades but I’m sure some people are not entirely familiar with your background. Please provide a quick synopsis of your journey to date.

Paul Musgrove: I’ve been in the trade for about 45 years, with periods at Rexel, Esselte Dymo and a few other companies, but subsequently started my own business, PS Office Supplies, in 1990.

In 2007, work commenced on Nectere which went live in 2010 and I have been doing it ever since. PS Office Supplies still runs as a Nectere dealer partner. However, it was renamed Pro Source a few years ago because the future wasn’t going to be in office supplies.

W360: Do you still run Pro Source?

PM: We have a sales director who runs it and reports to the Nectere board.

W360: Obviously a good test bed for the Nectere initiatives you want to launch with your partners.

PM: Yes, he’s the poor sod who’s the guinea pig for everything and must tolerate some of the silly ideas or things that go wrong. We test them through him and if they work, we roll them out.

W360: What prompted you to start Nectere and what do you deliver to the industry that is unique?

PM: In 2007, it was clear to me that the market was already in decline, and I started thinking about what dealers needed to survive – how do you take as much cost out as possible to enable them to compete while aggregating the purchasing to get the best deal?

It led to the creation of Nectere and that premise remains the same today. There’s no change in the structure of what we do, but we’re continually adding automation to keep costs down.

We’ve been into software robotics for a long time –we call them minions – and are now using AI robot software. At some point this year, we’ll start using machine learning software to help us in the process.

The idea is to get robots and software to do mundane tasks resulting in a lower-cost solution. Currently, the average cost to operate in the trade is probably about 17% and we deliver that to our partners for 7-8%.

What the Nectere model does require is somebody to drive sales. Our robots can create an account in nanoseconds without human intervention, but they

can’t go out and sell. Our dealers undertake the sales element – the fairy dust – and it’s why the partnership works.

W360: In the early days, Nectere had an unjust tag of being called the home for failing dealers. I think you’ve probably got past that stigma, but now tend to get lumped into the same pot with organisations like Office Power. Is it a fair comparison?

PM: No, I don’t feel it is. Office Power is not the same – it’s a SaaS model with a wholesale deal attached. Its service offering is about 15-20% of ours and a slightly different model. Office Power has gained a few of our dealers that still want to do a bit of specials buying and we’ve acquired a few in return because they want the freedom to do more selling.

Both companies operate within each other’s sphere and because the market is in consolidation, we’re both effectively consolidators. Nectere is a ‘service driven, take all the cost out as much as possible, with everything including great supplier deals, so dealers can concentrate on sales’ model. Office Power is more about removing some of the cost and providing systems with a wholesale deal. There is room for both of us.

We also have a completely different vision in that we look at other marketplaces. To reach our target of 400 dealers, it won’t be only office supplies but coffee or workwear resellers too because we’re a service business, not just an office products one.

W360: Rounding off the introduction to the company, what’s the ownership structure?

PM: I still own Nectere 50/50 with my wife, but we would like to reach a management buyout (MBO). We’ve had several approaches for a venture buyout, but don’t want to head down this route as it doesn’t seem to work in our industry.

Our dealers undertake the sales element – the fairy dust – and it’s why the partnership works

W360: You have a buyout plan though?

PM: We’ve been working towards it and hoping to get an MBO through this year. The strength of the company and management mean I’m already working far less.

W360: Who’s picked up the slack? A couple of big hitters have joined the business recently – Andrea Eli and Steve Harrop.

PM: Part of the problem we’ve had in the past year as a business is that the pandemic stopped us from being as much of a dealer as we should have been – we were in survival mode and this made us more inward-looking. Now we’re looking outwards again and need to replace the skill sets that my wife and I have, so we brought in Steve as he’s got the contacts and knows everyone. Andrea used to be a dealer owner and has a good feel for the trade through her recent role at VOW Wholesale. Mike O’Reilly – who was Operations Director –is now Managing Director and Heema Naik is IT & Marketing Director.

W360: We’re all still talking about the pandemic. Are we at a point where we need to stop talking about it because we’re at the new normal?

PM: The environment has changed and I don’t think the impact of what happened in the pandemic is fully realised yet. The best example is Complete Business Solutions (CBS). He [CEO Richard Coulson] was trundling along very nicely.

W360: Was he, though?

PM: Well, while he could keep growing, the invoice discounting grew, which meant cash turn. My personal view is CBS didn’t get its operational costs right. While I don’t for one minute believe the company would ever have been a Nectere partner, it would have benefited from some of our integration skills. Our robotic software would have taken huge amounts of cost out.

I don’t think we’ve witnessed the final take yet and there are probably another two years of shakeout from the pandemic to endure. Some smaller dealers are still living off the government loan and have yet to pay it back. It’s getting harder and each month it’s another bit out of the cash flow.

If you’re an independent dealer, the maths has stopped adding up. Some small dealers have ceased

There are probably another two years of shakeout from the pandemic to endure

to exist in the past few months because the figures didn’t work – they were squeezed on margin at one end, while operational costs headed towards 20% and delivery costs were over 10%. It was already at 30%, without sales cost.

W360: What’s the word among your dealer community regarding EVO buying Complete?

PM: I suspect they’re unhappy that the largest trade supplier is now the largest end user supplier. I’m personally not distraught by it and expect Andrew [Gale, EVO CEO] and the team to get it together.

W360: The fallout from the CBS situation – is it likely to create even more of a negative connotation around our industry in terms of credit insurance and other organisations that might look to invest?

PM: I certainly imagine from the banking and credit insurance side, it will decimate their attitude towards the industry.

W360: Back to Nectere, you alluded earlier to a target of 400 partners. What’s the number trending at right now?

PM: We’re at 138, which is lower than it was prepandemic. We’ve just had one partner retire.

W360: What would be a typical profile of one of your partners?

PM: Our perfect partner is a dealer trading at £500,000-£1.5 million. Somebody that is sales driven and understands the future is about more than selling office products. Although the model does work for

any independent dealer or startup as well. Our web store already has half a million products, with a goal to reach one million by summer.

W360: Let’s talk about this big, expanded universe of SKUs. How have you managed it so far and how are you going to complete the rest of the mission?

PM: It started by adding the products we could obtain rather than those we wanted, and some categories have been more complicated and required training. For example, we’ve had to learn the technical language associated with the catering industry.

At the other end of the spectrum, workwear has been easy to adapt to, with breakroom the easiest as we all drink coffee, tea etc.

Once the range of products is selected, it’s a case of adding something exclusive – our coffee pod machines are unique to us in the trade. Cleaning is another easy one and we’re looking to provide an environmentally friendly range. For instance, we have chosen dissolvable tabs which are cheap to transport and come with a sales story.

W360: It sounds as if you’re heading off in multiple directions. Will the likes of Spicers, VOW and Exertis Supplies be part of the journey?

PM: I would love them to be, but at the moment I’m not sure they possess the will to be there. As the marketplace declines even further for pure, traditional office products, will it force them to change direction, who knows?

But I think they have to do something because OP is declining at a hell of a rate. How many envelopes do we sell now?

Our perfect partner is a dealer trading at £500,000-£1.5 million. Somebody that is sales driven and understands the future is about more than selling office products

From left: Steve Harrop, Andrea Eli and Paul Musgrove

W360: Do you maintain any particular allegiance to a specific wholesaler?

PM: We need to provide our dealers with the best supply deals possible and prefer to create strategic partner relationships with our suppliers. In OP, we have been very strategically aligned to VOW. We also have a relationship with Exertis Supplies and are currently building one with Spicers.

Spicers has had some turmoil, but it has now got its act together – with the power of Paragon behind it. It also has very interesting plans to quickly diversify into other product sectors, so naturally becomes a strategic alliance for us. The future is not just OP, and this sits perfectly with our current strategy in ensuring Nectere dealers remain future-proof.

W360: Any final thoughts for our readers?

PM: There is quite a famous saying “when the storm clouds are gathering, we need to learn to dance in the rain”. The only way to survive is either grab more market share or move into new markets.

By way of example, I’m currently engaged in meetings with a hairdressing wholesaler. If I can get a range of hair products, I can then sell coffee machines and breakroom items, along with hygiene and sanitising products to salons.

W360: So more of a vertical?

PM: Yes. At the last Nectere partner meeting, I was discussing the opportunities in catering when one dealer mentioned a fantastic customer – a fish and chip shop with two branches. The instant reaction is: Really? A fish and chip shop? Then you find out the customer is

spending £100,000 a year on packaging. We need to grab the opportunities that are sitting on our doorstep and not be afraid to look at completely different marketplaces.

W360: I can’t believe we’re concluding this interview by talking about fish and chips!

PM: Yes – that’s the lunacy of it all, isn’t it?

When the storm clouds are gathering, we need to learn to dance in the rain

From left: Paul Musgrove and Steve Hilleard

Introducing pilotpen-pro

"I've now used the online ordering platform which " was 1mpress1ve.

Giftwrap UK

Pilot is delighted to announce the launch of our new online ordering platform dedicated to our independent retailers.

Designed with a clean, simple and user-friendly interface, the platforms' main function is to help our customers quickly identify the products they require and then, with just a few clicks, replenish their stock.

The customised site also allows users to view their account details and order history, create a wishlist and utilise the quick order functionality.

The only constant is change

The past ten years have seen the UK business supplies market change beyond all recognition

Office supplies were already in steady decline before COVID arrived due to digitisation. The pandemic massively accelerated the downward trend in all product categories via traditional routes as businesses moved to hybrid working, a shift which appears to be permanent.

Most organisations at present seem to be working on a 3:2 office/home basis, with traditional resellers and dealers largely losing the sales of those items that are no longer consumed in the workplace.

As a result, there has been lots of corporate activity, with consolidation the name of the game as companies try to acquire volume to cover the fixed costs of their supply chain in a falling market. We have seen private equity enter the

contract and wholesale space in the last decade, firstly merging the major wholesalers with contract businesses, then carving out Staples and Office Depot’s European divisions and selling the pieces to trade players. The main parties left standing are now quite different to those active before this streamlining began.

While the contract stationers were going through all this change, consolidation was also underway in the large (>£5 million turnover) regional reseller space. Complete Business Solutions (CBS) went on an extended acquisition spree, picking off significant dealers Anglo, SET, Quality Office, Irongate and Bluefish, among others, to create a super-dealer with a turnover of perhaps £150 million in its heyday.

The model was based on raising cash through asset-based financing, a method which works fine when sales are growing, but results in an accelerated reduction of capital when they decline. The downturn caused by the pandemic hit CBS hard and it never really recovered. As a consequence, EVO was forced to buy one of its biggest customers at the beginning of this year and is currently busy integrating CBS with its Banner division.

WHERE DOES IT LEAVE THE UK MARKET?

The contract space servicing large corporate and public sector clients is led by Banner (EVO), Lyreco and OfficeTeam (OT Group), together with Commercial and a nascent contract business being developed by RAJA across Europe. Four players now dominate the industry which once had twice the number of major participants. It is also worth mentioning here that Amazon, in particular Amazon Business, has undoubtedly captured a share of the market too.

SME customers meanwhile are serviced by Complete (EVO), Lyreco, OfficeTeam, Commercial, Viking (RAJA), Euroffice, Amazon Business and the regional resellers. There are significantly fewer than there once were, especially leading regional ones as a result of the CBS buying spree.

I find myself wondering whether the likes of Irongate or Bluefish would have survived the pandemic had they not been bought. Perhaps their smaller, more nimble selves pre-acquisition would have found a way to pivot to stay alive in the crisis. They were certainly not as exposed financially prior to Complete.

Four players now dominate the industry which once had twice the number of major participants

Whatever you think, there is no doubt SME customers now have a reduced choice compared to before and are likely faced with a less personal and bespoke service than they previously enjoyed from their regional dealer.

acquisitions to come but in the short to medium term, I do not see further consolidation among these four.

There does seem to be a gap for a well-managed reseller to focus on servicing the more individual needs of the SME market, taking share from Amazon and the big guys. Succeeding with this strategy will depend on figuring out how to supply everything a customer might require, wherever they happen to be working.

Amazon has undoubtedly played its part in standardising the offering somewhat and I suspect the larger players will struggle to maintain the personalised services that kept the customer returning to the independent reseller instead of heading down the pureplay e-commerce route. Perhaps it will lead to an acceleration in Amazon’s market share as it probably does the basics better than any other company.

With far fewer independent dealers in existence, I also find it interesting there are still three major wholesalers – Spicers, VOW and Exertis Supplies. Notwithstanding their own internal customers (VOW with Banner and Complete, and Spicers with OfficeTeam), one wonders how sustainable this position will be going forward.

WHAT NEXT?

I believe we are in for a period of relative stability as EVO, OfficeTeam, RAJA and Lyreco settle into their new competitive positions. There may be smaller bolt-on

Resellers need to seek new categories to replace declining office products and will not necessarily discover a full offering from the traditional wholesalers. It is time to think about how to broaden the product list using a range of manufacturers and an appropriate ordering platform that funnels orders to the relevant vendor.

Those aligning a “limitless” business supplies offering with their own delivery vans while paying massive attention to customer service can succeed. Ultimately, most clients just want someone to handle all the “stuff” that gets in the way of them doing business and they will still pay for it, especially if it is a one-stop-shop.

It has been a fascinating few years. Let’s see what happens next!

Robert Baldrey has almost 40 years’ experience in the business supplies industry. His consultancy firm specialises in strategy, value creation, turnaround and transformation. Baldrey will be speaking at the upcoming OPI European Forum in Amsterdam. Visit opi.net for more information

There does seem to be a gap for a well-managed reseller to focus on servicing the more individual needs of the SME market

The higher you climb…

Workplace360 assesses the takeover by EVO of the country’s largest independent dealer, Complete Business Solutions, which collapsed into administration at the start of the year.

By Andy Braithwaite

The rise of Complete Business Solutions (CBS) to become the UK’s largest independent office products dealer was a meteoric one. By the end of 2019, following a series of acquisitions that had included well-known names such as Anglo, Bluefish, Irongate, Office Gold, Quality and SET, annualised runrate sales were approximately £150 million.

The Warrington-based firm heralded the completion of the first phase of the build-out of its footprint. The company then said it was embarking on a period of consolidation to fully integrate the acquired businesses under the CBS brand. The goal, using its regional hubs, was to create a fully electric national delivery platform.

Sales originally sank to just 35% of their prepandemic levels, albeit they recovered, trending at 75% later on that year before the second lockdown. Revenue was again soft for much of 2021 before returning somewhat in the final four months of the year.

To be fair to CBS CEO Richard Coulson and his senior management team, they took a number of steps to address the situation following the onset of COVID. These included reducing the permanent headcount by around 25% and closing several sites.

Looking at 2022’s results, revenue was back up to approximately £110 million, almost in line with 2019, although below expectations. The business was still profitable, with a gross profit margin of above 36% and adjusted EBITDA of more than £3 million.

The issues were with the relatively high fixed-cost base – that included about 20 regional locations and more than 200 leased vehicles as of the end of 2021 –and the servicing of the debt obligations. Unfortunately for CBS, it was unable to secure a refinancing deal and was forced to ask EY to commence an accelerated sale process in mid-December 2022.

DID PARAGON MISS OUT?

There is some surprise in industry circles that Paragon did not acquire CBS. Its OT Group subsidiary has publicly stated it is looking to double the top line to £300 million by the end of 2025.

It was a roll-up business model dependent on invoice financing to service debt. This was fine in a period of growth, but vulnerable to a slowdown to the top line –which is exactly what happened in early 2020 as the UK went into COVID-enforced lockdown mode.

A large chunk of that growth clearly has to come from M&A, and landing CBS would have helped it get significantly closer to its goal. In addition, Paragon has a history of acquiring distressed businesses, so CBS would have fit snugly into its playbook.

There is some surprise in industry circles that Paragon did not acquire CBS

At the same time, EVO was in the box seat when it came to negotiating a package with the administrators. VOW was CBS’s single largest trade creditor; adding in the sum due to sister company Premier Vanguard, and the amount owed came to more than £4.1 million.

The risk EVO faced was not only having to write off that bad debt, but also seeing one of its largest customers end up in the hands of a major competitor. By buying CBS – the transaction closed on 9 January –the debt presumably gets transformed into goodwill on the balance sheet and there is now an opportunity to add meaningful revenue to the top line.

CBS was officially acquired by EVO’s Banner brand. This addition now makes Banner the largest dedicated business supplies reseller in the country, with annual sales of more than £260 million (based on the latest available figures) – slightly ahead of Lyreco.

MID-MARKET BATTLEGROUND

Even if Banner is unable to maintain CBS’s revenue at its 2022 level (some attrition always occurs following acquisitions), it puts it neck and neck with Lyreco and some distance ahead of OT Group’s OfficeTeam, the other major contract stationer. There is now the

prospect of a battle in the SMB mid-market space between Banner and its French-owned rival as Lyreco puts more resources into this customer segment.

However, before this can happen, EVO will have to get the CBS house in order. While the group initially hailed the saving of more than 600 jobs following the acquisition, there is a consensus that CBS’s cost base will have to be reduced.

Whether EVO will dismantle the CBS model remains to be seen. The concept of a totally electric delivery fleet able to serve customers nationally, but with a strong regional presence, is a good one on paper. It was just that this platform hit the rocks during the COVID downturn – freed from the shackles of debt, it might have a chance.

For more thoughts on the current state of the reseller market, read The only constant is change on page 22.

There is a consensus that CBS’s cost base will have to be reduced

Environmentally aware

Beeswift has launched Envirowear, a range of recyclable workwear. Workplace360 spoke to the company’s Chief Commercial Officer Darren Washbourne to find out more...

The PPE, safety and workwear industry faces a sustainability issue, with millions of items headed for landfill or incineration every year. Now Beeswift, a manufacturer and wholesaler of PPE and technical workwear, has taken a leap forward in breaking away from the traditional model of take-make-waste with the launch of its first line of workwear designed for the circular economy.

The company recognised the issue and has spent around a year developing the Envirowear high-vis protective clothing range with circular textiles firm Plan B. Beeswift Chief Commercial Officer Darren Washbourne believes the industrial workwear market in general needs to up the ante in terms of sustainability, but that high-vis presents a particular challenge. “Due to the usage of the garments, they get torn and dirty, and the minute this happens to the reflective tape, they are no longer technically ‘high-vis’.”

As a result, the disposal rate is scary. To put it into context, every year in the UK alone, around 40 million workwear garments are issued, with 90% ending up in landfill or incinerators.

VISIBLE SUSTAINABILITY

Says Washbourne: “As an industry leader, Beeswift has a responsibility to make the move from a linear system towards a closed loop model. To achieve this, we worked collaboratively with Plan B to design the Envirowear

90% PERCENTAGE OF WORKWEAR THAT ENDS UP IN LANDFILL OR INCINERATORS

range, and because of this partnership, Beeswift has subsequently joined the Circular Textiles Foundation.”

