Page 6 - BOSS Today Issue 49

BOSS Today SS Today
BO #49#49 SPECIAL REPORT

BOSS Federation @BOSS_Fed

BOUNCEBACK?

BOSS Today looks back at the overall progress of the UK OP industry since the start of the COVID-19
pandemic and considers whether it is now in a position to bounce back.

“To begin with, sales fell off a cliff and
everyone was in shock: for some dealers,
it was ‘business as normal’, while I have
read that – frighteningly – some 12%
of UK dealers simply shut their doors.” *
That’s how Frances Stephen, BOSS Board
Member, BOSS Charity Trustee and
Director of Springfield Business Supplies
Ltd, describes what happened to dealer
sales back in March 2020. For many
manufacturers, the position was equally
dismal, as Stuart Login, Managing Director
of Trodat UK Ltd and Chairman of the Frances Stephen Stuart Login
BOSS Manufacturers’ Forum, recalls: “For
most manufacturers, Q2 was a significant
challenge, except possibly for those were able to deliver to homes: that had of July, although this softened quite
supplying PPE, antibacterial products or a negative effect on order values, so we considerably in early August. Overall,
home working equipment, who would implemented a minimum order charge most core OP manufacturers will have
have had a very strong quarter. For the for online ordering. We also did some finished July at 80% of prior year sales for
rest, there were some really significant thinking outside the box about what that month, with Q3 probably coming in
declines of anything up to 90% versus products would be needed, such as at about 70-75% of last year’s Q3 figure.” *
prior year in late March and early April.” PPE. It didn’t have to be pens or paper: Indeed, Stephen also expects her Q3 2020
How, then, has the UK OP industry that was one of the things that kept sales to be 25-30% down on the same
recovered – if at all – from those our turnover up.” quarter in 2019.
turbulent weeks, and what have dealers Indeed, Login reports that many What, then, have been the key factors
and manufacturers done to bounce back? brands did begin to revive as Q2 behind the continued recovery in Q3?
progressed: “The recovery was Firstly, some people have of course been
Coming Out Fighting much quicker than many of us had returning to work, as Stephen reports:
As we have seen in previous issues of BOSS anticipated: May was stronger than “From the end of June and throughout
Today, some manufacturers responded to April and June was stronger than May. July we saw more confidence. The
the crisis immediately by diversifying into Overall, by the end of Q2, most of the Government guidelines have helped, but
producing PPE items. As Stephen explains, core OP manufacturers who couldn’t people are coming back to work because
dealers also had to quickly adapt to the diversify in any meaningful way would they now know that there’s protection
new reality: “When your back is against have been c50% of what they’d seen in available in the workplace.” Furthermore,
the wall, you’ve got to come out fighting, Q2 2019.” Stephen believes that this also heralded
so we totally reinvented our business. We some end-user stock replenishment:
contacted customers to let them know It’s Getting Better All The Time “We’ve had customers where, if they have
that we were still open and find out what Q3, it appears, is seeing a continuation had some people still based in the office,
they were doing regarding working from of this recovery: explains Login: “July they just worked through the remaining
home etc. We opened up our website to started very strongly for a lot of items in the stationery cupboard and even
non-customers and made it clear that we people, especially the first two weeks in people’s desks.

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