the U.S. tends to import more women’s apparel from China than it does men’s apparel. According to the Wall Street Journal, 42 percent of women’s and girls’ clothes and shoes came from China in 2018, whereas the percentage for men’s and boys’ clothes and shoes was 26 percent. That comes out to $23.5 billion worth of women’s apparel, versus $10.9 billion for men’s…
Read MoreBehind the Scenes at Debco’s State-of-the-Art New Facility (and Housewarming Party!)
When we got an invite to head north to Canada and visit Debco’s brand new facility in the greater Toronto area, we jumped at the chance. The Debco Housewarming Party took place June 19, and we got the scoop on the supplier’s future plans and how it graduated from a 37,000 sq. ft. office and print shop to an enormous new 245,000 sq. ft. facility…
Read MoreMeridian’s Jake Chanson on Sustaining Double-Digit Sales Growth, Making Things Easy for Customers, BizTech and More
Meridian clocked in at No. 10 on our 2019 Fastest Growing Distributors list with 44 percent year-over-year promo sales growth (and five straight years of double-digit growth). We caught up with Jake Chanson, head of business development, to find out what’s behind that success. Plus, Sean and Brendan break down the Great Chicken Wars of 2019 as Popeye’s new sandwich becomes the viral marketing champ…
Read MoreMaple Ridge Farms Announces a New Give Back Campaign
Maple Ridge Farms, Mosinee, Wis., announced its “Give Back” campaign, a new social responsibility initiative. Tom Riordan, president of Maple Ridge Farms, announced that the supplier will be partnering with Habitat for Humanity as part of the 2019 initiative. The company has selected 15 gourmet gifts to be included in the initiative, providing an array…
Read More11 New Bags for Wherever You Are—and Wherever You’ll End Up
We are extremely excited to introduce our new Ashbury bags for 2019! This year, we’ve added bags to our existing Call of the Wild and Nomad Must Haves collections while introducing a brand-new collection we’re calling Collection X. Here is the Ashbury 2019 Trailer for the individual collection videos that are available across our social…
Read MoreGemline Announces New President, CEO and VP of Marketing
Gemline, Lawrence, Mass., announced multiple personnel moves yesterday: Frank Carpenito appointed as company president; Jonathan Isaacson promoted to chairman and CEO; and Saadia Bryant promoted to vice president of marketing, product and design. Carpenito has been on the Gemline board since 2014, and in his new role will be responsible for handling the company’s day-to-day operations…
Read MoreWhy a Texas Teen Has Collected More Than 200 Animal Shelter Promotional T-shirts
We often hear that everything is bigger in Texas, and 13-year-old Jayson Kimberly is helping to prove that the sentiment applies to the knack for being selfless, too. Hoping to draw attention to the issue of animal welfare, the adolescent is donning promotional T-shirts for different animal shelters throughout the school year…
Read MoreCharles River Apparel Sponsors and Participates in Cradles to Crayons’ Backpack-A-Thon
Charles River, a bronze sponsor of the Backpack-A-Thon event, donated products to be included in the backpacks, and recruited a team of employees and distributors around the Chicago area, including staff from Printable Promotions, Axis Promotions and Club Colors, to participate as volunteers…
Read MoreBrand Hijacking: Intellectual Property and the Promo Industry
Requests for artwork and designs using other brands’ intellectual property without permission—honest mistake or not—are a growing challenge for distributors. What’s the motivation behind the practice, known as brand hijacking, and how can industry companies address it?…
Read MoreReflecting on the Busy Weekend in the Trade War
On Friday, China announced further retaliatory tariffs, which prompted the president to “order” U.S. companies out of China. What followed was a weekend of more speculation, incendiary speech and uncertainty for U.S. businesses.
Read More