The result is a high-vis clothing line which is breathable, moisture-wicking, tested to 50 washes and 100% recycled and recyclable. Envirowear can also be fully customised with company branding. The current selection includes high-vis fluorescent yellow and orange combat trousers, short- and long-sleeved polo shirts, crew-neck t-shirts and a sweatshirt. There are plans to evolve and expand the range over time.

The clothing and accessories are manufactured from Global Recycled Standard (GRS)-certified rPET (recycled polyester). At the end of a garment’s life, it is returned and recycled back into rPET to be used again in a closed loop system.

COMING FULL CIRCLE

The trick, of course, is ensuring any items from the Envirowear range are collected or returned for recycling to fulfil the closed loop requirements. This, says Washbourne, is the most critical factor. “As Envirowear and the recycling process are so unique, the clothing needs to be returned or sent to the approved recycling plant. There are multiple ways of achieving this.

“Each product carries a QR code, issued by the Circular Textiles Foundation, which details what to do with the item at its end of life. We realise many businesses already have waste management agreements, so Beeswift

40 million NUMBER OF WORKWEAR GARMENTS ISSUED EVERY YEAR IN THE UK

will work with dealers and their end users to facilitate a solution. Another option is to use third parties for the collection of the clothing. There’s always a workaround and Beeswift is happy to have those conversations.”

Pursuing a closed loop manufacturing model comes at a premium and Envirowear is around 30% more expensive than non-recyclable high-vis clothing. For many customers, such as local authorities, central government and blue chip companies, the benefits will outweigh the cost.

If you think it’s likely to present a challenge talking directly to the purchasing department, then try going via the head of sustainability or environmental management to get buy-in.”

PROVIDING PROTECTION

Envirowear clothing is compliant with all necessary workwear legislation. This, notes Washbourne, means that while dealers should possess some basic understanding of a particular product in terms of what it’s used for and what it does, they don’t necessarily need to know health and safety regulations.

“Every item we manufacture or sell must meet a certain level of protection and comply with legislation. It’s important to note end users purchasing workwear and safety gear will already have undertaken key risk assessments and specified their requirements.

“However, resellers need to ensure their partners within the supply chain are stringent enough to provide the appropriate product, compliant to the correct specification. For anyone wanting to gain more market and product knowledge on PPE, safety equipment, workwear, etc, Beeswift can facilitate training at its Birmingham-based headquarters.”

States Washbourne: “Envirowear will tick the environmental and circular economy boxes for many users, and this will only increase as time goes on. Needless to say, if customers aren’t interested in sustainability, it’s unlikely they’ll pay the extra.

Envirowear will tick the environmental and circular economy boxes for many users, and this will only increase as time goes on

The circular process

How much Envirowear saves on carbon emissions (C02e)

Envirowear high-vis workwear

Picture courtesy of Beeswift

Picture courtesy of Beeswift

Staying safe & secure

Safety, security and workwear are categories that enjoyed a bump from the pandemic, but where are they heading now?

By Bruce Ackland

The pandemic-driven pressure for PPE thrust the safety and workwear category into the spotlight like never before. Employers suffered the dual issue of meeting government guidelines and making employees feel comfortable and secure in the workplace. Now the massive need for face masks, for example, has subsided and the country is back to ‘normal’, what does the marketplace for safety and workwear products look like?

Clearly, the strength of sales for certain subcategories rides on the back of economic waves as sectors such as construction wax and wane due to the appetite for big infrastructure and building projects. But,

565,000

Number of people who sustained an injury at work, according to the Labour Force Survey

Source: HSE Health and Safety at Work – Summary Statistics for Great Britain 2022

the underlying requirement for safety and workwear items touches every aspect of the working environment –from the premises people work in, to the clothing they wear, and every sign they read.

Moreover, the increased tightening of workplace health and safety regulations supports continued demand for related products and apparatus as, legally, businesses must put measures in place to protect staff and avoid major fines.

Peter Clayton, Sales and Marketing Director for wholesaler Centurion Europe, says: “The commercial sector, along with construction and heavy industry, are the biggest users of safety equipment and supplies. However, all organisations – multinational, national or SMB – assume equal responsibilities to ensure the health and safety of employees, visitors and other persons on site.

“This means the opportunity is sizeable, with the general safety supplies and equipment market alone worth around £1.2 billion in the UK,” he adds.

PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY

So how significant is the opportunity for dealers right now? D3 Office Group Managing Director Martin Shaw says the market represents around 10% of his current business but is rising. “We have plans to increase this to around 15% within the next two years. Clothing for uniforms – including polo shirts, fleeces, sweatshirts, etc – is a notably strong area for us, as we do all the production work in-house.”

According to Office Friendly, its members have actively diversified into safety and workwear over the

past few years and the dealer group has added several specialist suppliers to its portfolio. The safety, PPE and workwear categories have seen significant growth states Purchasing Manager Simon Webb, and dealers have sought to acquire knowledge and resources to aid this activity.

“Some [dealers] have invested in equipment to provide an end-to-end service for their customers, such is the interest and development in these areas.”

UP TO SPEED

With safety and workwear rapidly becoming a clear diversification target for dealers, how easy is it to pivot and get up to speed in areas that revolve around standards and legislation? There are many available options – from picking the brains of manufacturers and wholesalers and sending staff for training to hiring specialist salespeople.

Shaw sheds some light on the topic: “Talking to suppliers is often the best way of acquiring information and education, particularly regarding safety regulations. The Portwest catalogue, for example, is especially useful as it highlights the items required for use in a specific environment.”

Flipping to the sales side, Shaw believes if you have a good relationship with existing clients, then adding safety, security and workwear products to the basket from a reputable brand is an easy conversation to have. More to the point, he adds, it becomes a straightforward decision for customers to make.

Webb agrees with Shaw’s assessment of utilising any training on offer as an ideal way to gain any

relevant information, providing the confidence to answer end user questions when they are looking to purchase products in these categories. A quick win in the knowledge stakes, he notes, is to sign up with the UK government’s Health and Safety Executive for regular free updates.

Office Friendly Sales Director Alex Stone states that, in his experience, most resellers train their salespeople when entering a new category to capture opportunities and work closely with trusted supply partners to win business.

“This tends to get them to a certain level and, when appropriate, they’ll either make a significant investment in an existing salesperson to transition them into a specialist, or they’ll hire a category expert to elevate their presence, relationship or understanding of the sector.”

He adds: “Office Friendly also offers a tried and tested seven-phase diversification strategy which we implement with our members. The ‘X stage’ process includes helping dealers to understand the opportunity, supplier reviews, sales and marketing planning, and product and solutions training.”

61,713

Number of injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR

Source: HSE Health and Safety at Work – Summary

Statistics for Great Britain 2022

The commercial sector, along with construction and heavy industry, are the biggest users of safety equipment and supplies

SAFETY UNDERFOOT

Safety footwear is a high-performing product subcategory, with around seven million pairs sold every year in the UK. Workplace360 spoke to Rock Fall Company Director Richard Noon to find out more about selling into this space.

Workplace360: What are the openings for resellers in safety footwear?

Richard Noon: Reselling safety boots and shoes presents a great opportunity for those looking to enter the workwear market. As workplace regulations continue to be reviewed and more businesses recognise the need for PPE, the demand for this footwear keeps on growing.

Additionally, as safety footgear is required by law for many industries, there’s a captive audience of potential customers running alongside a consistent market for resellers to forge long-standing relationships.

W360: How can resellers start in the category?

RN: They should acquire a thorough understanding of the industry, the regulations surrounding safety footwear and the needs of their potential customers. Developing relationships with businesses in fields that require safety footwear will dramatically help to drive sales and sell-through products. It will also provide a better understanding of what each customer and sector needs.

Vendors such as Rock Fall offer comprehensive training packages on products, standards and industry insights. Resellers should lean on their manufacturing partners to gain knowledge rapidly.

W360: Who are ‘typical’ safety footwear customers?

RN: They include those in industries such as construction, manufacturing, transportation and utilities. However, what is frequently forgotten is that hospitality and postal workers and warehouse employees must wear protective footwear.

W360: Is there anything related to selling safety footwear resellers need to be aware of?

RN: It’s not just a case of having a steel toecap anymore. Resellers should be familiar with the different types of safety footwear available as the industry has moved on and the rate of development and innovation has increased dramatically.

At Rock Fall, for example, we’ve just launched the Iris boot into the market – the first women-specific safety boot with internal metatarsal protection. It has been crafted specifically around a woman’s foot shape and is a product many of our resellers have asked to be manufactured for a long time.

Other aspects to take notice of are industry-specific regulations and standards. With changes to the certifications on the horizon, it is an area which needs scrutinising closely to avoid compliance errors.

W360: What are the latest product innovations?

RN: The obvious ones include lighter and more comfortable materials. Rock Fall has also introduced anti-fatigue and ergonomic designs, which can reduce strain on the feet and legs.

Sustainable footwear has taken the industry by storm since we first used recycled materials in 2020. We are now in the latter stages of launching environmentally friendly plant-based products using algae, bamboo and eucalyptus.

Rock Fall Company Director Richard Noon

HOT TICKETS

The security sub-category incorporating items such as safes and alarms has traditionally sat on the periphery of the workplace supplies offering. Now, with the adaptation and rejigging of the workplace during and post-pandemic, it has created the chance to further delve and expand into new areas like access control and storage facilities. VOW Wholesale, for example, offers video doorbells and alarm systems for both office and home use.

