A recent report on the office supplies industry suggests contrasting fortunes for firms trying to survive economic hardship. According to the 2011 Plimsoll Analysis, while a third of companies remains ‘strong’, a quarter is in ‘danger’, struggling to keep afloat. Plimsoll analysis rated office supplies companies as either ‘strong’, ‘good’, ‘mediocre’, ‘caution’ or ‘danger’. Said […]
Three hundred and eleven companies in the UK office supplies industry are worth a third less than they were a year ago. But the recession has not hit everyone equally: 411 companies in the industry actually saw their value increased. David Pattison has authored a special report on the top 1,000 companies in the […]
Stationery magnate-celebrity and star of Dragon’s Den is to front a new 7 x 60-minute series for BBC Two called The Buying Game in which buyers from large scale UK retailers take a gamble on products pitched to them by the public – and then show how they are brought to the consumer. The show […]
Esselte last week announced it had reached an agreement to buy Isaberg Rapid, the stapling company. Isaberg Rapid, based in Sweden, develops, manufactures and markets staplers, pliers, stapling tools, glue guns and electric insert staplers for leading manufacturers of copying machines and printers. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the first quarter of […]
Vasanta Group, the parent company behind some of the largest office suppliers in the UK, has been saved from insolvency by a combined private equity and bank-backed takeover. Private equity group Endless provided £22 million while banks including Royal Bank of Scotland, Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Banks, agreed to swap 75% of Vasanta’s […]
How to plan the office Christmas party Whether you count down the days, or desperately scrabble around for an excuse not to go, the office Christmas party is an event on almost every company’s calendar. So, how do you plan a party that everyone will enjoy? It’s a tricky balance to get Bob from Accounts […]
Top tips to improve your time management skills Despite what people say, time is not a commodity. It cannot be traded, expanded or reduced. It is fixed. Our perception of time, however, is another concept. How often do you think at 4pm “Where has the day gone?” and go into panic mode to try to […]
Planning in business is essential Everything from the monthly sales drive to a new product launch or project needs planning. It promotes joined-up thinking and good decision-making throughout the whole organisation. “A goal without a plan is just a wish”, observed the famous writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery, summing up a key business principle. Each business […]
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