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Challenges? Yes. Opportunities? 100%
by OPI
Exactly a year ago, in the April/May 2022 issue of OPI , we had a Big Interview with S.P. Richards ’ (SPR) then leading men – Mike Maggio and Yancey Jones Sr. Having been caught right in the middle of the COVID storm when they purchased the wholesaler, it was an interview full of promise and plans, of obstacles to be overcome and of better days ahead. The headline at the time was ‘ A work in progress ’. And this it remains.
OPI CEO Steve Hilleard met up with new President Bill Meany at SPR ’ s recent vendor summit in Texas to ask questions not completely dissimilar to the ones last year. What ’s to come, what will new parent CNG bring to the IDC and when will dealers get all the products they ’ ve been asking for in all the various adjacencies? ‘CNG/SPR: A good fit? ’ is this year ’ s feature headline (page 24) . Early days still and, for now, the answer is a cautiously optimistic ‘‘I think so ’’
There’s no getting away from the fact that 2022 has been a ‘good riddance’ year during which so many challenges – internal or external, micro or macro – have bedraggled parts of our industry. The paper category is an excellent example of this (page 34)
A lot of the answers to difficult questions lie in collaboration in some shape or form, asserts Office Brands’ Adam Joy in our Big Interview (page 18). And in data and its comprehensive and proper use. Both Joy and Andrew Senior in our Final Word (page 50) refer to pricing intelligence technology as an incredibly powerful way of staying competitive and ‘ on the ball’
Several of the most pressing issues we’re all facing – including said price competitiveness – will be discussed at the forthcoming OPI European Forum which will be held in the beautiful city of Amsterdam from 22-24 May (page 44). Don’t miss it!
Talking of Amsterdam and concluding on a high note, I was delighted to see so many of our European readers at the recent OPI Partnership event and the fabulous European Office Products Awards celebration dinner (page 38)
There may be challenges but, to quote industry great and Viking Europe Managing Director Christa Furter: ‘‘The opportunities are even bigger.’’ We all raised a glass – or several – to that!