Hybrid working has facilitated the need for businesses to ensure employees have access to secure storage for personal belongings when in the workplace. Here, Bisley’s range of next-generation lockers springs to mind. Meanwhile, hotdesking, according to ExaClair UK Marketing Manager Lawrence Savage, has produced a demand for office products which provide secure storage and assist with GDPR compliance.

“Many companies are understandably looking to maximise space by investing in more adaptable surroundings, such as modular desk units and accessories, which incorporate a greater element of safeguarding against security issues. This has resulted in the rising popularity of our lockable Modulo filing units. In contrast to many alternative drawer sets, these merely require one turn of the key to lock all the drawers at once, thus allowing sensitive documents to be stored securely.”

Safety signage is another ‘hot ticket’ area that continues to benefit from the pandemic-induced boost. While the social distancing signs found everywhere during the COVID-19 crisis have all but disappeared from

most buildings and locations, there is still ample need for the supply of health and safety signage.

The UK’s regulatory landscape lends itself to an active signage market. As Stewart Superior Managing Director Geoffrey Betts points out, the country is “obsessed” with health and safety to a level never adopted in mainland Europe. “We have signs saying ‘please read the signs!’ but this does mean it is a growing market and an area that continues to perform well for us.”

Traditional OP manufacturer Durable is also gaining traction in this arena, and one of its best-performing sub-categories is now wall signage. “Our hero product is Duraframe,” Durable UK Marketing Manager Sam Ryland told Workplace360, adding: “It’s versatile and can be used to protect people and assets in a huge variety of ways – from reminders to wash your hands to highlighting high-voltage hazards.”

CONTINUOUS ADVANCEMENT

Innovation and multifaceted solutions are key to the success of the safety, security and workwear categories, and there is a constant and substantial investment in design and development from industry leaders.

£18.8 billion

Estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions

Source: HSE Health and Safety at Work – Summary Statistics for Great Britain 2022

36.8 million

Number of working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury – Great Britain 2021/22

Source: HSE Health and Safety at Work – Summary Statistics for Great Britain 2022

We have signs saying ‘please read the signs!’ but this does mean it is a growing market

Take Bollé Safety, for example. A world leader in eye protection, the company recently launched a platform enabling users and distributors to customise two of its bestselling brands – Rush+ and Silex+.

This new service, accessible directly through the company’s website, enables the creation of 100% personalised safety glasses in a few clicks. According to Bollé, it is the first player to market with such an indepth platform for unique branded glasses. Bollé Safety VP Anne-Sophie François says: “The implementation of this new personalisation platform offers a double advantage for companies – improving the visibility of their brand and increasing employee loyalty.”

Manufacturer and wholesaler of PPE and technical workwear Beeswift has just launched three new clothing collections as part of its latest innovations. The Flex range offers high-performance four-way stretch fabric; Deltic high-vis outerwear is made from a specialist ripstop fabric for longevity with high abrasion resistance and durability; and Envirowear is a sustainable selection of high-vis clothing (read Environmentally aware on page 26 for more information on Envirowear).

reaching $15.5 billion in global sales by 2030.

ExaClair is already making investments in this area, as Savage explains: “Wearable equipment that connects to the internet or other devices and can help track employee movements, enhance communications and monitor health and safety concerns, is predicted to drive the requirement for smart PPE. We’ve been responding to this by expanding our range of luggage to feature additional benefits such as secure laptop compartments and USB charging ports.”

Footwear and head protection gear are other categories where smart PPE is expected to drive subsequent growth. Beeswift Chief Commercial Officer Darren Washbourne comments: “Smart footwear and head protection providing data around posture, working locations/zones – especially supporting lone working –well-being, activity and emergency support, is a key area for the future. Watch this space.”

Smart footwear and head protection providing data [...] is a key area for the future. Watch this space

From integrating recycled consumer plastics to bamboo and leather from responsible sources, staying one step ahead is what we do.

Making your business shine in a digital world

Explore the key elements of developing a digital brand

The way B2B companies approach their target audience is changing. To keep up, it’s essential to build a strong digital brand. The first step is understanding that a business is a brand. Even the quoteunquote lack of having a brand is, in itself, a brand. To be intentional about the way in which customers see you, set the brand tone yourself. When kicking off with clients, Highlands works alongside them to review or build from scratch their mission, values and goals. We want the brand to reflect what they stand for as well as communicate their unique value proposition to existing users and potential prospects.

PINPOINTING YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

A brand should speak to the target audience –those you want to reach through any marketing activity. It’s important to note this group cannot be everybody, and by trying to attract everyone, you’ll likely appeal to no one. Think about who your customers are today and if they’re generally

Liz Bateman is Creative Director at sales and marketing agency Highlands

a good fit for the company. It’s a combination of business type, size and geography. If you want to shift the type of clientele you work with, this is a great exercise in defining what the new target market might be.

MAKING IT WORK FOR DIGITAL PLATFORMS

In the digital age, it’s not enough to have a notable brand; it must also be effective for digital platforms and be consistent across all channels, including websites, social media and advertising campaigns. A strong digital brand should be easily recognisable and memorable, making it effortless for prospective customers to connect with your organisation.

More often than not, the company logo needs amending so it can translate into a profile picture, easily fits at the top of a website without taking up too much real estate, works as a favicon (or small browser/website brand icon), etc. Remember, an update does not necessarily need to mean a complete change – think of it more as modernisation.

In the world of digital marketing, more is more. Right now, ‘dopamine design’ and motion graphics are trending. Dopamine design refers to the use of colours, images and other elements to trigger positive emotions and encourage engagement. Motion graphics – such

as animations and videos – can help bring a brand to life and make it more memorable and appealing to the target market.

BRAND BRAVERY

To genuinely stand out, there must be ‘brand bravery’. This means being authentic, real and fast. You shouldn’t be afraid to take risks and be distinct from your competitors – in fact, this is actively encouraged!

Additionally, a brand needs to be swift on its feet, meaning it’s got to be capable of rapidly adapting to changes in the market and responding to customer needs in real time. Does your target audience devote a lot of time to TikTok and YouTube, for example? Then move quickly to be on those platforms to reach people where they are spending their time.

BRAND HEART

One of the most critical aspects of establishing a digital brand is recognising what it represents. It is the brand’s heart – reflecting the values and mission, and representing the driving force behind all digital marketing efforts. This is what sets you apart from competitors and helps connect with customers on a deeper level.

It should also influence ESG/CSR (environmental, social and governance/corporate

social responsibility) initiatives. Namely, considering the impact your company has on the environment, society and the economy, and taking steps to minimise negative effects and maximise positive ones.

By doing this, you not only deliver a meaningful mark on the world but also demonstrate a commitment to responsible business practices – all of which help in building a strong and positive brand.

DON’T SET IT AND FORGET IT

This is a constantly developing process. It isn’t a one-and-done deal. A brand is living and breathing and should be continuously evolving –for the better – over time. Once the branding is in place, all content needs to reflect the brand and meet best-in-class standards across every platform it appears.

A website remains the cornerstone of a digital marketing platform (an electronic company brochure) and keeping content updated and relevant across all digital touchpoints is critical.

How many times have you visited a website and clicked on the News tab and the last post was from four years ago? Don’t be ‘that guy’! That’s why, when engaging with clients, we align ourselves as partners, delivering new ideas and fresh content on a continual basis.

To genuinely stand out, there must be ‘brand bravery’. This means being authentic, real and fast

Doing the homework on homeworking

By Bruce Ackland

On 23 March 2020, the UK government announced staying at home as one of its key tactics for containing the spread of COVID-19. In September, then Prime Minister Boris Johnson encouraged everyone to start returning to their workplaces, only to rescind this call two weeks later and tell everyone to work from home (WFH) again as the second wave of the pandemic took hold.

Fast forward to January 2022, and the WFH guidance was lifted as part of plans for “living with COVID”. But that wasn’t the end of the story as the idea of splitting work between home and the office had thoroughly taken hold – with a good percentage of employees preferring the flexible, hybrid working option.

Naturally, this has had a significant negative effect on the business supplies industry as sales into the office environment fell and have not completely recovered. On the bright side, the initial WFH and subsequent workfrom-anywhere scenarios have presented opportunities to service this new era of work.

HOW THINGS STAND

A recent survey by digital agency Embryo found that 30% of full-time UK employees are utilising a hybrid working schedule. This figure is higher in London (36.2%) and the South West (35.3%). The industries most likely to provide flexibility are those in the business and professional services sector, with recruitment and HR (55.6%) topping the list, followed by marketing/ advertising/PR (53.8%) and public services (49%).

In addition, research from Quocirca on returning to work revealed 32% of people expect to be fully remote, 35% to be working in a hybrid manner, and 33% to be fully in the office. Mid-market organisations (500-999 employees) see a slightly higher number of people working full-time in the office at 36%, while this figure sits at 31% for large firms (1,000+ employees).

So what effect has all this had on the current state of the business supplies sector? ACCO Brands Regional Marketing Director UK & Ireland Elisabete Wells says: “Now companies are firming up working arrangements, many employees are intent on setting up or improving their home office.

“The types of products they need range widely from furniture such as desks and chairs to essential equipment like laptop risers, keyboards and filing solutions. Some personnel are sticking to the basics, while others are exploring more advanced lines in ergonomics and videoconferencing.”

