There have been two major legislative decisions this week in Jersey, both of which have potential repercussions for the promo industry. Yesterday, Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law a ban on single-use plastic bags, paper bags, plastic straws and other plastic packaging. And the state voted on Tuesday to legalize recreational cannabis in the state…
Read MoreThe Vernon Company Announces New VP of Sales and Marketing
The Vernon Company, Newton, Iowa, has announced the addition of Lisa Hubbard as the company’s new vice president of sales and marketing, effective Nov. 16, 2020. Hubbard brings with her more than 20 years of sales and marketing leadership experience. She most recently served as vice president of sales,…
Read MoreScratch-N-Sniff T-shirts Are Here (and They Are Expensive)
How do you make a better T-shirt? Sure, you can use soft materials, source the materials responsibly or use some really nice ink for the decoration. But at the end of the day, it’s still just a T-shirt. But what if it smelled? No, not like a gym shirt. I mean like those scratch-n-sniff stickers…
Read MoreUpdate: Under Armour’s Direct-to-Consumer Shift Won’t Affect Promotional Products Industry
Under Armour reportedly announced this week that it will end more than 2,000 existing wholesale partnerships, focusing instead on its direct-to-consumer business. The apparel company reported more than 50 percent growth in e-commerce business during its third fiscal quarter, with a 17 percent increase in direct-to-consumer business…
Read MoreWhy This Bella+Canvas T-Shirt Costs $325,000
Bella+Canvas can now gloat that it has made the most expensive T-shirt ever. No, distributors and end-buyers don’t need to suddenly worry about spending a small fortune for a cotton tee. British Artist Damien Hirst, who has done expensive collaborations with brands like Supreme, started a contest to give away one of his own T-shirts…
Read MoreCentral America Facing ‘Catastrophic’ Flooding Threat From Tropical Storm Eta: How It Impacts Region’s Promo Apparel Facilities, Supply Chain
Honduras is home to manufacturing facilities for several large apparel companies operating in the promo industry, including Delta Apparel, Hanesbrands, Gildan and American Apparel (now owned by Gildan). As such, tropical storm Eta, despite its downgraded status, has the potential to disrupt the promo supply chain…
Read MoreOur 5 Favorite Promotional Products of the Week: Borat ‘Masks,’ Label Mistakes and More
Everybody feeling OK? Did you at least get a few hours of sleep? We’ve been refreshing the news just like everyone else, but it’s good to step away for a second and decompress. What better way to momentarily check out than looking at some fun and creative promotional products? We can’t think of anything more fun and relaxing (except maybe mini golf)…
Read MoreOver It? Revisiting the Promo Industry’s Overruns Debate
Overruns have long been a standard part of doing business in the promo industry, but not everyone is on board. We talked to distributors and suppliers to learn the reasons behind overruns, identify strategies for dealing with them and attempt to settle a surprisingly philosophical question they pose. Plus, we ask if the economic fallout from the pandemic rekindled the debate…
Read MoreEven Without Fans in Arenas, WWE Recorded Near-2019 Merchandise Revenue Thanks to E-Commerce Shift
The WWE has managed to almost completely offset revenue losses from not being able to sell merchandise at arenas by pivoting to e-commerce. The entertainment brand, which faced the same uncertainty as traditional sports unable to perform in front of arenas full of fans, saw e-commerce sales grow from $18.9 million to $27.7 million year-over-year for September…
Read MoreThe First-Ever Online Masters Merch Store Is as Impressive as the Real Thing, But Less Intimidating
Finally, we have a view of the highly anticipated Masters Tournament online shop—a first for the golf world, as usually the merchandise is only available for people who made it to Augusta National. You still need to have a ticket to the event, which was originally planned for April, but at least we can get a better feel for what merch is available without…
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