Welcome to JB Comércio Global
If you have made it this far, it is because our paths have crossed in some way. Perhaps you are already one of our customers or partners, perhaps you represent a brand looking for new markets, or perhaps you are simply discovering JB Comércio Global for the first time.
Whatever the reason, welcome.
JB Comércio Global was founded in 1998 and has grown closely connected to the stationery industry. Throughout that journey, we have followed its evolution, changes in retail, the emergence of new consumer habits and, above all, an increasingly evident transformation in the way people discover, choose and engage with products and brands. We have changed too. There are moments in a company’s history that represent more than the arrival of a new product or partner. They are moments that lead us to look at the market differently and, sometimes, discover a new path.
For us, one such moment came in 2020, with the arrival of Caderno Inteligente. A seemingly simple idea - a notebook that could be rearranged and personalised - brought together many of the values we believed in: innovation, functionality, design, quality and the ability to surprise. It marked the beginning of a new chapter for JB Comércio Global.
Newpen followed, and gradually so did other brands and concepts that allowed us to broaden this vision. Each with its own identity, history and value proposition. Some connected to writing, others to organisation, education, design, creativity, lifestyle or gifting. Different from one another, but united by something we consider essential: a distinct identity and a clear reason for being in the market.
Stationery is an industry with a long history and, precisely for that reason, a very distinctive identity. Consumers discover products in new ways, seek greater personalisation and increasingly value the experience, identity and story behind a brand. At the same time, we continue to recognise the enormous value in what has always defined this industry: closeness.
The relationship between people, product knowledge, advice, the opportunity to touch and try products, and the trust built over time remain at the heart of specialist retail. Digital has opened up new possibilities, but it has not changed this belief of ours. For us, physical and digital do not necessarily represent opposing paths. They are realities that now coexist naturally in people’s lives. A consumer may discover a brand on social media, look for information online and eventually find the product in a physical store. They may discover a product in a store and continue their relationship with that brand through digital channels. It is in this coexistence between different ways of discovering, communicating and buying that we see one of the most interesting developments in our market.
More than products, we seek identity. Over the years, we have also learned that not every opportunity needs to be ours. We prefer to seek out projects in which we recognise identity, differentiation and the potential to build something meaningful. Innovation may lie in technology, but it can also be found in a simple idea. It may emerge through a new material, a different use, an environmental concern, an educational element, a design detail or a new interpretation of a product that has existed for generations. What interests us is this ability to add value. That is why we look at every brand individually. What worked for one will not necessarily work for another. Every product has its audience, every market has its own characteristics, and every brand deserves to preserve what makes it different. Our role is to understand that identity and find ways to develop it in the markets where we operate.
From Portugal to an increasingly Iberian outlook. Portugal will always be our origin and a fundamental part of JB Comércio Global’s identity. It was here that we grew, built relationships with customers and suppliers, and gained much of the knowledge of the industry that we have today. Over time, this journey naturally took us beyond our borders. The experience gained through our brands and our gradual entry into the Spanish market gave us an increasingly Iberian perspective on our business. Portugal and Spain are different markets, each with their own characteristics, and it is precisely this difference that makes them so interesting. It is in this diverse yet increasingly connected Iberian space that we want to continue getting to know, discovering and building our future.
Despite all the changes we have experienced, one thing remains virtually unchanged in the way we think: business is still done between people. Behind every product is someone who had an idea. Behind every brand is a story. Behind every store is a business owner, a family or a team that knows its customers. And behind every partnership is trust. It is this human dimension that we seek to preserve in the relationships we build with customers, suppliers, brands and partners. We want to get to know the people we work with, understand their projects and give them the opportunity to get to know JB Comércio Global too. We will not always share the same opinions. We will not all see the market in the same way. And we believe that is a positive thing. An industry evolves precisely when there are different ideas, different experiences and different ways of looking to the future.
We do not know exactly what stationery will look like ten or twenty years from now. We do know, however, what we believe in today. We believe in an industry capable of preserving its identity while continuing to evolve. We believe in the value of physical stores and the closeness they represent. We believe in the opportunities created by digital. We believe in quality products and brands with personality. We believe in innovation when it delivers genuine value. We believe in increasingly conscious use of resources and in the responsible development of our industry. We believe that the Portuguese and Spanish markets have room for new concepts, new ideas and brands capable of surprising people. And above all, we believe there is still much to discover. It was this curiosity that brought us here.
It began with a fresh look at what a notebook could be. Then came a new way of thinking about a pencil. Other brands, products and partners followed, and naturally, so did new ideas. Tomorrow, it may be something we do not yet know. Perhaps that is precisely the most interesting part of this journey.
We will continue to keep a close eye on the market, people, trends and emerging ideas, seeking to evolve without losing the identity we have built since 1998.
To all the customers, suppliers and partners who are already part of this story, thank you for your trust.
And to everyone arriving and getting to know us for the first time: welcome to JB Comércio Global.
We hope you find here not just a company, supplier or distributor, but a team ready to listen, explore new ideas and discover where our paths might meet. Because the future is not built alone. It is built through the relationships, ideas and opportunities we encounter along the way.
That is the path we continue to follow.
José Miguel Borda
COO | JB Comércio Global Lda.
