Canada’s leading independent dealers have joined forces under the auspices of Novexco.
Rumors had been circulating for several months that changes were imminent in the Canadian IDC. Finally, on February 5, multichannel operator Novexco confirmed the addition of 90 dealers from Canadian Workplace Solutions (CWS) and Guild Stationers to its network.
The development—described as a “transformative milestone”—marks the end of CWS as a standalone dealer-owned buying group and consolidates the bulk of Canada’s independent dealer base under the Novexco umbrella. The enlarged organization comprises close to 140 dealer members operating approximately 220 locations across all ten provinces.
Stronger together
Including dealer staff, Novexco and its members now employ more than 4,000 people and generate aggregate group sales of about C$750 million (US$549 million)—split roughly 50-50 between the dealer network and Novexco’s other operations, such as wholesaling and national contracts.
CWS itself was only formed three years ago from the merger of the CIS and Basics groups, with Guild joining as a shareholder. This combination was triggered by growing pressures on the local dealer community, not least because of Staples Canada’s acquisition of leading Basics member Denis in 2022—which removed a significant chunk of Basics’ volume overnight.
It didn’t take long for IDC stakeholders to realize that further rapprochement would be beneficial for the channel. In late 2023, CWS entered into a purchasing alliance with Novexco, allowing the two parties to negotiate jointly with vendors while remaining legally separate entities.
At the time, both organizations stressed there was no intention to merge. However, the economics of running a standalone buying group in a shrinking and cost-intensive market proved difficult to sustain for CWS.
With the purchasing agreement working well, Novexco CEO Denis Mathieu told OPI that he had started the ball rolling on bringing the organizations even closer together during an incentive trip with dealers in March 2025. It was a strategic idea—Mathieu referred to it as the “logical next step”—which was received positively by all stakeholders and the wheels were then put in motion to bring CWS into the Novexco fold.
Under the new arrangement, CWS members have become shareholders of Novexco. CWS is set to be wound down once remaining administrative matters—including final rebate settlements—are completed. Its dealers will now operate within Novexco’s structure, primarily under the Basics and Office Plus banners.
Guild Stationers is taking a slightly different, but equally significant, path. While it will remain a separate entity and continue to manage its Office Pro dealer network, it has joined the Novexco ecosystem as a single shareholder—similar to its previous relationship with CWS. At the same time, it has sold its warehouse facility to Novexco in order to focus on areas such as marketing and accounting.
The new structure is designed to preserve local brand equity while centralizing purchasing, data, category management and logistics. From a supplier perspective, it creates a single national point of negotiation covering the overwhelming majority of Canada’s independent dealer volume. For independents, it promises greater buying power, broader assortments and access to a robust delivery platform that would be impossible to replicate individually.
“This development represents far more than organizational growth,” added Mathieu. “It reflects our belief that the future of the industry lies in smart alliances which combine national reach with local roots.”
A familiar face
As part of the transition, Angie Bukta, who first led CIS and then became president of CWS, has joined Novexco as SVP of Dealer Development and Strategy. Reporting directly to Mathieu, she will act as a dedicated liaison for the expanded dealer community, focusing on onboarding, program development and alignment across the different banners.
Novexco says the enlarged network will operate under several complementary go-to-market brands. Hamster serves as the “national pillar”, while Basics and Office Plus provide continuity for former CWS dealers. Office Pro will continue as the Guild banner for its mostly smaller businesses.
How these brands will evolve remains to be seen. Novexco has invested significantly in raising the profile of the Hamster name among Canadian consumers over the past six years, increasing its brand awareness in Quebec from 6% to 60% and countrywide from 1% to 20% in that time. It will be down to individual former CWS dealers to decide whether they want to tap into this marketing effort.
Competitive advantage
Strategically, the move protects volumes within the Canadian IDC and will likely make it more difficult for the likes of Staples and Grand & Toy (part of The ODP Corporation, now owned by Atlas Holdings) to acquire dealers. Perhaps with these US-owned competitors in mind, Novexco highlights its Canada-based governance and decision-making model, which enables it to remain “closely connected to the economic and operational realities of the regions it serves.”
Notwithstanding Novexco’s Canadian roots, Mathieu firmly believes its increased scale will enable the company and its resellers to compete more effectively with large, international players—which, naturally, include Amazon.
Looking ahead, Mathieu said a priority is to diversify into adjacent product categories, admitting that Canadian dealers are probably still too reliant on core stationery and OP lines. It should give Novexco’s independent resellers a good runway for growth in segments where the group as a whole is seeing increases of up to 25% a year.
This story was originally published as premium content by our sister publication OPI.
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