OPI TALK

Commercial furniture mega show NeoCon was back as a live event at Chicago’s theMART at the beginning of October.

One person who was there was George Ansier, Director of Sales for the US division of floor and desk protection specialist Floortex.

In this episode of OPI Talk, George discusses some of the key trends he spotted at this year’s NeoCon. He also gives his thoughts on the state of the US business supplies channel.

Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite

Counterfeiting is big business and fake inkjet and toner cartridges – especially the latter – have long been lucrative products for criminals. At HP Inc, Glenn Jones heads the investigations team at the OEM’s Anti-counterfeit and Fraud (ACF) unit – which is responsible for millions of product seizures each year.

In this episode of OPI Talk, Jones explains the workings of the ACF programme, provides an update on the global counterfeiting issue and explains how HP is taking steps to make counterfeiters’ lives more difficult.

OPI Talk heads to Sydney, Australia, to speak with Amie and Belinda Lyone, the new co-CEOs of leading independent dealer COS.

Since 1 September 2021, Australia’s number one independent workplace supplies reseller COS has had a new CEO. Or more precisely, two.

On this date, Amie and Belinda Lyone officially took over from their father Dominique, who founded the company in 1976, following a well-planned succession process.

While Dominque – as Chairman – focuses on strategic acquisitions and mentoring – the Lyone sisters are now running COS’s daily operations, their experience and skillsets complementing each other nicely.

In this episode of OPI Talk, Amie and Belinda discuss the CEO handover, recent acquisitions, how they have evolved COS’s product mix in the past couple of years and what the hybrid workplace will mean for the company.

Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite

Cezary Monko, President of ACCO Brands EMEA, looks back at some of the key moments in his almost 30-year career and gives his take on the state of the industry today.

One of Cezary Monko’s first jobs was when he was hired as Sales Manager for Esselte’s fledgling Polish operations at the start of 1992.

Back then, he was pretty much a one-man band, criss-crossing the country in his car to grow the company’s customer network. Today, he is responsible for around 2,500 staff as President of ACCO Brands EMEA – which now includes Esselte following its acquisition in 2017.

In this episode of OPI Talk, Monko reflects on the key developments in the European business supplies channel over the years, including the arrival and departure of the US-owned big boxes, the rise of e-commerce and the recent impact of COVID.

You can read more about Monko’s views of the industry – past, present and future – in the bumper 30th anniversary issue of OPI magazine, which can be viewed online here.

Before you listen to the podcast, are you sure you know how to pronounce Monko’s first name, Cezary? The correct pronunciation might surprise you!

Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite

Economic problems, social unrest, spiralling unemployment, corruption scandals, and then COVID. You might be forgiven for thinking that running a business supplies dealer group in South Africa was a thankless task.

But where there’s a will, there’s a way. Dealer marketing organisation Inovocom has come through the pandemic with the vast majority of its larger members still up and running and adapting to the ‘new normal’.

In this episode of OPI Talk, Inovocom’s co-founder and Director Craig Noyle provides a great overview of the trading context in South Africa, and how his group and its members are rising to the challenge.

Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite

OPI Talk speaks with Beth Langley, Out-of-Home Director for Nespresso Professional in the UK & Ireland.

Beth Langley joined Nespresso Professional at the beginning of 2021 – certainly an ‘interesting’ time for the away-from-home coffee segment against the backdrop of COVID restrictions and office closures.

The situation is gradually improving, but there are still concerns about the Delta variant which is delaying the return to the office in some places. In addition, what will the hybrid workplace mean for coffee consumption in the office?

In this episode of OPI Talk, Langley discusses Nespresso Professional’s go-to-market strategy in the UK & Ireland and looks at some of the opportunities in the office coffee space: these include evolving consumer tastes, e-commerce sales, co-working and sustainability.

Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite

The Big Interview in the special 30th anniversary issue of OPI – which will be published shortly – is none other than Mike Gentile, CEO of Independent Suppliers Group (ISG), the US’s – and the world’s – largest cooperative for independent resellers in the business supplies community.

In this episode of OPI Talk, you can listen to extracts from that Big Interview, which was conducted by OPI CEO Steve Hilleard.

• How has ISG benefitted from the dealer group merger that took place just over two years ago?

Listen to this podcast to find out the answers to these questions, and more!

And make sure you read the September issue of OPI magazine for the complete interview.

Episode produced by Heike Dieckmann

With 68 independent dealer members throughout the US, AOPD is an important player in the business products national accounts arena, both for the public and private sectors.

In this episode of OPI Talk, the organisation’s Executive Director Mark Leazer explains how national accounts have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and how his members are now focused on growth as we get into the final stretch of 2021.

"We’ve seen a distinct turnaround beginning in about March 2021"

Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite

The Business Solutions Association in the US recently named TOPS Products’ Bill Cardone as this year’s recipient of its Lifetime Achievement award.

Cardone has been involved in business products sales since 1987 and has seen a lot of changes over the decades. One thing that hasn’t changed in all that time is his passion for the industry and its people.

In this episode of OPI Talk, Cardone looks back at some of the people who have inspired him during his career, describes some of the key changes he has seen in the industry and gives his take on the state of the market today.

Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite

With 2020’s important back-to-school (BTS) season hit by COVID restrictions and school closures, there are hopes that 2021 will see something of a return to normal. Whether that will now be the case – as the Delta variant spreads in the US – remains to be seen.

Yet, as NPD analyst Leen Nsouli explains in this episode of OPI Talk, the numbers up until the middle of August have been encouraging. She provides details on some of the key category trends, talks about retail versus online and looks at some of the factors that are impacting BTS spending this year.

Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite