Brighter colours
Changing buyer profiles might also
explain the current trend for non-
traditional, colourful desk organisers that
enable users to add a bit of personality
to their workspace.
Mills suggests that the requirement
for desktop accessories to be stylish
as well as practical might in part be
due to the rise in home offices, where
desk organisers will need to fit in with
domestic décor.
“It’s also simply a reflection of the
expectations of today’s consumer; just
because something is a daily essential
doesn’t mean it has to be dull. Many of
today’s office basics, from technology to
furniture, have evolved to become more
aesthetically pleasing,” she said.
Andy Page, European Sales and
Marketing Director of Deflecto Europe,
also highlights changing working
practices as having a key influence on
design trends. “Home workers have easy
access to colour palettes and design
inspiration on the internet, which allows
them to furnish and decorate their
homes stylishly. So why should they have
a ‘contract’ coloured letter tray in their
salmon pink study?,” he said.
Show your true colours
Manufacturers have responded to this
demand by bringing an inviting splash of
colour to the world of work. Avery’s latest
range of desktop accessories, ColorStak,
is a case in point. The collection of trays
and pots – stackable without the need
for connecting risers – can be mixed and
matched in a combination of colours.
As well as keeping desks clutter-free,
Mills says they have the added benefit
of bringing “a mood-boosting burst of
colour to the workspace”.
The Joy range from Rexel, one of the
company’s flagship product launches in
2015, is a colourful collection of office
supplies, including desk tidies, staplers
and hole punches, that has taken the
brand into new product areas, such as
scissors, notepads and journals.
Couling said: “We identified a gap in
the market for colourful products from
an established brand, and we now offer
consumers an extensive choice. Our
initial venture into colour has been the
base for extensive product development.
It has led to the expansion of the JOY
Pick any colour
The average office worker will spend
13 minutes and 13 seconds each day
searching for missing paperwork and
stationery, according to new research
fromAvery UK, and that’s despite one
in five de-cluttering their desks on a
weekly basis.
Fiona Mills, Marketing Director
at Avery UK, warns that as well as
wasting employees’ time, a disorganised
workspace could create a bad impression
on visitors, colleagues and bosses.
“It’s important not to let an untidy
desk jeopardise an otherwise good
reputation,” she said. “A bright and
clear workspace is an easy way to
demonstrate pride and care for a job.
Looking at the bigger picture, employees’
desks can sometimes unintentionally
say something about their organisation
as a whole. A series of untidy and
disorganised desks can reflect poorly on
a business.”
One thing office workers can do to
try and stay organised is to use desk
organisers. As well as helping to maintain
a neat and tidy desk, a desk tidy can
improve productivity by reducing time
wasted looking for things.
Tidy trends
Given the recent trend for hot desking,
where people don’t have fixed desks
but share communal ones, you might
expect to see a decline in demand for
desk organisers in enterprises, even if,
as Avery’s Mills suggests, desk sharing
creates a greater need for desks to be
left tidy and organised so that the next
occupier is not inconvenienced.
However, Karen Couling, European
Product Manager, ACCO Brands,
suggests that any decline caused by hot
desking is being offset by the popularity
of flexible working and the growing
number of homeworkers.
“An additional 800,000 people have
become home workers over the past
decade in the UK and there were over
600,000 new business start-ups in 2015,
which is an upward trajectory we are
seeing across Europe. Having a desk that
contains the stationery and equipment
needed to work efficiently and
productively is just as important in a
home environment as it is in a corporate
office,” she said.
This changing pattern of demand is
reflected in the sales figures at Office
Depot Europe. These show a positive
sales trend (+4.5% on average) for desk
organisers in the company’s European
Retail channel, but a slight decline in
its Direct (Viking) and Contract (Office
Depot) channels, which it says mirrors
the overall market performance.
What does your desk say about you?
Pen To Paper
highlights the latest trends in desktop accessories
Autumn 2016
| P2P Magazine |
13
DESK ORGANISERS
Continued...
Having a desk
that contains
the stationery
and equipment
needed to work
efficiently and
productively
is just as
important
in a home
environment
