Articles
Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), Irving, Texas, concluded The PPAI Expo 2017 with near-record attendance and participation. The world’s largest promotional products trade show, held Jan. 8 to 12, attracted a total of 12,267 distributor personnel, the show’s largest attendance since 2008, from 4,065 companies together for the five-day event in Las Vegas. The PPAI…
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By now, we know what to look for when it comes to counterfeit sports merchandise, so we don’t feel the need to rehash it. (Bottom line: Look for authenticity stickers, among other things.) And yet, before every major sports event, law enforcement agencies report the staggering number of…
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The water bottle is constantly evolving. Companies are adding new features and new designs to keep up with fashion and technology. They also want to battle the growing number of single-use water bottles that end up in landfills or as litter. (Business Insider reported that Americans throw away close to 2.5 million plastic bottles every…
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Edwards Garment, Kalamazoo, Mich., announced the promotion of Anthony Violante to the position of director of finance. This new role means Violante will be responsible for the accounting and credit roles at the organization. Violante began his career with Edwards Garment in…
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HALO Branded Solutions, Sterling, Ill., announced the acquisition of the business of Catalyst Marketing Inc., a Seattle-based creative merchandise agency. “HALO was able to allow us to maintain our creative capabilities and client-focused culture, while providing the resources necessary to expand our reach in the markets we serve,” said Tom Havens, founder and president of…
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After Kellyanne Conway used the phrase “alternative facts” during an interview with Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press,” merchandisers have been racing to put the questionable phrase on just about anything they can. According to TMZ, multiple people have filed documents to trademark the phrase. But, in the meantime, there’s plenty of “alternative fact” merchandise…
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Activision Blizzard, the brains behind some of the most popular video gaming franchises like “Call of Duty,” “Overwatch” and “World of Warcraft” announced that it’s creating a consumer products division. Fortune reported that Tim Kilpin, a former executive at Mattel (where he was president and chief commercial officer) and Walt Disney (where he oversaw the…
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Over the past week, we ran a poll asking readers their opinions of President Trump after his first week in office. After more than 300 readers responded, we found the results to be fairly polarized. 42 percent answered “very bad,” 37 percent said “very good,” 10 percent said “good,” 4 percent were neutral and 7…
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Premier Print and Promotions Ltd., Feering, U.K., announced the acquisition of Blueprint Promotional Products Ltd., Nottingham, U.K., for an undisclosed sum. Blueprint Promotional Products Ltd. will continue to trade under the umbrella group of Premier Print and Promotions Ltd. companies. “As we welcome Blueprint into the Premier family, we believe that their expertise in the…
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We told you about Trump’s proposed 20 percent tariff on Mexican goods. This potential measure has many apparel companies concerned about its hypothetical impact on their earnings. According to the Los Angeles…
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