Nobo is proud to announce the UK consumer launch for Nobo Kapture® Digital Flipchart. This fantastic new product will be showcased at a three day event taking place at St. Pancras International, London from the 8th to the 10th March 2010

Nobo Kapture® Digital Flipchart is a revolutionary new product that enables users to capture, edit and share meeting notes instantly! This cutting edge product represents new and exciting sales opportunities for 2010, generating renewed interest and hence increased sales in the flipchart market.

AF International, specialist suppliers of ICT cleaning products to the office market, are launching an unique range of environmentally-friendly cleaning solutions for the entertainment gaming industry at Paperworld Frankfurt 2010 (Hall 4.0 / Stand C22). The new range will target the users of hand held gaming units like the Nintendo DS Lite, Wii and Sony PSP in addition to the home games console units i.e. Playstations and X-Box and a wide variety of their accompanying accessories.

SOS 2009

Over 1,100 dealers, manufacturers, suppliers and industry professionals came together last month to discuss the key issues and new office products for 2010 at Spicers 10th anniversary SOS show.

The show, held at the NEC in Birmingham on 8th and 9th December, aimed to help attendees grow their business, to ensure they could start 2010 with renewed enthusiasm. Former champion athlete and television presenter, Kriss Akabusi and Dragon’s Den’s Duncan Bannatyne, headlined the Business Experience seminars, along with other industry experts who delivered seminars providing dealers with top tips on how to boost sales and drive business in the New Year.

Fellowes have applied the same consumer insights and sleek designs used in the development of their award-winning binding & laminating category to revitalise the thermal binding market. The stunning new designs of the Helios 30 and Helios 60 can bind up to 300 and 600 sheets respectively and feature the exclusive HeatShield™ safety barrier designed to prevent accidental contact with the heating plate, for ultimate user safety.

Avery is launching its fantastic new Infinity range of Desktop accessories. Designed to add a touch of style and personality to desktops, it’s sure to spark a new wave of demand.

Infinity will add a futuristic feel to workspaces, combining the latest in elegant design and swooping lines with ergonomic functionality so consumers can organise themselves without compromising on personality. The stark contrast of textured charcoal against the glossy vibrant colours ensures that Infinity will make a clear statement.

Bray-based distributor Square One has broadened its product portfolio with the addition of printers, consumables, cameras and camcorders. The move is the latest in a series of announcements from the company since it was acquired by Midwich, a leading print and AV distributor.

Atlanta is excited to announce the appointment of Johan Olsder as Director Category Management & Business Development of Atlanta Office Products BV as of November 1st. Johan has previously held positions as European Category/ Account Manager at Avery Dennison and within Merchandising and Category Management at Office Depot International, achieving more than 10 years of sales, product and category management experience in the office products industry.

Fellowes, the leading provider of business machines, technology accessories and organisational solutions has been awarded the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody Certification. The highly-regarded accreditation will allow Fellowes to produce and market FSC approved products.

3M UK and Blue Chip Marketing take Gold for Post-it® Brand ‘Deal or No Deal’ Promotion at the MAA GLOBES Ceremony in Boston, Ma.

They achieved first place, in these global awards, for Best Business to Business Campaign.

With the end of the year fast approaching, the pressure is on to finalise your 2010 marketing plan to help support and expand the business. Getting the right messages across to existing and new customers, and ultimately selling more by strength of reputation and service offering, is integral for the success of any business.

Kodak has won the DSG International Supplier Excellence award for best Computing Peripherals and Software Supplier. Accepted by Kodak's European Managing Director John O'Grady on 15th October 2009 at DSGi's Supplier Conference event, the award reflects Kodak's great contribution to the Consumer Inkjet market across Europe.

Spitfire's SIP Communicator^TM hosted telephony service has won the Editor's Choice award from Business Info magazine. SIP Communicator^TM provides phone system functionality remotely hosted by Spitfire, the leading Internet Telephony Service Provider. It requires only SIP compatible handsets, making the service an extremely cost-effective solution for business start-ups and small businesses that are growing and anticipate moving premises or are spread over multiple sites.

