Released 14/08/2009
It was certainly a busy summer for the OP industry, to say the least, what with Vasanta Group undergoing a refinancing deal, Office Depot continuing its woes in the US and, over here in the UK, Superstat launching TheSupermarketOnline.com scheme, amongst other hubbub going on our Forum.
As the talking heads debate over whether or not we're on the way out of the recession, it's clear that there is a whole lot of industry folks doing well out there. I just got off the phone with John George from JGBM and he says he's 30% up year on year this month.
I also had a reassuring and positive interview with VOW's Ian Sinclair this week, as I went to get a tour of Arrow up in Lutterworth and speak to him about the wholesaler's future. You'll have to tune into our September issue to find out what he said.
Speaking of warehouses, I also got a very nice tour around Spicers' RDC in Greenwich earlier this month, and had all their recent environmental initiatives explained to me - just in time for our September Green Guide supplement also due out in September.
For all the fans of our Forum, we've changed the format a bit to make it (hopefully) easier to read, but do let me know your thoughts. For a moment there we had it reading back to front, but that didn't go down too well amongst a fair few.
Here's hoping you all get a restful last few weeks of summer - I have a feeling September brings busier times (but that's a good thing, isn't it?).