It’s a similar story at Fellowes Brands. Ergonomic products are increasing in popularity and there is a growing desire for comfort at home. The company’s Country Head UK & Ireland Darryl Brunt explains: “Ergonomic solutions and desk accessories like laptop risers, footrests and wrist supports continue to be in high demand.

“Over the past few months, we’ve witnessed dramatic growth in orders for monitor arms as employers are beginning to realise the increase in productivity gained by working with dual monitors.”

Working from home is here to stay and so are the products and opportunities for resellers.

While the product range for homeworkers may mimic those found in a workplace environment, there are some fundamental shifts in design to ensure they fit in better with domestic areas. Wells notes: “A common thread for products now is a focus on design. Since many are purchased by employees directly for use within their home, these solutions need to look nicer and be more stylish than those typically found in the office.”

Space remains an issue for many at-home workers, especially those without a dedicated home office or study. As a result, purchases are leaning more towards lightweight and compact items for easy storage. Wells believes this trend will continue for some time, as staff are now beginning to upgrade the equipment they may have hastily purchased to help them through the initial phase of the COVID crisis.

GOING MOBILE

Mobility represents a key feature of hybrid working and has led to an increased focus on providing product ranges adapted to the movement of people between their homes and where they choose to work. This has been at the forefront of design for Fellowes Brands, as Brunt explains: “This new era has greatly influenced our product development for 2023, with a range of intuitive solutions for the mobile worker.

“The design brief was to create products to meet the requirements of ‘everywhere’ working. This includes locations ranging from corporate offices and hotdesking to coffee shops, hotel foyers, trains, space at home and dozens of other environments.”

As hybrid working becomes the norm for many companies, Managing Director of wholesaler JGBM John George believes it has created real opportunities for dealers: “The original inception of WFH was inevitably a somewhat rushed affair, with employees frequently using their personal equipment in the home. Now, of course, it’s a much more formalised approach.”

Three years on since the start of the pandemic, WFH and hybrid working have caused a ‘swings and roundabouts’ effect for dealers. Office Friendly Managing Director Jeanette Bresitz states: “It’s evident people have adapted their ways of working and the consumption of everyday consumables has greatly reduced as a consequence.

“However, many categories are still growing. SOHO furniture, for example, particularly sit-stand desks with their wellness benefits, or desktop and personal technology designed to provide the most effective use in online communication.

“Where companies have adopted a hybrid working strategy, some tech products need to be flexible and compact enough to be moved effortlessly and securely between the home and the office. The category is also beginning to benefit from the replacement of items originally taken from the workplace to the home at the start of the government stay-at-home mandate in 2020. This includes seating, monitors, mice, headsets… the list goes on and on.”

Furniture represents a key consideration among employees still based solely or partially at home. An interesting development is how tastes have changed since 2020. Dams Marketing and Design Manager Simon Howorth says when WFH first began, the company sold more of its budget office chairs.

Gradually, over the past three years, he believes people have begun to appreciate the value and importance of an ergonomic office chair to help prevent bad posture and back issues. “The difference is the realisation that ergonomic chairs are a longterm investment for their health,” he adds.

Dams expects recent growth related to the home office furniture market to continue to increase throughout 2023. This, Howorth says, provides options for dealers to address the needs of WFH employees with compact, quality furniture designed with ergonomics and well-being in mind. However, he notes, resellers should also offer sound advice on designing a healthy and productive homeworking environment, with people’s circumstances and space limitations in mind.

FIGURING IT OUT

Although opportunities exist product-wise for the WFH and hybrid working era, it hasn’t been an easy ride for many resellers to shift operations to cater to this emerging market. According to Office Friendly’s Bresitz, the biggest challenge is encouraging customers to communicate with

The design brief was to create products to meet the requirements of ‘everywhere’ working

employees regarding available dealer services. “This is where coordinating with the client contract owner and their communications team come into play, with a joint messaging plan to share log-in details, training and what service the users can expect. All of this will help to prevent leakage.”

As Fellowes Brands Brunt comments, it’s crucial to eliminate the hard work for clients in determining the most appropriate WFH products. He also makes the point that a dealer’s website should be easy to navigate, rich in product content and inclusive of clever marketing tricks to maximise the value of the basket.

“Ensure the content is right, get found, build reviews and make purchasing the product easy. And lastly, customer service is more important than ever – make sure promises are kept and appreciation of the business is clearly communicated,” he states.

Logistically speaking, both Brunt and JGBM’s George suggest domestic deliveries need to be included as an essential part of a dealer’s arsenal. George believes it shouldn’t be an issue for dealers to replicate the service customers receive from online platforms. “For instance, direct B2B/B2C drop-ship deliveries with end-user tracking has increased significantly for JGBM,” he says.

With WFH and hybrid working here to stay, George says resellers are readily seizing the possibilities, with many now offering complete kit bundles for the home office. “Some independent dealers have even brought in assessors to provide a complete end-to-end solution for customers,” he adds.

THE ZOOM BOOM

One of the runaway winners of the WFH guidance brought about by the pandemic has been videoconferencing, in particular Zoom.

While videoconferencing was nothing new, it rapidly became the de facto method of communication for work meetings as employees were forced to stay at home during the coronavirus crisis. Even with the onset of hybrid working, many companies have kept it as their primary meeting environment.

Although there are plenty of web conferencing tools available, a look at some of the statistics for the current penetration of Zoom into the working world is astonishing. The number of annual meeting minutes on Zoom is now over 3.3 trillion, with 45 billion minutes of webinars hosted on the platform every year and 300 million daily participants.

As a result, suppliers offering web-based communication tools have witnessed robust sales from virtual meeting accessories. ACCO Brands, for example, is witnessing a major uptick in demand for its Kensington Professional Video Conferencing solutions, including webcams, headsets, flexible mounting options and ring lights.

ACCO Brands Regional Marketing Director UK & Ireland Elisabete Wells says: “Videoconferencing has transitioned from a temporary solution to a pandemic-necessitated issue and now into a permanent fixture of professional communication. Many employees are looking to upgrade their videoconferencing equipment as a result.”

It shouldn’t represent an issue for dealers to replicate the service customers receive from online platforms

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Reducing risks

Workplace360 looks the issue of print security in a hybrid world with Brother UK General Manager Terry Caulfield

There have been scores of downright scary stories in the media over the past few years regarding cybersecurity breaches. They have ranged from phishing attempts to large corporations paying vast sums of money after being held hostage by ransomware demands. While most people view such attacks as the fault of someone caught unawares and clicking on a dodgy email link – which is generally the case – few think of the vulnerability of printers.

In early 2020, as the government mandate to stay at home took hold, there was a surge in printer buying, mostly SOHO devices. As Brother UK General Manager Terry Caulfield notes, this means many printers were bought as a matter of urgency and were customarily not in line with standard corporate purchasing policies in terms of specifications.

“Those devices are still being used and have created somewhat of a headache for IT departments. It has moved print security up the stack in terms of concern.”

PLUGGING THE HOLES

In terms of data security, modern printers encrypt data transmitted to devices and secure the link. “That’s not to say there isn’t a risk of the data being intercepted and decoded, but it’s incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to do with today’s level of encryption,” states Caulfield. IoT printers, for example, may have a direct link to the internet, providing a stepping stone for cybercriminals to control computers and launch other attacks inside an organisation’s network. Older devices present particular vulnerabilities such as hardwired passwords, but often on newer models, default printer manufacturer settings are left unchanged.

Caulfield says it’s possible to target a printer that has an open IP address and potentially through open ports. “However, print vendors incorporate security features to detect breaches, such as denial of service attacks, with technology such as intruder detection helping to mitigate any problems. There are plenty of other builtin security features, including print release functions and user authentication using a PIN code or near-field communication card. But, they do rely on them actually being activated.”

With the permanence of hybrid working, one secure print environment option for IT departments to consider for the homeworker is a cloud solution. This offers

several benefits, says Caulfield, for instance, reducing reliance on a local connection between computers and the printer. It also provides a modicum of assurance and control for monitoring and measuring print behaviour outside the office.

ZERO-TRUST

Importantly, notes Caulfield, cloud printing is more aligned with the principle of ‘zero-trust’. In other words, don’t trust the device. Ideally, utilising functions such as user authentication to release print jobs minimises vulnerabilities. According to IDC, 50% of organisations are looking to include printing within a zero-trust security network.

Cloud printing is a burgeoning market. Brother, for example, has partnered with Kofax which acquired Printix, a cloud-based SaaS print management software provider. The beauty of the cloud, explains Caulfield, is that all businesses can take advantage of the in-built security features: “SMBs typically use managed service providers – which is a growing area in our industry – as they don’t necessarily possess the expertise to run the IT infrastructure.

“By using the cloud, smaller companies are provided with enterprise-grade services featuring similar levels of security corporates enjoy.”

A CLOUDY FUTURE

He believes moving print to the cloud will continue to grow in popularity and replace a number of on-premises systems over time. Newcomers to the market - like Printix - lead the charge in cloud printing subscriptions.

In terms of channel partners selling such services, demand is growing fast, according to Caulfield, and there’s a great opportunity to provide end users with print device licences rather than single-user licences. “There’s little doubt the print landscape is heading in this direction and will become another cloud service add-on within managed print contracts,” he concludes.

Brother UK General Manager Terry Caulfield

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Find time to grow

Training should be time well spent and make good business sense

The role of dealer groups is simple in theory: assist members in growing sales and increasing profitability. Everyone wants to sell more, and if this can be done at a greater margin, then what is there to stand in the way of world domination? Time.