Midwich, one of the UK's leading trade distributors, has signed a distribution agreement with Fellowes, a global leader in the design, production and marketing of award-winning office products and business machines.

A new advertising campaign launched by IllicitEncounters.com promises to provide offices and workspaces around the UK with free mugs.

The website, which provides a platform for married and attached people to have affairs, has produced hundreds of mugs, bearing profession-related slogans, as part of a new unorthodox promotional campaign. In the last month, over 150 mugs have been shipped out to offices across the UK.

With the introduction of 2 new, high-quality non-adhesive pockets, 3L Office Products A/S makes it even easier to keep things simple.

The Armor Color Laser Process is a demanding and strict industrial manufacturing procedure that endeavours to deliver an ethical and sustainable printing solution to the consumer.

Armor offers compatibility with the biggest brands on the printer manufacturing market including HP and Brother.

In this computer age surely manual planning boards and T-card systems disappeared with flairs and tank tops?

Costly overtime starts with the incoming mail. Mailopeners offer solutions to deal with all volumes of incoming post from machines that would sit comfortably behind your reception desk to full production units that would normally be located in a dedicated post room.

Bostik is urging retailers to stock up on its innovative range of craft and stationery adhesives during the peak Christmas selling period.

Blu-Tack®, the original reusable adhesive, is clean, safe and provides an alternative to drawing pins and sticky tape. A household favourite at Christmas, Blu-Tack® is ideal for displaying cards and hanging decorations.

Research from the Carbon Trust last month revealed almost two thirds of people are more likely to buy a product if they know action is being taken to reduce its carbon footprint. At the same time, 70 percent of people want businesses to do more to help them make more informed environmental choices about the products they buy. 

DuPont has signed an agreement with BONG for the manufacturing, marketing and sales of Tyvek® branded envelopes, pockets and postal packaging solutions in Western Europe.

Staples UK is sponsoring the British Chambers of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the second year running - a clear sign of its continued commitment to small and growing businesses.

And despite the current economic climate, a record number of entries have been received from across the UK - covering every sector.

THE SPEED OF TRUST challenges our age-old assumption that trust is merely a soft, social virtue and instead demonstrates that trust is a hard-edged economic driver-a learnable and measurable skill that makes organisations more profitable, people more promotable, and relationships more energizing.

At IP Expo Spitfire, the leading business ISP and Internet telephony service provider, is demonstrating the range of SIP solutions it provides for business customers. This includes live demonstrations of Spitfire's SIP Communicator^TM hosted telephony service, with phone system functionality provided remotely by Spitfire. SIP Communicator^TM only requires SIP compatible handsets, making the service an extremely cost-effective solution for business start-ups and small businesses that are growing and anticipate moving premises or are spread over multiple sites.

2008 COLOP created a lot of interest with their new and innovative COLOP Green Line - it has been extremely well received within the Industry. In the meantime the Green Line has its imitators.

For a reusable, cost-effective and protective alternative to paper or polythene envelopes, look no further than a Versapak mailing pouch.

Office-products expert Avery is helping to support thousands of children and families affected by genetic disorders in the UK, by sponsoring this year's Jeans for Genes Day.

Every year, on Jeans for Genes Day, millions of adults and children across the country leave their work clothes and uniforms at home and make a small donation to wear their jeans to work or school. This year, Jeans for Genes Day takes place on Friday 2nd October and marks the first time the charity has partnered with Avery.

Konica Minolta mono multifunctionals have received recognition in the prestigious Buyers Laboratory Incorporated (BLI) Spring 2009 ‘Pick' awards for outstanding copier-MFPs in the 41 to 69 page per minute (ppm) and 70 to 90ppm speed ranges.

3L Office Products has once again been awarded the Quantore Operational Award for excellence in quality, product range, operational performance and reliability.

Muratec Europe (UK), manufacturer of multifunction office equipment and business solutions, has won the coveted Editor's Choice award from Print.IT magazine for the Muratec MFX-C3400 colour multifunctional.

AF International, specialist suppliers of ICT cleaning products, has supported the well known children's charity Barnardo's through both a variety of staff fundraising activities and the sale of branded AF products.

