OPI TALK

OPI Talk speaks to mother and daughter duo Kim Leazer and Beth Freeman, part of the leadership team at family-owned US independent dealer FSI Office. The two ladies represent the second and third generations at FSI, which was founded by Jimmy and Diane Godwin back in 1962. Among other things, they talk about generational change, renewing sales teams, women leaders in the business products industry...

In the final OPI Talk podcast of 2022, Andy Braithwaite catches up with Charlie Kennedy, winner of the Professional of the Year prize at the 2022 North American Office Products Awards. Charlie discusses some of the opportunities in the US independent dealer channel, the priorities at his dealership, Kennedy Office, and his role as Chair of the Independent Office Products and Furniture Dealers Asso...

OPI CEO Steve Hilleard and News Editor Andy Braithwaite take a look back at the main business products stories from 2022 and make some predictions on what to look out for in 2023.   Episode recorded and produced by Andy Braithwaite Music by: Extreme Energy by MusicToday80:  https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r... Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Music...

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

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

This week’s OPI Talk features Paddy Donnelly and Dave Bent, Group CEO and President North America respectively at ES Tech Group.   OPI’s Heike Dieckmann caught up with both for the Big Interview in the September issue of OPI. One of the many topics discussed was the vital importance of a great online customer experience. This then seamlessly led to the challenges so hotly debated particularly in t...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our guest in this episode of OPI Talk is Jeanette Bresitz, Managing Director of UK dealer group Office Friendly.  OPI’s Heike Dieckmann spoke to Bresitz for the Big Interview in the June issue of OPI. About a year into the job at Office Friendly but with plenty of experience in our industry, she quickly addressed some simple necessities for the group’s dealer members. Throwing off the shackles of...

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

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

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

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

Stewart Superior Managing Director Geoff Betts was recognised for his outstanding contribution to the European business products sector at the recent 2022 European Office Products Awards in Amsterdam. In this episode of OPI Talk, Betts reflects on some of the secrets of his success and gives his views on the current state of the industry – including some potentially controversial comments on procu...

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

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

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

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

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