FOCUS
SHAPING
the future
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OPI takes a look at some of the key themes and takeaways from the recent European Forum Online
ith COVID still very much impacting in-person meetings and travel at the end of 2021, OPI chose to hold its annual European Forum as an online event from 1-2 December last year. It’s a format the OPI team has been able to fine-tune over the past couple of years and the latest programme didn’t disappoint. Under the tagline of Shaping the Future, about ten hours of content were designed to cover the hottest topics of the moment and help inspire strategies for success. And both it did, judging by feedback from delegates. There was an impressive turnout from leaders across the business products industry, not just from Europe, but also from countries such as the US, Canada, Australia, China, South Africa and Botswana. It was good to see very strong representation from the reseller community, which accounted for 55% of attendees, with manufacturers making up a further 30%.
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EVOLVING EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE Event host and OPI CEO Steve Hilleard kicked off proceedings and, after a brief introduction, launched into a series of quick-fire interviews with several executives from influential workplace supplies firms. These included three companies that have helped reshape the pan-European reseller landscape by acquiring parts of the former Staples Solutions and Office Depot Europe organisations: Lyreco, PBS Holding and RAJA. “The break-up of Office Depot and Staples in Europe is creating opportunities for many,” declared Lyreco CEO Greg Liénard, adding: “[The industry] will keep on reshaping over the next few years – the main European operators are rising, with strong local players also taking part in this new ‘game’.”
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PBS Holding Managing Director Richard Scharmann referred to consolidation that is “speeding up significantly” and said: “In light of an increasingly uncertain future, some investors want to exit even faster. The industry is going back to its roots, with industrial players and less private equity which, I believe, is a positive development.” A common theme emerging from the interviews was a focus on the customer experience. “At Lyreco, we don’t see eliminating cost as being the main objective; what we are striving for is customer satisfaction,” said Liénard. He added: “When we look at the way we operate and our [associated] costs, we don’t want to downgrade customer satisfaction. Therefore, in some cases, things cost more. For example, we deliver through our own drivers because we believe they are a valuable asset for customer satisfaction.” Nevertheless, Scharmann also highlighted the challenges that could come from having to manage an eroding top line. “It leads to costs pressures and chasing an improvement on
Steve Hilleard
“It genuinely amazes me how such a reliably superb event like the OPI Forum (European or Global) can just keep on getting better every year, whether it’s face to face or virtual. The mix of speakers and topics was fantastic, and the open sharing of knowledge, opinions and ideas I find extremely valuable. There really is nothing else like it, in this industry at least” – Steve Bilton, Managing Director, FusionPlus Data
