OPI TALK – Details, episodes & analysis

Market research firm Circana tracks the office supplies category (excluding janitorial, breakroom and storage) at leading US bricks-and-mortar and online retailers.

OPI Talk spoke to Ben Arnold, Industry Advisor, Office Supplies at Circana, to find out about latest category trends – with a focus on this year’s back-to school season, which was in full swing when the interview was recorded.

Episode recorded and edited 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 provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

In its capacity as an Official Supporter of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Lyreco France is delivering tens of thousands of items of office furniture to dozens of locations.

What has this meant in terms of organisation and logistics? What have been the main challenges? How is Lyreco France delivering on the project’s sustainability goals? What will it mean for the company once the Games are over?

Eric Avril, Managing Director of Lyreco France, answers these questions and more, just three weeks before the Games are due to begin.

Episode recorded and edited 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 provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

On 9 August, ACCO Brands CEO Boris Elisman announced he would be retiring as CEO of the company effective 1 October, with COO Tom Tedford stepping up to succeed him.

Elisman has been with ACCO for 18 years, the past ten as CEO, and has been a regular guest on OPI Talk over the past three years – indeed, no one has taken part more times than him.

In this episode, recorded on 14 August, Elisman looks back over his time at ACCO, reflecting on how the company has changed and navigated the ever-evolving market conditions. He also gives his take on current business trends and ACCO’s performance in the second quarter.

Episode recorded and edited 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 provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

As the US state of Arizona sweltered in temperatures exceeding 110°F (43°C), OPI Talk spoke to Ian Wist, General Manager of leading independent dealer Wist Business Products and Equipment – which is headquartered near Phoenix.

Episode recorded and edited 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 provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

OPI Talk catches up with Acme United CEO Walter Johnsen following the release of the company’s Q2 earnings.

Johnsen gives his take on a number of market areas and trends, including this year’s back-to-school season, the state of the economy, reducing supply chain risk and the office products channel.

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 provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

Jan Van Belleghem on why sustainability is core to the development of Interaction’s Q-Connect brand.

European distributor alliance Interaction recently announced an initiative called Q-Conscious. OPI speaks to its Managing Director Jan Van Belleghem to find out more.

Episode recorded and edited 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 provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

This episode of OPI Talk takes us to Canada, where we catch up with COPA President Sam Moncada.

Sam tells OPI about a recent training initiative launched by the association and then goes on to talk about the role of COPA and current trends in the Canadian business products market.

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 provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

The OPI European Forum is taking place in Amsterdam from 22-24 May 2023, but you can listen now to three of its keynote presenters.

In this episode of OPI Talk, OPI Director Janet Bell goes through some of the highlights in store for attendees. You can also hear extracts of interviews with three high-level speakers who will be presenting and leading roundtables on key topics at the event:

• James Brown, Senior Partner & Managing Director UK at Simon-Kucher & Partners: managing pricing in an inflationary environment.
• Mick Heys, VP of Imaging & Future of WorkSpace Practice Lead at IDC EMEA: the relevance of the office and opportunities for the business products channel.
• Perry Timms, founder & Chief Energy Officer at People and Transformational HR (PTHR): tackling human resources issues and developing great teams.

These are parts of more in-depth interviews that can be found on a new OPI webinar. To watch that webinar, click here.

The early rate that offers significant discounts (in the hundreds of euros) on the standard price of attending the European Forum ends at midnight (UK time) on Sunday 30 April. Find out how to book your place on the Forum web page.

The European Forum is just one of several events that OPI is organising in the coming months. These include a number of Executive Dinners that are exclusively open to OPI’s VIP, Corporate and Ultimate members. More details of memberships can be found here.

In November, the OPI team will be heading to Chicago for the annual Global Forum, which is tailored specifically for leaders in the international workplace products segment. Registration is now open, with a $755 discount on the standard rate available until 30 June.

As Janet mentioned in the podcast, she is currently taking part in the annual retreat of the Office Products Women in Leadership (OPWIL) organisation. Any female executives who are interested in finding out more about OPWIL or are interested in joining should click on this link.

Episode recorded and edited 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 provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

With cleaning and hygiene taking on even greater importance since the COVID pandemic, one way of driving productivity and efficiency gains is through a better understanding of data.

In this episode of OPI Talk, Nancy Farrell, Senior Product Manager, Tork Services & Solutions at Essity discusses how data-driven cleaning benefits both facilities managers and frontline cleaners.

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 provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

OPI Talk spoke to Acme United CEO Walter Johnsen shortly after the supplier’s FY2022 earnings conference call.

Johnsen gives his frank assessment of Acme’s performance in 2022, provides more details of an acquisition in Europe and discusses future acquisition possibilities.

Episode recorded and edited 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 provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg