A strained consumer is cutting back on purchases of office products, putting the squeeze on manufacturer Newell Rubbermaid . Shares of Newell Rubbermaid fell $1.40, or 4.9%, to $27.30, after the ...

Sharpie and Rubbermaid’s parent company, Newell Brands, is laying off 13% of its office staff in a bid to cut up to $250 million in costs.

In a down economy, even pens are subject to cutbacks, and uni-ball, second in market share (28%) behind the leader Pilot (42%), was feeling the brunt. During the 2010 back-to-school/college period, ...