Xpedx Stores Division Closing

[printshopgirl]

via xpedx Stores | Facebook

"xpedx serves customers across many industries, and our Stores community is probably the most diverse of all. From graphic designers to party planners, churches to small business owners, we strive to provide excellent service along with the products you need in the quantities you want. If you don’t know, our largest base of customers is printers, and that industry is undergoing quite a lot of change. We want to continue to be a top supplier to the print industry, and to make sure that happens, we’re making some changes.

This year xpedx will realign operations so that we can continue to provide excellent service while helping our customers keep pace with the fast-growing digital print market. This means we will transition away from our current stores business model, to servicing many customers from xpedx’s well established distribution network. We will also open “mini-merchant” locations based in some of the country’s top digital print markets.

While this is the right decision for xpedx overall, it will lead to the closing of our Stores division, which will unfortunately affect many talented and dedicated team members. Depending on your line of work, it could also affect you. Know that your local store associate is ready to discuss the changes coming our way.

Throughout this change we will go to great lengths to help our employees through the transition, and will do our best to limit disruption to all of our customers’ businesses.

We value our relationship with everyone in the Stores community – whether we know you personally, professionally, or through our social networks.

Look for future updates here, and please send well wishes to our wonderful xpedx Stores team."

We are going to be a bit screwed by this.
I am super surprised by this decision.
Thoughts?

[Joe Duffy]

xpedx, as ahub and spoke distributor, has always had a hard time with the stores. They originally planned to use them for list price sellers of hard to move product that was sitting on warehouse shelves and they evolved to what they are today. I think with the Kodak stuff, they have alot of fear and worry and they are doing what any large compnay would do---respond in a way that it will effect the bottom line the most.

Try to establish an account with a small local paper distributor, you will pay about the same but get service - hope you have one close to help you out.

[Craig]

I agree with Joe, we refer to xpedx as "expect-less". The regional distributors will do cartwheels if you ask them to.

[Emtri]

Well at least your better off then us here, Xpedx shut down ALL of its facilities in Canada

[SnappySteve]

Surprised by the response - our local Xpedx Store provides a much higher level of service than the staff of the closest hub.

[KopyBoss]

We get great service and pricing from our local Xpedx Store. Guess now have to start using Kelly Paper Strore more

[Happyprinter]

I agree with Craig. Xpedx has always, in our area, been known as "expect less, pay more." In the SLC area they closed down 2 great stores, Western Paper and Zellerbach paper and consolidated all into XpedX. What a mistake that has been. Unfortunately International Paper closed the wrong division down.

[Big Dave]

Craig (or others)
What is a "regional distributor" ? Do they distribute all types of papers from all paper factories ?
Or a regional distributor of a certain factories' paper ?

Who would be a regional distributor closest to Los Angeles ??

[Craig]

We work with 4 regional distributors, mostly because of delivery schedules. Between the 4 (1 is envelopes only) they have everything available that we have ever needed in out 46 years. There is so much more flexibility with them than xpedx. 2 of them will take our cutter blades to a grinding shop and deliver them for free. You can compare it to Walmart and a mom and pop shop mentality, they want your business.

[Big Dave]

Thanks Craig, but Names ! I need Names !! :-) Anyone ?

Someone mentioned MAC in another post, but they're South East only, and I'd like a company a bit closer to home. Preferably in Los Angeles.

Thanks !