Forum 2021
productivity, with a close eye on processes, systems and how we manage our services to customers,” he noted. “Overall, 2021 was more challenging than 2020, and I don’t expect 2022 to be any easier.” Speaking about the learnings from the 2019 acquisition of parts of Staples Solutions, RAJA Managing Director Alain Josse in his chat with Hilleard welcomed the fact that “the DNA of taking care of customers” was still very much intact. “This was reassuring and a major reason why we decided to pursue this acquisition,” he stated. Josse pointed to a similar situation at Viking – acquired last year from Office Depot Europe – where a commitment to the reseller’s famed “fanatical customer service” would underpin RAJA’s strategy. “The Viking brand equity is still very much alive,” he noted. “We just need to complement this with a local footprint – a bit like getting back to basics, but in the context of the 21st century.” MARKETPLACE OPPORTUNITIES On the theme of reshaping the industry, one disruptive element that is set to become more mainstream is online marketplaces, both as B2B and B2C sales channels. Specialist agency TFE – headed by former Lyreco executive Bob Boekema – provided an informative overview of marketplaces in several key European markets. While Amazon is by some margin the leader in a European market estimated at around €220 billion ($251 billion) in 2020, its share of 20% means there’s still plenty of scope for other players. eBay, for one, is looking to grow in the B2B space and would appear to be the natural international challenger to Amazon. Then there are established or emerging local players such as
Cdiscount and FNAC/Darty (France), OTTO and Conrad (Germany), bol.com (Netherlands) and OnBuy (UK). Indeed, Boekema cautioned against putting all eggs in one basket when it comes to marketplaces. “The online opportunity is still growing,” he said, “It’s important to find the right balance and not be dependent on one customer.”
The industry is going back to its roots, with industrial players and less private equity
He also raised the issue of the need for vendors to implement an online pricing strategy. “When they are chasing volume on platforms such as Amazon, a lot of suppliers are not in control of their pricing,” he noted. Later on, during the final ‘takeaway’ panel of the European Forum, Brother UK Managing Director Phil Jones too recognised that marketplaces are a fast-growing channel. But, he argued, they come with considerable challenges as well. In October 2021, he revealed, Brother removed more than 48,000 lines from 38 platforms in 22 countries for trademark and imagery infringements and counterfeit products. “It’s an ongoing problem for a vendor and new costs emerge,” he admitted, saying that Brother has, in fact, hired a third-party company to police digital platforms on its behalf. Lyreco’s Liénard, meanwhile, called online marketplaces “a very complex topic”. Certainly, one issue for resellers like Lyreco is the evolving
“An outstanding European Forum with great content, varied and diverse speakers and topics, and the opportunity to network informally. In a nutshell, as close to a real-life event as is possible to do virtually. OPI consistently attracts thought-provoking industry leaders and this time gave airspace to some great young talent who added a refreshing blast of new thinking” – Jonathan Smith, Consultant
January/February 2022
Greg Liénard
FOCUS European Forum Online
EUROPEAN
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