In Office Products Exit, Essendant Charts a “New Way Forward”

In a significant transformation for the wholesale-distribution market, Essendant has formally unveiled a sweeping pivot away from the office-products (OP) sector that has long defined the company. Under the banner of its “New Way Forward” initiative, Essendant is significantly consolidating its physical distribution footprint, narrowing its product mix and repositioning around JanSan, foodservice and technology categories.

Essendant began communicating the transformation in early October via a series of weekly messages and

. It’s a landmark change for a company that has had…