Counselor® PromoGram®
Volume 795 / March 3, 2011
Click here to read this and past issues online.

Camsing Completes Acquisition Of Corvest
As first reported in a Breaking News Alert yesterday, Camsing Global has finalized its acquisition of Top 40 supplier Corvest. While the deal was initially scheduled to be completed by the end of January, Camsing completed the transaction yesterday afternoon with Cerberus Capital Management, Corvest’s senior secured lender, and will take possession of the company’s assets within the next 10 to 15 days.

Billy Dolan, CEO of Camsing Global, said that the acquisition allows Corvest’s supplier brands to be reenergized in the marketplace. “Today marks a fresh start for the Adva-Lite, Toppers, and It’s All Greek To Me brands and the rebuilding of three very important legacy go-to choices for distributors within the promotional products industry,” he said.

For Corvest, the ownership change is its second in the past year, after being purchased in March 2010 by equity firm Siglo Holdings. However, Counselor has learned that Cerberus Capital, the company’s owner prior to Siglo, remained the senior secured lender for Corvest until the transaction with Camsing officially closed yesterday. Cerberus previously told Counselor that it had “no comment” on any deals. As the parent company of Adva-Lite (asi/32145), It's All Greek To Me (asi/62960) and Toppers (asi/91530), Corvest was ranked by Counselor as the 22nd-largest supplier in the ad specialty industry last year.

Earlier this year, Camsing completed a separate stock transaction to acquire Senator Promotional Group USA (asi/86390), and Dolan expects both of Camsing’s new units to see growth in 2011. “Since the acquisition of the Senator brands back in January, we have seen some exciting growth in both brands (Corvest and Senator) versus last year and expect the momentum to continue throughout 2011,” he said.

Camsing Global, which has U.S. offices in Rochester, NY, and Winona, MN, offers sourcing to ad specialty industry suppliers, while also, as the holding company to China Imprint (asi/43016), providing products and services to distributors. Guangzhou Camsing Limited, which has 3,000 employees on three continents, promotes itself as one of the largest manufacturers of promotional products in China. With China Imprint, Corvest and Senator combined, Camsing is expected to be among the 10 largest supplier organizations in the North American ad specialty industry
ASI NEWS

And the Winner Is…
The ASI Show attendees choose the 2011 ASI Show Dallas Advantages New Product Showcase supplier winners.
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Now Starring: Promo Products
ASI makes good on its promise to further educate end buyers on the power of promo products in a string of TV segments.
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ASI welcomes the following Suppliers to the LogoMall Network
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Find, review, and purchase the latest exclusive ASI products...
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4imprint 2010 Revenues And Profits Jump
4imprint Group, the London-based parent company of Counselor Top 40 distributor 4imprint (asi/197045), announced that its 2010 revenues increased by 19%, while the company’s profits nearly doubled. On revenues of 200.8 million British pounds ($327.1 million), the company realized underlying pre-tax profits of 9.98 million pounds ($16.3 million) in 2010, an increase of 94% over the previous year. In its public filing, 4imprint attributed the successful 2010 results to an increase in both organic and new business.

"Both new and existing customer orders were significantly ahead of prior year as the business saw improvement in the yield on its prospecting catalogue and internet marketing spend coupled with further growth in its customer file and retention rate of existing customers," the company said in a statement.

While not breaking out financials by division, 4imprint did say that customer orders in its North American division increased by 14% and existing customer orders were up by 27%. The overall company also says that the positive results it achieved in 2010 are continuing in 2011. "Despite the wider threats to economic growth,” said John Poulter, chairman of 4imprint, “the momentum developed in the past year is evident in the early weeks of 2011."

In the North American market, 4imprint ranks as the fifth-largest distributor, with more than $160 million in annual ad specialty sales. The stock price for the parent company (FOUR on the London Stock Exchange) has increased 75% over the past year.



Leed’s Enters Awards Category With Orrefors Deal
Leed’s (asi/66887), a member of Counselor Top 40 supplier Polyconcept North America, has announced plans to enter into the awards product category. Partnering with manufacturer Orrefors, Leed’s will offer 99 glass items, including bowls, picture frames, vases and drinkware, as well as traditional awards.
 