Be honest, we have all used the excuse (and usually, it is an excuse rather than a reason) of “not enough time”, but it should not be left at that. Questions need to be asked. Why is there not enough time if the task at hand is vital in achieving your goals? Is it time management? Unnecessarily time-consuming marketing? Cumbersome administrative processes? Probably a combination of them all.

The key message is to find the time to effectively expand your business – without working longer hours. It means working smarter, shifting your mindset and subscribing to an alternative view of time. In one of his finest moments as Doctor Who, David Tennant said: “People assume that time is a strict progression from cause to effect, but actually from a nonlinear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, time-y wimey stuff.”

Unlike the Doctor, we cannot manipulate the ‘time-y wimey’ stuff to introduce time travel, but here is the next best thing – quality, relevant and effective training to win dealers time to focus on their business.

USING TIME WISELY

Our industry has traditionally underinvested in educating personnel, failing to translate the time and cost paid into significantly improved working practices. When people hear the word ‘training’,

heads instinctively drop and thoughts turn to a young trainer who looks like they are straight out of school, with no frontline work experience, presenting you with a bunch of tips from the sales book of the bleeding obvious.

“Great. Thanks. I know all that, but as soon as I’ve finished this course, I’ll be back at my desk catching up on the emails I have missed and making up for the time lost while you have been talking to me.”

We know this to be the case because we have all been there, seen it and got the T-shirt. Undoubtedly, there are useful nuggets to be found in this style of coaching.

Our own team has been on courses, and members have attended professional, globally qualified sales workshops. The feedback? It was good, but I don’t have the time to follow up. That magic word once again!

At this point, you can imagine the training coaches tearing their hair out in frustration. Understandable because they know what is being taught is right and they fail to understand the non-reaction. They do not appreciate the manic working day of the typical business products dealer and cannot empathetically overcome the ‘I don’t have time’ barrier presented to them.

OVERLOOKED OPPORTUNITIES

As you would expect, there are plenty of marketing tools available and sources of supply to break into new categories and offer customers hundreds of thousands of products. If a dealer, however, is too bogged down in the everyday activity of running a company, then the opportunity is being overlooked. This is where the training requirements arise.

To use Nemo Office Club as an example, we recently launched a training programme to address this issue. The course focuses on key areas and mirrors the core support objective for independent dealers – finding the time to grow.

Alan Calder is Marketing Manager at Nemo Office Club

Available to members, the content is tightly focused on their business and has been developed by a team with over 120 years of combined industry know-how. It is headed by our Group Training Lead, Nick Wilkinson, who has 30 years’ experience managing both sales and operational teams, and has created and delivered training for the likes of Spicers and Highlands Europe.

Focused training in the right areas is a game changer for dealers

The specific modules are not about telling dealers how to run their business – we would never be so bold – but do provide advice, current ideas and processes, and introduce best practice from our and other industries.

It is all too easy to get set in our ways and make decisions based on ease and speed rather than necessity. Before you know it, you are on the conveyer belt of routine without any time to pause and reflect on whether you are doing the right thing. The seminars are about challenging that routine and suggesting different ways of working. Most importantly, there is a follow-up with attendees of the course to review how the changes implemented have impacted operations.

TIME FOR CHANGE

One of the modules, ‘Finding Time’, specifically looks at re-evaluating where time is currently spent in order to create the time to work on company growth. As Coco Chanel once said: “Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.” You need to move along and go searching for the door, and all signposts point towards relevant quality training.

To quote Nemo Office Club Managing Director Tim Beaumont: “Focused training in the right areas is a game changer for dealers. By putting time into planning, marketing and developing teams and systems, dealers will find sales and profitability quickly grow.

“In addition, new accounts will open, customer retention will improve, employees will perform better and staff turnover will be lower. All in all, a pretty good return for investing in the time to make time.”

Far be it from me to contradict a 900-yearold time traveller, but to us mere mortals, time is more than just a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, time-y wimey stuff. It is a dealer’s most valuable asset and finding time will help them to achieve more of what they are already good at – being a successful workplace solutions reseller.

This event was the ideal opportunity to highlight newly launched products, bring them off the catalogue page and into the hands of the people who will be selling them –Steve

A resounding success

VOW Wholesale’s first Amplify event was the perfect way to kick start 2023

VOW Wholesale’s Amplify event took place on 26 January at Elland Road Stadium in Leeds. Throughout an extremely packed day, in excess of 250 dealers met and interacted with more than 90 key exhibitors.

Over the course of the show, VOW Amplify provided its loyal customers with five hours of direct access to brands from the length and breadth of the workplace products supply chain, including headline sponsors Dettol Pro Solutions, 3M Post-it and ACCO Brands.

From the moment the doors opened, the atmosphere was buzzing. Resellers took advantage of the opportunity to receive product training and demonstrations from manufacturers and brands, along with the chance for one-on-one meetings with EVO and VOW’s senior management team.

Commenting on the exhibition, VOW Wholesale Managing Director Adrian Butler said: “This was our very first Amplify show, and I couldn’t be happier with it. It was brilliant to get so much face-to-face time with our valued suppliers and customers in a more informal

It was a great event and we had many positive conversations with the VOW team and dealers. The stand was consistently busy which was fantastic –Robin Barnes, Key Account Manager, Essity

Farrow, Sales Manager UK & Ireland, Snopake

VOW’s Amplify event was extremely positive and well worth attending. It enabled very efficient networking with customers and suppliers, plus the opportunity to engage with new products, both a rarity in the past couple of years

–Chris Armstrong, Commercial Projects Director, Office Power

setting than at previous events. The feedback we’ve received has been outstanding, which is testament to the hard work the team put into making this happen. I can’t wait for an even bigger and better VOW Amplify next year!”

To the delight of exhibitors and delegates, the host of the event was none other than TV legend Denise van Outen. With her roaming mic, the actress, singer, dancer and presenter, best known for appearing in TV shows such as The Big Breakfast, The Masked Singer and Gogglebox, provided entertaining – and informative –commentary for the day. She visited as many stands as possible, participated in live product demonstrations and conducted interviews with suppliers and customers. In fact, one interview was with Workplace360 CEO Steve Hilleard, who chose the event to reveal this new magazine to the industry. “We purposely selected VOW

Amplify to launch our Workplace360 magazine to the business products sector. It was a no-brainer with so many key vendors exhibiting from across the spectrum of the workplace supplies industry and the ability to reach hundreds of UK resellers all in one place.

“Being interviewed by Denise van Outen was a nice surprise and a fantastic way to promote the publication to everyone attending the event.”

Following a busy day of meet and greets, renewing acquaintances and forging new ones, all the exhibitors and attendees Workplace360 spoke to gave VOW Amplify a huge thumbs up.

Next, it was time for a fun social evening at The Flight Club in Leeds city centre. The venue was filled to capacity and provided the perfect backdrop for a night of relaxed networking with industry peers, darts playing and dancing, with music courtesy of a live band.

Quality conversations, identifying opportunities, commitments to action and a whole lot of laughs. What a fantastic event! – Daniel Balnave, Healthcare & Office Supplies Channel Manager, Nestlé Professional

Mixed reactions

Workplace360 gauges reaction to Messe Frankfurt’s Ambiente Working concept

Messe Frankfurt was understandably jubilant that buyers and suppliers could once again gather in person for its largest consumer goods fair, Ambiente (now co-located with Christmasworld and Creativeworld).

The event last took place in early February 2020, a year which was hit by the double whammy of the onset of COVID and Storm Ciara. In 2022, it was cancelled at the last minute due to the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant across Europe.

The organiser’s press release referred to a “sensational comeback” as its sold-out exhibition halls welcomed more than 4,561 exhibitors and 154,000 visitors from 170 countries. “Our new one-stopshop concept is working,” said Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board at Messe Frankfurt, citing the “overwhelming participation and tremendous nationality” at Ambiente 2023.

NOTICEABLY ABSENT

Hopax European Sales and Marketing Director Stuart Seymour was impressed with the size of the show, having participated at every Paperworld since 1998. “My main impression was the whole event was much bigger than I expected,” he told Workplace360, admitting that he was unsure what to think after seeing many familiar names from our sector were not exhibiting.

The lack of business products suppliers was also something noted by other attendees. “Some major players in our sector were missing which would have attracted more traffic to Hall 4.2,” stated Danny Berendsen, EMEA Sales Director at Bi-silque. “The pallet of manufacturers needs to be more diverse and complete for visitors to obtain a good ROI.”

This was echoed by Durable CEO Rolf Schifferens. “The absence of many companies from the sector was criticised by customers,” he noted. “An increase is therefore needed for the next Ambiente, otherwise a visit to the fair is not worthwhile from the customer’s point of view.”

ONE CONCEPT, TWO HALLS

From a workplace perspective, there were two main locations at Ambiente Working: Hall 4.2, which was dubbed ‘Office Heroes’, and Hall 3.1, where a Future of Work area also included a lecture programme around the theme of ‘new work’.

It was a setup that was not particularly appreciated. OPI Commercial Director Chris Exner described the layout in Hall 4.2 as “unstructured and chaotic”. This was likely due to the need to fill the space, resulting in suppliers from the hobby and craft sectors occupying booths to make up for the shortfall in business products vendors. He also lamented the lack of workplace suppliers in Hall 3.1, which largely comprised exhibitors from the homeware and furnishing segments.

