We are delighted to announce that Lyreco has won yet another industry award having scooped the 2008 Dealer Excellence honour at the annual BOSS Awards. 

Run by the stationery trade association The British Office Supplies and Services Federation, the awards were held at The Royal Lancaster Hotel, London on 16^th October with office supply companies big and small competing for the top prize in each of the ten categories.

The Dealer Excellence Award was judged on how companies have developed their business and product range over the last twelve months to ensure continued growth with existing customers.  As the entry form said, it is 10 times more cost effective to grow sales with existing customers than acquiring new ones!

We were able to demonstrate a clear strategy in this area backed up by impressive sales results, a combination which clearly impressed the judges.

Tim Holmes, Marketing Director said: “The award is another reflection of the hard work that goes on at Lyreco every day.  Our award submission included the fact that we have extended the catalogue again this year, the new products which have come on stream, the relationships we have built with customers and above all our continued policy of putting the customer first. 

“Every person who works at Lyreco has either directly or indirectly had a part to play in us winning this award and we should all be really proud of this achievement.”

Pictured from left to right are: Nick Revell, Director of International Accounts, Charles Furniss, Product Manager, Adam Ward, Junior Product Manager, Tim Holmes, Marketing Director, Rachael Green, Field Sales Channel Manager, Carole Keane, Quality Security and Environmental Manager, Tasmin Evans, Marketing Communications Manager, Helen Cocker, Account Manager and Steve Moran, Corporate Accounts Channel Manager.

Lyreco Impega Cartridge Information

LyrECO

As part of Lyreco’s commitment to the environment, our distribution department was given the task of identifying how we could reduce the environmental impact of our delivery fleet without breaking the bank and still keep within the required specifications of load space and weight capacity. We have already identified several alternatives such as LPG vehicles, Bio-diesel and retrofitted hybrid / electric drive units, but the most promising so far is an 100% electric, 0% emission vehicle known as ‘MODEC’, the name being an amalgamation of ‘Modern’ and ‘Electric’. This is a totally unique and exciting direction and Lyreco is one the first companies in the UK to evaluate and consider such a vehicle.

The vehicle is unique to the market, offering 60 & 100 mile ranges and importantly sufficient payload to rival our current delivery vehicle of choice, the Mercedes Sprinter 511. You may think that a 60 mile range would not be anywhere near sufficient, but in actual fact 30% of our delivery fleet do less than 60 miles per day and 65% do less than 100 miles per day! To put this into context, every Regional Distribution Centre that delivers into a major city in the UK has at least 1 vehicle that does less than 100 miles per day, making this a potentially viable option for the range of the electric van.

There are other electric vehicles available on the market, but are based on traditional ‘Transit’ type chassis. The Modec vehicle is a bespoke chassis which means you can configure the vehicle’s box section in a large variety of ways to suit our operation and is designed to take the weight of the batteries. Here are a few technical facts & figures:

• Max speed 50Mph
• 102 Bhp
• 10.2m turning circle
• 2 tonne weight capacity
• 0% Emissions
• £0 Congestion charge
• £0 Road Tax
• No tachograph required
• 8 hour charge cycle from empty

• Regenerative braking (braking recharges the battery)

The MODEC van was on an operational trial at our Distribution Centre in London during earlier this year to properly assess its suitability for use as a delivery vehicle. This trial should be seen as a major environmental initiative to help Lyreco’s environmental and Corporate Social Responsibilty policies.

OfficeMax (NYSE:OMX) and Lyreco announce today they entered into an alliance to better serve their customers throughout the world. The partnership brings together the expertise and footprint of two leaders in business-to-business office supply solutions.  Utilizing the combined contract operations and infrastructure of Lyreco and OfficeMax around the world, the partnership is expected to provide improved selling opportunities for both companies.  Lyreco and OfficeMax will be able to provide exceptional office supplies service to their multinational customers in a broader geographical coverage now reaching 36 countries.

“I am delighted to have Lyreco as our partner”, said Sam Duncan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at OfficeMax. “Lyreco has always been a leader in Europe and this partnership will improve the OfficeMax service offering for our large international customers.  We expect improved selling potential from the partnership.”

“I am obviously excited about the two companies coming to such an agreement” stated Lyreco’s CEO, Eric Bigeard. “OfficeMax and Lyreco share the same commitment for the customers and the same dedication to delight them. OfficeMax has a long established and solid position and I look forward to developing the relationship in the future”.

About OfficeMax

OfficeMax Incorporated (NYSE: OMX) is a leader in both business-to- business office products solutions and retail office products. The OfficeMax mission is simple. We help our customers do their best work. The company provides office supplies and paper, in-store print and document services through OfficeMax ImPress®, technology products and solutions, and furniture to consumers and to large, medium and small businesses. OfficeMax customers are served by approximately 32,000 associates through direct sales, catalogs, e-commerce and nearly 1,000 stores. To find the nearest OfficeMax, call 1-877-OFFICEMAX. For more information, visit http://www.officemax.com/.

About Lyreco

Lyreco is a privately-owned supplier of office products to the business community and a leader in business-to-business office products solution   With 11,000 employees including a sales force of over 4,500 people its core expertise is in the focus on customer service and distribution excellence. It operates in 29 countries around the world, covering 4 continents. For more information, visit http://www.lyreco.com/

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this press release and other written or oral statements made by or on behalf of the company constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the company’s future performance, as well as management’s expectations, beliefs, intentions, plans, estimates or projections relating to the future. Management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable. However, the company cannot guarantee that the alliance with Lyreco will increase sales or that its actual results will be consistent with the forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on them. These statements are based on current expectations and speak only as of the date they are made. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of future events, new information or otherwise. Important factors regarding the company which may cause results to differ from expectations are included in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2007, under Item 1A “Risk Factors”, and in the company’s other filings with the SEC.