“Leed’s is proud to add Orrefors to the collection of retail brands we offer our customers,” says Jeff Brown, chief marketing office for Polyconcept North America. “The brand has a long history of excellent craftsmanship and unique design, which will complement our line nicely.”

According to Leed’s, two decorating options will be available for Orrefors’ products. A screen etching method, which gives the appearance of etched glass, is available with a 24-hour turnaround. Orrefors’ glassware can also be sand etched on a 10-day turnaround.

“Orrefors is excited to partner with Leed’s as our exclusive supplier to the promotional products industry,” says Kevin Dougherty, director of corporate sales for Orrefors Kosta Boda USA. “We feel they can provide a level of service that we could never reach on our own.”


News Video: WorkflowOne Exits Bankruptcy & CPSC Under Fire
In this episode of Counselor's Industry Update video, we detail how Top 40 distributor WorkflowOne emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week, talk about financial results for another large distributor, and share information about a new initiative to make apparel more eco-friendly. Plus, will a House of Representatives measure kill a planned product safety endeavor from the CPSC? Watch the video to find out.

Click here to see the trends and to watch Counselor PromoGram’s Industry Update.

If you have any news you’d like to see covered on Industry Update or in Counselor PromoGram, please send it to newsdesk@asicentral.com.



Coalition Aims To Make Apparel Industry "Greener"
Leading retailers, clothing manufacturers, environmental groups and academics announced plans this week to form a new coalition aimed at lessening the environmental and social impact associated with producing apparel and footwear around the world. The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) intends to develop improved sustainability strategies and an index to measure and evaluate “green” performance in the apparel industry. Evaluating and scoring businesses on things like worker conditions and water and chemical usage, the Apparel Index 1.0 will enable companies to measure their environmental and social impact, compare themselves to other companies and receive improvement strategies. 

To further the green mission, coalition members will devise plans to reduce chemical usage, lessen the apparel industry’s water and industrial consumption and improve waste diversion. Concerned about the potential hazards industry employees face, the coalition intends to make the process of producing apparel transparent and get workplaces throughout the apparel world to adopt standards that lead to fair treatment of employees and safe working environments where none are exposed to toxic chemicals. “Over the past few years, the U.S. apparel and footwear industry has embraced sustainability as a key component to the way we do business,” says Kevin M. Burke, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association. “The industry understands that collaboration and transparency are the best ways to reduce our industry's impact on the environment.”

The SAC’s 30 or so founding members include companies like Walmart, Target, J.C. Penney, Timberland and Nike. Other initial members of the coalition are Duke University, the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund, the Environmental Protection Agency and Verité, a labor rights group. The SAC could expand to 40 members by June. “Should the Sustainable Apparel Coalition succeed, its focus on improving supply chain performance could become a model for other industries,” says Leon Kaye, editor of GreenGoPost.com, a website that focuses on the business side of sustainability. “More efficient, energy-saving and transparent supply chains not only reduce costs, but lessen the human costs that put too high of a price tag on what are often cheap clothes.”



The Joe Show: New Products
In this episode of The Joe Show, Counselor Managing Editor Joe Haley shows off some new products that suppliers have sent to him recently. Looking to present some unique promotional ideas to clients? Want to have the newest items in the market at your fingertips? Check out the video now.

Click here to watch this new-products episode of The Joe Show.

Want more videos? Subscribe now to our YouTube videos.


Take The State Of The Industry Survey
Counselor is currently polling professionals in the industry – both distributors and suppliers – to see how the market did in 2010 and to get impressions on where the industry is headed in 2011. We need your input. Please take some time to click the appropriate link below and complete the annual State of the Industry survey. Your responses will remain anonymous and you’ll be helping to create Counselor’s annual State of the Industry report.

Distributors click here to take the distributor State of the Industry survey.

Suppliers click here to take the supplier State of the Industry survey.



Call For Nominations: Sales & Marketing Awards
The ASI Spirit Awards honors the sales and marketing accomplishments of suppliers and distributors. If your company has experienced incredible growth, produced an especially successful promotional campaign or has an outstanding website, we want to hear from you.