July saw the release of the Government's Low Carbon Transition Plan, which plots out how, by 2020, the UK aims to cut emissions by 34%. The plan is a national strategy based on five steps to help generate a low carbon and energy efficient society. Whilst this may seem far removed from the day-to-day running of your business, every little helps and small measures can have a big effect on your impact on the environment.

It's a sign of the times. So dependent on modern technology are we that even the over 65s said they would rather be a laptop than a traditional pen or a piece of paper.

• Competition designed to promote consumer involvement with the brand
• Monthly prize of a holiday to an exotic destination

Inacopia is one of the leading brands of office paper offered by the Portucel Soporcel Group, established in the market for more than 25 years and sold in more than 20 countries, and has just launched a competition offering prizes for consumers.

As Franken, the planning and presentation product specialist seeks to broaden distribution and build on their inclusion in the Spicer's catalogue, they have recruited two industry experts to assist them in the UK market. 

Avery Office Products scooped the prestigious Marketing Supplier Award at the Lyreco Supplier Assessment Awards, recognising the manufacturer's outstanding contribution throughout 2008.

Muratec Europe (UK), manufacturer of multifunction office equipment and business solutions, has received ‘Good Value' status for the F305 fax multifunctional in the June 2009 What To Buy For Business review of fax machines. What To Buy For Business is an extremely influential subscription only, monthly magazine published for over 20 years. It does not accept advertising so editorial opinions are acknowledged as completely impartial.

Twitter has recently overtaken Facebook as the fastest growing online community, with a 1382 percent growth rate last year. Importantly people mostly tweet from work, with 62 percent of people accessing the site solely from work and on the move, rather than at home. Whist this may not immediately strike you as being relevant, the accelerated pace at which communications is changing has a direct impact on your business.

SOPX 2009 ‘New Product of the Year Awards' winner Gripping Stuff Photo Frames was officially launched at the Stationery and Office Products Show London... the new ‘self-stick' photo frame you can stick almost anywhere - a clever idea that allows you to frame and stick your photos straight onto walls, doors, cupboards and even filing cabinets instantly!

Two new products from Mitsubishi Pencil Co. are set to take the UK stationery market by storm as the company gears up for the Back to School season.

InFocus Corporation's latest premium meeting room model is a powerhouse of innovative features packed in an aesthetically appealing high gloss enclosure. Boasting a native WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution, the IN3108 offers the quick start convenience of LiteSwitch Instant On/Off - effectively cutting downtime between meetings; and DisplayLink^TM for Mac and Windows - enabling users to "connect and project" instantly over USB connection.

ECi Software Solutions, a leader in industry-specific information technology solutions, has entered the manufacturing software industry with the acquisition of software companies Bowen & Groves Pty Ltd. and Bowen & Groves Inc. Bowen & Groves (B&G) is the developer of the "M1 by B&G^TM" ERP management software used by small to medium-sized manufacturing businesses around the world. B&G is based in Mulgrave, Australia and also has sales and support facilities in the United States.

Fellowes' commitment to the prevention of identity fraud has been recognised at the European SABRE awards for the third consecutive year. Beating off stiff competition from renowned brands Mastercard and Microsoft MSN, Fellowes' National Identity Fraud Prevention Week was named best pan-European campaign of 2008 at a ceremony at the Stockholm City Hall, Sweden on 21st May. 

Arjowiggins Graphic, the leading manufacturer of innovative environmental paper solutions, has announced the launch of the first new product range as part of the new branch Cocoon. The range is manufactured from 100% FSC-certified, recycled de-inked pulp, offering an extra white stock with guaranteed printability.

Duraweld, one of the UK's leading producers of customised presentation, packaging and printed stationery products, has launched a FREE ring binder recycling service as part of its continued drive to offer a comprehensive range of environmentally friendly products and services.

Integra Office Solutions has announced details of a Golf and Networking Day for members at The Belfry, West Midlands.

Following their recent introduction to the UK market, Franken exhibited their comprehensive range of planning boards and presentation systems at the SOPX show for the first time. 