Messe Frankfurt argues that “the workplace is increasingly merging into social places where interaction and social exchange take place”. However, there was a level of frustration that Ambiente Working was split between Halls 3.1 and 4.2. Frank Indenkämpen, Managing Director of Novus Dahle, described this as a “weak point” of the event.

“Ambiente Working must not be cut off from the Future of Work area. To motivate more manufacturers to exhibit, the office must be celebrated in all its aspects. This means ‘traditional’ product portfolios alongside concepts of new work and suppliers of furniture and technology – in one place. They all bring something to the table,” he said.

Schifferens agreed: “As exhibitors, we would like to see an improved concept for the Working section, including the merging of the Future of Work and Office Heroes spaces.”

GLASS HALF FULL

This is not to say that Ambiente Working was all doom and gloom for former Paperworld aficionados. Far from it, in fact. Georg Bettin, Managing Director of Acme United Europe, said the show had been “extremely good” for the company, with both the quantity and quality of visitors viewed as “excellent” despite former Paperworld customers only paying a fleeting visit or not attending at all.

The low number of competing exhibitors also provided Acme with something of a captive audience, boosting attendance to its stand. “I’m very happy we decided to give Ambiente a chance,” Bettin enthused, contrasting it with last year’s Insights-X show, which he described as “a disaster”.

Despite some criticism, Schifferens was also “satisfied”, noting the quality of the discussions was “good”, even if visitor numbers had been far below expectations. Indenkämpen said Novus Dahle had done “everything possible” to ensure its partners from around the world came to have a look at the new concept, confirming that all former visitors to Paperworld had attended. “The show itself was really good, with lots of visitors and packed halls – two things, as an exhibitor, you like to see,” he added.

Bi-silque tested the waters this year with an ‘express’ meeting point rather than a fully-fledged booth. Berendsen said meetings had been set up beforehand with visitors from Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia and South America.

“For these customers, Frankfurt is still the place to meet up with European manufacturers like Bi-silque so, from that point of view, it was very successful,” he said.

Seymour stated he was “very pleased” so many clients had visited the Hopax stand. He also pointed to potential new customers, although the leads to follow up were about half those of 2020.

“As always, however, the most important adage is quality, not quantity,” Seymour noted. “A high proportion

of the prospects are companies we had not met before, so the Ambiente fair clearly attracted many different visitors from diverse sales channels.”

KEEP AN OPEN MIND

The Hopax exec noted Ambiente had a distinctly different atmosphere from Paperworld and recognised Messe Frankfurt’s changes might not be appreciated by all. However, he suggested people should be understanding and keep an open mind – and will recommend the company attends again in 2024.

Indenkämpen is concerned that those who visited specifically for Ambiente Working in 2023 had a “disappointing first experience”, which might deter them from returning next year. “It is imperative more business products companies take part in the show in 2024 and realise this is a big chance to reinvent our industry,” he stated. “If this does not happen, the ‘office’ won’t have a real international podium anywhere in the future, which would be a shame.”

Berendsen agreed: “As an industry, we can have a great influence in making Ambiente a key event in the calendar. We must embrace it, as the requirement to meet and network once a year and see all products is still very high.”

The ball is therefore very much in Messe Frankfurt’s court as to how Ambiente Working is organised in 2024, but it certainly appears a lot of work needs to be done on the concept.

DATES FOR 2024

Ambiente will next take place from 26-30 January 2024, with Creativeworld running from 27-30 January

It is imperative more business products companies take part in the show in 2024 and realise this is a big chance to reinvent our industry

Guardians of the industry

Workplace360 recently spoke to Leaders of the Future co-Chairs Rachael Lewis and Alex Stone to find out more about the group and its aspirations

Workplace360: Let’s start with a brief introduction to you both, and how you’ve become co-Chairs of BOSS Leaders of the Future (LOTR).

Rachael Lewis: I am the Sales Operations Director at OT Group which is a broad remit covering the customer lifecycle – all pricing, tenders, sales support, reports and large projects including new customer implementations.

In terms of LOTF, I’ve been a committee member for three years and joined after only six months of entering the business supplies industry. I love the ambition of the group and what it achieves, so when the position of Chair became available, I went for it full of excitement.

Workplace360: What’s your story, Alex?

Alex Stone: I am now coming up to my tenth anniversary after joining the industry straight from university. I was recently promoted to Sales Director at Office Friendly, having worked in various sales and marketing roles at the dealer group. I’ve been a member of the LOTF committee for around five years. Since entering the industry, I have consistently sought guidance from the experts around me who have offered their time, enabling me to learn and develop my career. Ten years in, becoming LOTF co-Chair is my opportunity to start giving back to an industry that has been so kind to me.

LEADERS OF THE FUTURE COMMITTEE

l Co-Chair: Alex Stone, Sales Director, Office Friendly

l Co-Chair: Rachael Lewis, Sales Operations Director, OT Group

l Scott Castle, Head of Campaign Marketing, EVO

l Emily Jones, Head of Sales Retail, Fellowes Brands

l Jack Massey, Membership Advisor, BOSS Federation

l Hannah Elverson, IT Project Manager, OT Group

l James Day, Sales and Marketing Director, Durable

l Jason Jones, Customer Business Manager, Nestlé Professional

l Kristian Danielson, Key Account Manager, BIC

l Amy Remmer, Account Director, VOW Wholesale

l Elissa Macinnes, National Account Manager and Innovation Ambassador, Lyreco UK

W360: LOTF is a BOSS-led initiative. What is the involvement of the association?

RL: BOSS Federation CEO Amy Hutchinson and her team are passionate about the industry and massively invested in what we’re doing and helping to drive the committee forward. BOSS Chairman Simon Drakeford plays an active role in all our face-to-face events.

W360: For anyone reading this who may not know much about LOTF, what’s it all about?

RL: The LOTF mission statement is ‘Leading, Guiding, Connecting, Shaping’. The committee supports this through the growth of the talent pipeline and utilising the knowledge and experience of workplace supplies senior executives and key speakers and trainers from outside the industry.

Our focus is on safeguarding the future of our industry by fostering the retention and development of individuals through a combination of conferences, webinars and networking. We have around 200 members and 11 committee members.

AS: I believe we are quite unique as an industry as no matter whether you’re a manufacturer, wholesaler or dealer, or who you work for, it’s a community that comes together. LOTF builds on this by finding people’s

Leaders of the Future co-Chairs

Alex Stone and Rachael Lewis

best potential, consistently investing in them and challenging the status quo at times – asking the difficult questions such as what the industry represents and where we are going as a collective. LOTF provides an open and safe platform to do this.

Concerning membership demographics, most individuals work for larger manufacturers and wholesalers. We are trying to encourage participation from smaller businesses, and I have a personal ambition to grow the dealer side of the group.

Typical members are people with a mindset to be the best version of themselves. They are excited about the industry and want to grow within it. LOTF is open to anyone who aspires to be a future leader, and there are no restrictions. It’s about bringing together likeminded individuals and providing the skill sets required to achieve this.

W360: The committee has created a two-year roadmap – Building the Best Version of You. Please explain your plans.

AS: I encounter individuals from all walks of life who haven’t yet adopted a proactive approach to their advancement – whether it be developing happiness in their work, life or health. Our aim is to build a structure that effectively stops members from sleepwalking through their careers and pushes them to start thinking about where they want to go, how they are going to get there, their strengths and weaknesses, and what tools are required to move from A to B.

After two years of embarking on a journey of selfdevelopment, we want everyone to ‘graduate’ together as a community. The roadmap is designed to achieve this.

RL: It’s about setting goals – not just as a committee, but individually. I’d also like to stress that we welcome people to join LOTF at any point along the journey.

The roadmap represents a three-layered approach. The first involves self-awareness, what makes you tick, and feeling good at work and in life. The second is about personal development including setting goals and striving for success, and the final layer is the application of leadership skills. Ultimately, to be an inspirational leader, you need to be strong as a person, possess coping techniques when it’s challenging, collaborate, know what your goals are and drive hard to achieve them.

Each year will feature at least two webinars and two face-to-face conferences, with one always aligned with the BOSS Awards.

To put the roadmap into context, our first webinar was with Office Specialities Managing Director Chris Kemp, who talked about how to set and execute goals and hold yourself

accountable. At our last conference, the keynote speaker was Leanne Spencer, who outlined how to beat burnout and perform in life and work. Roundtables were led by industry pioneers and incorporated some of our leadership topics. There is already a fantastic network of senior industry executives who assist in our endeavour to inspire our community, but we’re certainly keen to grow this aspect.

W360: Any final thoughts?

RL: It’s critical that our industry retains its high-calibre pool, especially with such a competitive jobs market. Individuals who understand the sector and aren’t stuck in their day-to-day business bubble are more likely to stay. I believe there will be ‘lifers’ in our industry and we need a community such as LOTF to support engagement and grow talent.

Businesses must also realise that we need to innovate, evolve with technology and diversify product ranges. Achieving this involves nurturing our existing young achievers because the future of the industry relies on dedicated and enthusiastic people to drive it forward.

AS: Whenever I speak to senior executives and ask them what they love about our industry the most and why they’ve worked in it so long, it’s almost always about the people they work with because they’ve been part of such an incredible community for many years. This is what we’re aiming for with LOTF – to develop the nextgeneration network of business supplies leaders. The committee is deeply dedicated to gathering good people together to spend quality time supporting and helping each other advance.