Top 10 Fastest Growing Companies - Click here to see the requirements and to fill out the nomination form.

Promotional Campaigns - We're looking for 2010's best promotional campaigns in the following categories: Distributor Self-Promotion, Distributor Client Promotion and Supplier Self-Promotion. Send us information about your campaign, including concrete details of why it was a success. You must be able to provide samples for photography or high-res photos if your campaign is chosen.
We are also interested in your Best New Media Promotions. These promotions must use the Internet or social media to accomplish their goals.

Best Website - Do you have the best website in the industry? Suppliers and distributors are invited to send in the URL of their website along with a few sentences about why it should be considered. Please also include the site's hits, visitors and impressions per month.

All nominations and questions should be e-mailed to Karen Akers, awards editor, at kakers@asicentral.com.


Counselor Wants Your Social Media Success Stories
For a feature in the May issue of Counselor, we’re looking to speak to distributors who are finding success with online social networking. Have you been building contacts and revenue through a new Facebook campaign? Are your sales growing 140 characters at a time? We want to talk to you.

Send an e-mail to Shane Dale at sdale@asicentral.com with a brief description about how your distributorship has succeeded recently by using online social media marketing efforts. Please include your contact information, as we may follow up to speak to interview you for this feature article.


In The News
Admints & Zagabor (asi/31516) and ProTowels (asi/79750) have completed an alliance in the Southwest and West Coast of the country. Scott Harris in the Southwest and Chris Piper on the West Coast will now represent both companies.

The Brandmarket Inc. (asi/145006) has announced that Kathleen Watts Smith, president and founder, has received the Women's Presidents Organization (WPO) Breakthrough Business Leader Award, presented by Smart Business magazine and the WPO of Orange County.

CleggPromo (asi/45450) announced that it has released a child-safe product line that is CPSIA and F963 certified.

FastBadge (asi/53744) has announced that it will be closed Tuesday, March 8, 2011 due to a local holiday.

InkHead Promotional Products (asi/231159) announced that client ExpertBail has launched a custom online store built on InkHead’s technology.

Swedatron (Canada) Ltd (formerly asi/90344) announced that it has changed its company name to PSL Canada Ltd (now asi/90344).


People On The Move
Chop-Chop/ TerraCoasters (asi/72795) has appointed multi-line representatives Lee Pearson and Kevin Ridgeway of Lee Pearson and Associates. Pearson will represent the line in GA, NC, SC, VA, and PR while Ridgeway will represent the line in Al, KY, MS, and TN.


ASI SHOW

FREE TICKET DEADLINE TO SEE WAYNE BRADY LIVE JUST EXTENDED!
Due to popular demand, the deadline to order free tickets to see Wayne Brady Live at ASI San Diego has just been extended for ASI distributor members! Register by March 31 and request your FREE ticket to this much-anticipated event taking place on May 19.

Click here to view a great video from Wayne Brady himself.

With so much to offer, ASI San Diego (May 18-20) is shaping up to be a “must-attend” event. From hundreds of innovative suppliers and thousands of hot, new promotional products to top-notch free education and around-the-clock networking, ASI San Diego is THE place to jumpstart your second selling season.

Register today for the newest event to serve the West Coast. Visit www.asishow.com for more information on ASI San Diego. ASI distributors and decorator members receive free admission and a free hotel room.

ASI NEW YORK IS LESS THAN ONE MONTH AWAY
Have you registered yet for ASI New York (March 22-24 at the Javits Center), the industry’s first and only major trade show in New York?

If not, what are you waiting for? The action-packed, three-day schedule features:

Join the excitement at ASI New York. Register today at www.asishow.com. And, remember, ASI distributor and decorator members also receive a free hotel room.

Follow The ASI Show on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook today!

The following are the dates and locations for The ASI Show in 2011:
New York, March 22-24, 2011
San Diego, May 18-20, 2011
Chicago, July 19-21, 2011

Plus, don’t miss the ASI Advantages Roadshow, the industry’s #1 traveling show. Visit www.advantagesroadshow.com for the complete schedule and go to www.asishow.com for information on all ASI Shows.



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