Jarltech Europe GmbH, based in Usingen, Germany, has become an official distributor for the latest barcode, label and POS printers from Citizen Systems Europe. Both companies are already working together successfully in Austria, via Jarltech's sister company, Tauris. Their co-operation in Germany was made possible through Jarltech's acquisition of former Citizen distributor, Data Cash GmbH, in early February.

The Pen Warehouse is delighted to announce the launch of the 12th edition of their flagship pens catalogue, ‘Pens galore'.

Stationery expert BIC is celebrating 40 years of its iconic 4 Colours^TM pen, with the launch of a fashionable limited edition version.

Midwich, the UK's leading specialist distributor of printing, scanning and auto-ID products, is investing in a one day event for stationery and office equipment dealers to showcase the latest product innovations.

Products in Arjowiggins' Conqueror portfolio have been recognised by the British Superbrands Council for a sixth consecutive year. The announcement follows a robust selection process administered independently by The Centre for Brand Analysis.

A combination of new and existing furniture was used by Claremont Group Interiors when it was selected to fit-out Jones Lang LaSalle's new 7,702ft² office at Chancery Place in Manchester city centre.

The inaugural SOPX New Product Awards will be judged by a distinguished panel of industry figures representing the UK's dealers, retailers and wholesalers.

Mobile computing solutions specialist, Asus, unveiled a number of notebook products at CeBIT this March. Highlights included a collaboration with automotive manufacturer, Automobili Lamborghini, with the Asus-Lamborghini VX5 notebook sporting an exterior inspired by the Lamborghini Reventón.

Two new high productivity, wide format mono devices have been introduced by Ricoh UK in an extension of the company's print room/CRD offering. The Aficio MP W5100 and Aficio MP W7140 are said to be durable and robust to maximise efficiency and uptime for print rooms and reduce overheads.

Trade-only distributor of AV, IT and consumer electronics products, Midwich, has bolstered its dedicated print team with the appointment of four additional sales specialists.

Canon UK is partnering with recycling specialist, eReco, to provide a toner bottle recycling service. The scheme ensures that 100 per cent of the used materials will never be put into landfill and couldhelp customers looking to reduce the environmental impact of print.

Buyers Laboratory Inc has presented the Fall 2008 Pick of the Year Award to Océ. Award winners in Océ's portfolio are the TDS700 wide-format monochrome MFP and both the Océ CS173 and Océ CS193 segment 2/3 business colour MFPs. BLI's award for Outstanding Wide-Format Monochrome MFP was the 36in TDS700 with optional TC4 scanner. BLI's wide-format test specialist, Joe Tischner, said: "This Océ wide-format printer was obviously designed with the end user in mind."

Konica Minolta Business Solutions has launched an Information Management Services division to provide an outsourced print solution service for corporate and public sector customers. The service lets customers with print room facilities and large fleets of print devices outsource management to Konica Minolta.

Premier Paper Group has opened a new stock holding branch in Langley, Berkshire. The sales office and warehouse unit accommodates the new West London branch of Premier Paper Group's paper merchanting division, Premier Beswick.

Fellowes is urging businesses to support European Data Protection Day and the launch of the Personal Information Promise by the Information Commissioner's Office. Fellowes Europe's president, Andrea Davis, said: "Various public and private institutions, both large and small, are not doing enough to protect the data they process on behalf of others, and are putting those individuals at risk."

Drawing on the conclusions from MBD's report on UK Stationery Distribution Market Development, for the period 2009 to 2013 the UK market for stationery distribution is expected to be restricted in the short term, largely reflecting the economic downturn evident during 2008, which has in turn reduced business investment and demand for stationery products.

All twelve members of Duraweld's Customer Services Team have successfully completed the Selling and Negotiating training course run by West End Training of York, part-funded by the governments' Train to Gain skills initiative.Principal of West End Training, Mike Prescott, said: "It's great to see companies like Duraweld continuing to train in the current climate and taking full advantage of Train to Gain funding."

Media Paper Management has added a Responsible Mail interactive tool to its interactive customer website. The tool keeps customers informed of important environmental changes which can impact their business and costs.

