Key Takeaways
• Exiting A Brand: Fruit of the Loom (FOTL, asi/84257) will stop selling the brand that bears its name in the wholesale channel by the end of 2025.
• Word From Top Suppliers: S&S Activewear (asi/84358) and alphabroder (asi/34063) will cease selling FOTL products at the start of the new year – effective Jan. 1, 2025.
• Still Available: FOTL’s JERZEES and Russell Athletic brands will remain for sale in the promotional products space.
Fruit of the Loom (FOTL, asi/84257) will stop selling its namesake brand in the wholesale channel by the end of 2025, but FOTL’s JERZEES and Russell Athletic brands will continue to be available in the promotional products/decorated apparel space.
That’s according to a message Counselor Top 40 suppliers S&S Activewear (asi/84358) and alphabroder (asi/34063) recently sent to distributor and decorator customers.
“We want to inform you that Fruit of the Loom has decided to discontinue selling the Fruit of the Loom brand in the wholesaler channel by the end of 2025,” the statement said.
S&S, promo’s second-largest supplier, completed the acquisition of alphabroder, promo’s third-largest supplier, at the end of September. While the FOTL brand will reportedly be available in the wholesale market through 2025, S&S and alphabroder plan to stop selling the line at the start of the coming new year – effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Speaking on behalf of both brands, S&S Chief Marketing Officer Marc Vitulli told ASI Media that the FOTL products that the suppliers will no longer be carrying are primarily T-shirts and fleece (sweatshirts).
“For FOTL’s core selling item, which is the 5-oz. HD cotton shirt, both S&S and alphabroder have high-quality comparable items with additional selling features in the M&O and Gildan brands,” Vitulli said. “We will be able to service our customers for their needs with this product offering.”
ASI Media contacted FOTL for comment about the apparent decision to sunset the FOTL brand in the wholesale channel but hadn’t heard back as of this writing.
With origins stretching back to 1851 in Rhode Island, FOTL is currently a Bowling Green, KY-headquartered subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.
Earlier this year, FOTL announced the shuttering of a distribution center in Summerville, SC.
