Data from the Department of Commerce’s Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) showed that China is still the No. 1 importer of apparel to the U.S., but Vietnam recorded the most growth, with 17.2 percent, to 282 million square meter equivalents. According to Just-Style, imports rose 1.6 percent year-over-year to $6.63 billion. The volume of…
Read More
Many brands are making efforts to appeal to millennials. According to Forbes, this enigmatic generation makes up one-third of the U.S. workforce—53.5 million employees. So, naturally, many brands are trying to reach this young generation through advertising and products. According to Adweek, Splash, a creator of marketing software, used data to show what branded items…
Read More
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that it will not pursue compliance or enforcement actions against manufacturers, importers or private labelers of certain adult apparel that is determined exempt from testing under CPSC’s flammability standard for not having a general conformity certificate. According to a press release, the CPSC approved the new policy on…
Read More
Proforma, Cleveland, recently concluded its Planning Retreats, formerly known as Proforma’s Regional Meetings. This seven-city event provided Proforma owners with the opportunity to connect with suppliers, learn innovative selling techniques for 2016 and network with industry experts. Proforma’s annual meetings featured a new format to facilitate more group sharing and collaboration, and to include motivational…
Read More
The Image Group, Holland, Ohio, announced yesterday that it has acquired Santa Ana, California-based companies Bag Warehouse and Thirsty Promo from Mark-it Smart. According to a press release, the deal includes Mark-it Smart’s Web-based sales platform. Bag Warehouse and Thirsty Promo sell branded items directly to businesses, rather than through distributors. Jon Levine, president of The…
Read More
The U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago has issued a subpoena for the town of Cicero, Ill., requesting records for transactions with two politically connected companies, including one promotional products company. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, federal authorities requested invoices and payment records relating to You & Me Inc., a Woodridge, Illinois-based distributor, dating back to…
Read More
After 18 seasons in the NFL, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning said that he will retire from the game. It’s not a bad time for Manning to hang up his helmet. After all, his last game was a Super Bowl 50 victory, and he…
Read More
Promo Marketing’s Video Battle pits two industry videos against each other for the chance at the ultimate bragging right: Being declared our readership’s absolute favorite. (Next up: It snowed today in Philadelphia. I guess the sled I still have in my hallway can get one last ride.) Last week, Prime Line won again, so now it will challenge…
Read More
Samsonite LLC, Hong Kong, announced that it has acquired TUMI, South Plainfield, N.J., in a cash transaction worth $1.8 billion. This is Samsonite LLC’s largest acquisition since its initial public offering in 2011, according to CNBC. Samsonite LLC will pay $26.75 per share in the transaction, representing a 33 percent premium of TUMI’s closing price. With…
Read More
Last year, we reported that the Oklahoma state government was looking into spending less money on promotional products. Now, critics say that the Texas state government is spending too much taxpayer money on promotional items,…
Read More