Howard Smith Paper has started tests with customers to demonstrate the key features and benefits of its ON Business and Offset uncoated papers. ON is produced with Eucalyptus tree fibres which give strength, opacity and bulk, improving on-press stability at high speeds. The company states a low absorbency level offers punchy prints using significantly less ink.

Manufacturer of creative materials and papers, Arjowiggins, has launched a new division set to focus on the development of environmental papers. Arjowiggins Graphic will bring the company's coated and uncoated recycled papers under one umbrella as part of a new organisational structure.

As part of a strategic shift towards the production of branded products, Atlanta Office Products is to concentrate its manufacturing facilities in The Netherlands, relocating its Estonian production capacity and closing its production site in Denmark.

Six companies in the envelope industry have joined together in a strategic alliance designed to offer a global mailing solution. The International Envelope Coalition comprises Bong Ljungdahl, Tension Envelope Corporation, Groupe Hamelin, Vigamil, King Corporation and Wigg and Son. It brings together over thirty manufacturing plants and covers five continents: North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Furniture, technology and office products supplier, Banner Business Supplies, is now trading as Banner Business Services, reflecting the company's growing portfolio of added value business services. These encompass specialist sourcing, environmental audits, furniture and equipment disposal and recycling. The launch represents the final stage of a corporate re-branding project, which began last year with a new logo.

Konica Minolta Business Solutions has landed a sponsorship deal as the official supplier of printers, copiers and faxes for UK Athletics major events until September 2013. The agreement includes UK Athletics' participation in the London Olympics in 2012. As an official supplier, Konica Minolta will support UK Athletics at six televised athletics events a year, where the Konica Minolta logo will be visible trackside and at the finish line.

Fellowes is offering purchasers of its environmentally friendly R-Kive System storage products the chance to win a Toyota Prius hybrid car.

In keeping with Nemo's support of environmental issues in the office, green products feature prominently throughout the new 2009 catalogue, which this year is printed on recycled paper. Amongst other improvements is a redesigned furniture section, which provides better clarity and simplified product selection.

Pico technology from Texas Instruments DLP Products is enabling a new generation of portable projection equipment for business and consumer use. DLP has worked with a number of manufacturing brands and has already unveiled a variety of implementations for its Pico chipset, including products from Acer, BenQ, Dell, Optoma, Samsung, Toshiba and WowWee.

UK businesses struggling to manage cash flow could be paying up to 25 per cent over the odds for their stationery and office supplies, according to on-line office supplies specialist, Netstationers. A lack of purchasing control and the use of multiple suppliers means that many companies are paying an inflated price for volume products such as paper and printer cartridges with no real visibility of their spending.

Employees from all Office2office (o2o) Group companies, including Banner Business Services, Accord and AccessPlus, joined key suppliers at o2o's annual supplier day, at Norwich City football ground. The day commenced with an exhibition featuring new products from o2o's 2009 catalogue and finished with an awards ceremony recognising suppliers.

Winstonmead has strengthened its sales and logistics capabilities in the South, following its acquisition of PDQ, based in West Sussex. Managing director of PDQ, Ryan Flippance, will join Winstonmead as regional general manager, along with a number of others from the PDQ team.

Abooming order book at on-demand book printer, CPI Antony Rowe, has prompted the company to invest in a fourth Océ VarioPrint 6250 system. The Océ presses complement existing cut-sheet printers, working to enhance productivity and quality.

Integra Office Solutions has announced a price freeze on initiative products sold via own brand distribution partner, Antalis. With the price freeze guaranteed until the end of June, the programme will cover all stationery and EOS lines, except initiative copier paper and envelopes. This is the latest step to support members and keep their costs low.

Auto ID and barcode label printing specialist, Zebmec has partnered with TallyGenicom to supply the company's new range of thermal printers. The 7005, 7006 and 7008 thermal printers are ideal for barcodes, labels and other critical documents, with a rugged design suitable for printing up to eight inches per second in harsh environments such as healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, warehousing and retail.

Premierbeswick, the paper merchanting division of the Premier Paper Group, is offering customers a 15 per cent discount off their first purchase of Creazy short-run personalisable packaging products, which are now available for both colour laser digital and HP Indigo ranges.

