Fanatics Inc., a worldwide retailer of licensed sports merchandise, announced that it has acquired Kitbag, a U.K.-based sports e-commerce company and subsidiary of Findel plc. This move will allow Fanatics Inc. to increase licensed sports merchandise for soccer, which has seen an increase in the U.S. recently. Kitbag has relationships with popular European sports brands,…
Read MoreAuthor: Brendan Menapace
PPAI Names Diversity Development and Engagement Officer
Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), Irving, Texas, announced the addition of Seth Barnett as the association’s first diversity development and engagement manager. According to a press release in PPB, Barnett served for more than three years as the association’s…
Read MoreUsing Seaweed-based Ink for T-shirts
MetaWare, a Fairfax, Virginia-based apparel business started by Marci Zaroff and Cas Shiver, uses seaweed-based inks in T-shirts. The seaweed-based ink, called SeaInk, uses a seaweed-derived base without the use of chemicals, like PVC, resins or binders. According to Ecouterre, seaweed-based inks not only have environmental benefits, they…
Read MoreCalifornia Adds Aloe Vera to Proposition 65 List
When we get sunburns, nothing soothes the pain like aloe vera. But, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added a form of aloe vera to its list of potentially harmful substances under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of…
Read MoreA Lesson in Branding from a Skate Spot
Growing up, skateboarding was just about the most important thing in the world to me. I tore through magazines, like Thrasher and Skateboarder, I idolized Tony Hawk, and I watched every skate video I could get my hands on. I…
Read MoreSenate Closes Legal Loophole, Bans Importing Items from Slave Labor
The U.S. Senate voted last Thursday to close a loophole in the Tariff Act of 1930, which prohibited importing goods made by convict, forced or indentured labor, in an effort to minimize slave labor in the global supply chain. According to…
Read MoreBag Designer Claims Anthropologie Stole Design
Alice Saunders, a bag designer based in Massachusetts, is claiming that Anthropologie (a subsidiary of URBN Inc., which also owns Urban Outfitters) stole one of her designs, and is producing it with…
Read More3 Tips for a Successful Pen Promotion
When someone gets a hold of a pen that’s just right (or just write, if we feel like dropping a horrible pun), they don’t want to let go of it. Many of our favorite pens have been promotional pens that we either have received as an incentive or “accidentally” left in our pockets after a…
Read MoreQueensland Police Call T-shirt Gun Category B Weapon
Some might say that the most exciting part of a sporting event is when the T-shirt cannon rolls out onto the court/field. However, the Queensland, Australia, police doesn’t share our love for promotional items being launched via ballistic devices. According…
Read MoreEuropean Union Approves Staples-Office Depot Merger
Staples, Framingham, Mass., announced yesterday that it received approval from the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, to acquire Office Depot, Boca Raton, Fla. “This is a significant step, and we’re very pleased the European Commission has approved this transaction,” Ron Sargent, chairman and CEO of Staples, said in a press release.…
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