If businesses want to retain talent from younger generations, they need to make them feel like they’re part of the wider industry. Provide a vision, a decent value proposition and investment in those individuals. It’s as simple as that.

BOSS CEO AMY HUTCHINSON

I feel strongly that for individuals to succeed within an industry, they need a community to support them on their journey. A network that spans the whole supply chain, can offer insight and guidance and highlight opportunities.

The BOSS LOTF committee has established exactly this for future leaders in our sector who are looking to grow. BOSS is 100% behind them in helping to achieve this goal under the excellent leadership of Rachael Lewis and Alex Stone.

I’d encourage all current heads of business to get their teams involved in LOTF to enhance their peer-to-peer networks and learn relevant and transferable leadership skills by participating in dynamic events.

Our focus is on safeguarding the future of our industry by fostering the retention and development of individuals

A flying start

The inaugural BOSS Business Supplies Charity Patrons’ Dinner held in February evoked the very essence of the charity’s spirit – generosity

On 16 February, the BOSS Business Supplies

Charity (BBSC) held its first Patrons’ Dinner at Stationers’ Hall in London to celebrate the work of the charity and thank its supporters. In particular, BBSC expressed gratitude to the 12 Corporate Patrons – Avery, BIC, Brother UK, Fellowes Brands, Highlands, OPI, OT Group, Pukka Pads, Ryman, SC Johnson Professional, Uni Mitsubishi Pencil Company and Viking – as well as the charity’s Honorary Patron, the BOSS Federation.

BBSC Chair Martin Wilde said: “In these difficult times, with the cost of living rising rapidly, the need for financial support among current and former industry colleagues from the BBSC is greater than ever. As a result, we are incredibly grateful to these 12 wonderful businesses that have chosen to commit to supporting our work this year. It was appropriate for our inaugural Patrons’ Dinner to be held at the beautiful Stationers’ Hall, and we are very thankful that OT Group made this possible for us.”

BBSC Vice Chair Kelly Hilleard added: “We were massively pleased so many leading companies from our industry had representatives at the dinner. Knowing the charity has this kind of support is incredibly encouraging as we look to another year of helping our beneficiaries meet rising living costs. It also means that planning next year’s event can go ahead with confidence.”

What made the story so appropriate for the Patrons’ Dinner was that he succeeded partly because of the generosity of his peers. Watching him train at expensive facilities with borrowed and third-rate equipment, members of properly funded teams from other nations encouraged him by donating equipment. This included skis, a jumpsuit and even a helmet –which replaced one that fell off when he attempted the 70-metre jump because it was only tied on with string.

It was no surprise Edwards won the audience’s hearts – both in Calgary and at Stationers’ Hall – as the living embodiment of what can be achieved with a dream, some determination, a lot of courage and a little help from your friends.

There’s no doubt Edwards will be a hard act to follow, but BBSC is already planning its 2024 Patrons’ Dinner – as well as what is hoped to be a very special celebration to mark its centenary in 2025.

WITH A LITTLE HELP

Phil Jones MBE from BBSC Patron Brother UK kindly sponsored the guest of honour Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards – a bona fide national treasure. Despite coming last in the ski-jumping competition, he is the only name anyone can remember from the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

Edwards inspired and astonished the room with a powerful speech revealing his sheer tenacity in pursuing his dream. He captivated everyone listening with his story of destitution – for long periods of his training he survived by eating leftovers scrounged from waste bins – and lack of encouragement or support from the sport’s governing body.

The date of the 2023 Charity Day has been announced as 14 June and will be hosted once again at Belton Woods Hotel near Grantham. Booking is now open for golf teams and spa attendees. For more information and to book, visit: bosscharity.org

Edwards inspired and astonished the room

[...] revealing his sheer tenacity in pursuing his dream

A fresh perspective

It’s time to value, inspire and support the younger members of your team

Recently, I was talking to a young talent in our company who mentioned they were questioning their career trajectory. This individual joined us about three years ago straight from university and possessed valuable and specific marketing skills needed in our organisation. On the surface, this team member could have been stereotyped as a ‘typical Gen Z’ – keen on hybrid working, keeping to themselves, and head down on their mobile or computer when in the office.

After some reflection, I reached out to determine how I might provide support and what the company could be doing better or should not be doing at all. Ultimately, it falls on those in leadership positions to gather employee feedback and help where possible.

This young professional vocalised a worry concerning the future and was reviewing the purpose of their career and place in the bigger picture of the business. It transpires this team member was not antisocial but craved the culture the organisation had pre-COVID. They felt they missed out on that sense of belonging and the chance to bond with those who had been in the company longer.

STOP THE GENERALISATION

Despite the negative images about the Gen Z workforce post-pandemic regarding hybrid work and the ‘Great Resignation,’ this isn’t really a generation-specific issue in the least. We were probably all in their position once – wanting to feel your work was adding value and you were part of a welcoming and inclusive company culture.

I believe Gen Z is receiving an unnecessarily bad reputation for simply being at an early stage in their careers. Feeding into those prejudices risks losing out on valuable talent our industry vitally needs.

By 2025, Gen Z will make up 27% of the workforce in OECD countries and one-third of

Elisabete Wells is Regional Marketing Director UK & Ireland at ACCO Brands

the global population. According to professional services firm Deloitte, good work/life balance and learning/development opportunities are priorities for Gen Zs and their millennial predecessors when choosing an employer.

They are also more purpose-driven, with nearly two in five saying a job or assignment was rejected because it did not align with their values. Meanwhile, those who were satisfied with their employers’ societal and environmental impacts and dedication to diversity and inclusion, are also likely to want to stay with a company for five years or more.

Leaders in the business supplies industry need to stop viewing young talent as generational stereotypes

BE A LEADER

More so than previous generations, younger colleagues are likely to desire hybrid working and flexibility and are extra conscious and vocal about safeguarding their well-being. But are they really all that different to you? Probably not. They need direction, guidance, leadership and a working environment that makes them feel included as part of something bigger. Surely, this is within our power to provide, no matter at what level in the organisation we may be.

Leaders in the business supplies industry need to stop viewing young talent as generational stereotypes and begin to value their insight and potential. If we do not innovate and adjust, we are in peril of falling behind. See, hear, talk and meet them where they are instead of forcing them into a mould they do not fit.

It is not about asking the younger generation to change. It’s about us as leaders rethinking, adapting and transforming our people management approach to embrace the evolving working world.

The BOSS Business Supplies

Charity Golf & Spa Day

14 June 2023 at Belton Woods Hotel, Grantham NG23 2LN

Why not join us at this year’s BOSS Charity day and help raise funds to support those in need?

The BOSS Charity Day offers you the choice of a friendly golf competition or a relaxing day at the spa - followed by a networking dinner for all.

If you are coming to the BOSS Manufacturers’ Forum the next day, why not join us just for the dinner?

To book your place, go to: www.bosscharity.org/boss-charity-day-wednesday-14th-june/

Book your golf team in before 15 April to claim the ‘Early Bird’ price of £400 (£600 thereafter).

Spa day: £140 per person. Dinner only: £40 per person.

The BOSS Charity’s 2023 Corporate Patrons are: Avery, BIC, Brother UK Ltd, Fellowes Brands, Highlands, OPI, OT Group, Pukka Pads, Ryman, SC Johnson Professional, Uni Mitsubishi Pencil Company and Viking. Honorary Patron: BOSS Federation

Alex Bonarius, Global Sales Director, Pukka Pads

How do you start your day?

If it’s not an early morning call with a customer in some far-flung corner of the globe, then it’s breakfast (Shreddies have never let me down), followed by getting my three kids ready for school/preschool and making packed lunches.

What is the bravest thing you’ve ever done?

Thirteen years ago, when my then fiancée, now wife finished her gap year in the UK, I uprooted my entire life and moved to her home village in Germany. I had absolutely no language skills, no job and just a wedding date in sight.

We lived there for five years. I became fluent in the language, began a career in sales and operations working for a German manufacturer, and started a family before moving back to the UK in 2015. We don’t do things by halves.

If you could swap places with someone for a day, who would it be and why?

A PGA tour golfer. Being paid to walk the fairways of the best golf courses in the world – does it get any better?

Tell us a secret that your work colleagues don’t know about you.

A long time ago, way before the days of office products, I enjoyed a short career in television production. This entailed doing everything from logging tapes to choosing locations and looking after various celebrities on set, including Steve Jones, Christian Slater and the late Caroline Flack.

What’s your most frequently used emoji?

Definitely the thumbs up!

Pet peeves?

Being late without a genuine reason. Laziness and expecting other people to do things for you and not being willing to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in with whatever needs to be done.

Any irrational fears?

Failure.

Do you collect anything?

Not really, but I’d love to have a collection of cars one day.

What’s something new happening in your life right now?

I started a new job as Global Sales Director at Pukka Pads at the beginning of this year. It’s been really interesting to learn about new products and categories, and I’m excited about the level of opportunity there is for us.

Strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?

I’ve never actually eaten them, but in Germany they eat Mehlklöße – a dish combining dumplings, custard and onions. What?!?

Favourite holiday so far?

A week in Lake Garda, Italy. Proper pizza, 40°C, amazing views and the biggest lake I’ve ever seen.

Name three items on your bucket list. To visit Australia and New Zealand; drive across the US or down the West Coast in an RV; play St. Andrews with my kids.

Favourite sport or hobby to play/watch?

My favourite sport to play would have to be golf, but I’ve got a healthy appreciation for all sports played at a top level. I also recently really enjoyed the Netflix tennis series Break Point