Dealers and retailers can now register on-line for free entry to the 2009 Stationery and Office Products Show (SOPX) in London this April. The website, which has now gone live, hosts regularly updated information about the show, including who is exhibiting and how to get to there. Those who register will receive their personal badge and a preview for the show two weeks before it opens.

A number of new companies have signed up to exhibit at the 2009 Stationery and Office Products Show this April, including suppliers of printer cartridges and laser toners such as DCI/Jet Tec and Infotec. These names head up the growing number of first time exhibitors set to participate in the exhibition on 7 and 8 April at London's Business Design Centre. Other companies making their debut include Bruce Douglas, Clive Stenning, Lexibook and DSB Binding.

Panasonic has opened a new European operations training centre at its manufacturing plant in Newport, South Wales. This purpose built multimedia facility will provide training for a range of Panasonic products including digital systems, network communications platforms, applications and document solutions.

Katun Corporation has introduced toner for the Toshiba e-Studio 163/203-series multi-function peripherals. The company states the toner is an excellent alternative to OEM toner for customers looking to improve their cost-per-copy.

Transax Merchant Services is a new credit and debit card payment service from Fidelity National Information Services, designed to help stationers improve their margins and quality of service at the point of sale (POS). This alternative to the credit and debit card services offered by banks and Independent Sales Organisations (ISOs) makes it easier for customers to pay and alleviates concerns about credit risk.

The James McNaughton Group has launched a new small format digital swatch, containing samples of its range of small format digital sheets. The swatch features printed and unprinted sample sheets of all McNaughton small format digital ranges, so customers can see and feel what each sheet is like. It also contains range and technical information.

Office costs could be reduced by updating technology as part of Peninsula's work smarter initiative. Following an initial audit, the scheme works to digitise paperwork, which can then be edited and updated on computer, stored on local hard drives and retrieved when needed.

Nearly 2,500 tonnes of carbon has been offset by Oce UK and its strategic partner, Shining Earth, in the first year of a pioneering carbon offsetting programme, where Oce UK committed to offsetting 200 per cent of the CO2 for each of its VarioPrint 6000 machines.

Responsibility for the pan-European business of Herma-branded office, school and photographic products passes to Axel Hennemann, as long-standing head of exports, Dieter Waldbüsser, retires. After 48 years with the self-adhesive speciality enterprise, Dieter's official departure scheduled to coincide with Paperworld 2009. This will be the 30th exhibition of its kind attended by Waldbüsser and plans are are in place for a smooth transition.

Morris Group has launched several new quality seating ranges at two events in London and Birmingham. The products included Nefil and Brant from the Comfort Seating ergonomic range, plus Shape and Sculpt.

From 1 March 2009 Denmaur Papers plc and Independent Paper plc are to combine their operations in one renamed company: Denmaur Independent Papers Ltd.

In a bid to increase operating efficiency, Fife-based papermaker, Tullis Russell, has invested £800K in a new Marquip cutter at its production site in Glenrothes. Improved yield is providing financial savings in the sheeting process and reducing the need to outsource paper cutting requirements.

VIPColor Technologies has launched its VP485e colour on-demand inkjet label printer in Europe. European sales director, Jules Farkas, said: "I believe the success of the launch is because the VP485e specification is unlike many units currently available. Featuring large separate ink tanks, each colour can be changed discretely and is operated in conjunction with long-life print heads. This greatly reduces the frequency of replacements as well as the waste and costs associated with today's tri-colour ink cartridges.

Inkjet cartridge manufacturer, Jet Tec, has established an Offical Retailer scheme designed to help dealers increase their customer base, grow sales and boost margins.

West Yorkshire Police (WYP) have cleared a mountain of paperwork using an intelligent document management and optical character recognition solution to scan, digitise and archive over 80,000 invoices received each year.

Ergonomic seating designer and manufacturer, RH Chairs, has won the Furniture Industry Research Association's award for Ergonomic Excellence: for an amazing ninth consecutive time.

At Integra Office Solutions' recent national conference members and suppliers came together to discuss new initiatives, exchange ideas and help plan for the year ahead.