There has been an important development in the Canadian office products channel.

 

At a meeting held at the end of October, the shareholders of leading dealer groups CIS Office Plus and Basics voted to merge into a single organisation, effective 1 January 2023. This transaction will bring together 42 independent resellers across Canada. 

 

The enlarged group – for which a name has not yet been decided – is to be headed by Angie Bukta, current president of CIS. 

 

Basics and CIS have had a close relationship since 2009, when CIS became a shareholder in Basics. Following the establishment of the new group, all 42 dealers will be individual shareholders. Guild Stationers, the 58-member group of

smaller resellers – which is also a shareholder in Basics – will remain as a shareholder in the new organisation.

 

In the new year, it will be a question of blending the cultures and strengths of each group “to create profitability and success for independent dealers in Canada”. Over time, this will include a unified approach to marketing and programmes, although a separate two-year catalogue has already been agreed upon for 2023/2024.

 

In a joint statement, Basics and CIS’s respective chairmen, David Read and Clive Katz, said: “Today, we made a choice to move forward as one strong voice of independent office products dealers and wholesalers. We will have more decisions to make, and these will be about optimism for our future, giving back to our group through sharing of ideas and information, and respecting each other along the way. Let’s do it the right way.”

 

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