Janitorial and canteen products get COVID-19 injection.

 

Sales in the US office supplies sector are forecast to remain stable through 2022, with hand cleaners and other janitorial and canteen supplies being the main source of growth as attitudes and behaviours related to COVID-19 continue to reshape the industry, according to The NPD Group’s Future of Office Supplies report. 

 

The janitorial and breakroom category—which includes products such as hand sanitisers and wipes, tissues and dispensers, and disposable plates and bowls—contributed US$14.9 billion in 2019 and is projected to rise to over US$16.1 billion in 2022.

 

NPD said that in relation to the upcoming US back-to-school season, safety is on parents’ minds as almost half of them plan to purchase hand sanitiser to have available when the next school year starts – ranking alongside pencils and notebooks as the top supplies they plan to purchase for the upcoming school year.

 

“Janitorial and breakroom has been a bright spot for the office supplies space over the past couple of years, and the COVID-19 crisis will only serve to strengthen sales as increased demand for sanitizers and other cleaning products will drive additional growth. Manufacturers and retailers will need to focus on maintaining both strong supply and distribution lines, while managing prices for consumers in what is sure to be a highly competitive space,” Leen Nsouli, NPD’s office supplies industry analyst, said.

 

Spending on colouring and art supplies is also expected to grow steadily over the next three years, nurtured by the sales momentum established shortly after the implementation of stay-at-home mandates. Growth from these more optimistic categories is expected to help offset declines in other areas of the office supplies space that have faced more headwinds due to COVID-19 and been more directly challenged by technology, including filing and file storage, office paper, and other office essentials.

 

“An accelerated migration to digital and higher technology adoption in business and learning is reducing the purchase frequency in categories such as paper notebooks, filing, and binders. As working from home becomes more commonplace, this will reduce the consumption of certain supplies and also has implications for the commercial B2B as fewer supplies will be consumed in the workplace, Nsouli said. “At the same time, however, as we see from the growth in colouring and art, the current environment has engaged office supplies consumers in new ways. This behaviour will not be unlearned, and the balance between technology and the traditional will be key.”