Blue Max has donated 2,000 T shirts for the benefit of injured troops in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.  

The T Shirts were provided after the company was approached by one of its customers, Martin Greenland from LogoWear Ltd.  

Sussex Uniforms – which have been in business for just one year – have won the ‘Best New Business of the Year’ Award at the 2009 Sussex Business Awards.

The judges were impressed that the company had already broken even in its first year and has an excellent business model for expansion.

The Cockermouth-based sales and marketing office for Balmoral and Papini was devastated during the floods which hit the Cumbrian town at the end of November.

The bpma held its second Academy Graduation Ceremony at the House of Commons on November 9, with 35 guests in attendance.

John Greenway MP has supported the bpma and particularly the bpma academy, and proudly presented 20 students with their certificates alongside Adrian Ferrand, bpma’s director of education and Gordon Glenister, director general of the trade body.

As the company enters its fifth decade, Colchester-based suppliers, I.S. Enterprises have unveiled a new corporate identity including a new company name – ISE – and a new logo which will be implemented across all branded materials and online platforms from the New Year.

ITL’s range of i-Bio bio solvent inks – manufactured using renewable resources such as corn oil derivatives rather than from fossil fuel oils – are now available.

The solvent content of these inks comes from natural lactates and all components are classified as readily biodegradeable. The printing qualities of i-Bio inks matches the same high standards achieved by other mild solvent inks in the ITL range such as the established EPS inks. 

BTC activewear has launched a competition to win a Fly-Drive Holiday for Two to Hollywood.

Sponsored by Gildan, they are mailing scratch cards to all of their customers offering them the chance to win 14 days touring the sites of Hollywood including visiting Universal Studios, Disneyland Park and the LA city tour of celebrity homes.

Michael Grosbøl, managing director of Mascot International A/S, has been named Owner Manager of the Year 2009 in the Mid Jutland region of Denmark.

Putting the focus on finance and quality has earned Mascot International a place among market leaders in Europe and most recently a prize for the man at the helm of the Mid Jutland company. 

Printing, embroidering, flocking and promotional textiles – these core topics of the international trade fair TV TecStyle Visions, will also be reflected in a colourful supporting programme for visitors

Queen Margrethe of Denmark and the Prince Consort together with a large business delegation have visited Mascot’s factory and logistic centre in Vietnam. During the visit, the company received an award from the Vietnamese authorities for being an exemplary investor.

A new membership organization, dotgain.org, supported by the British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF), has been launched to help lead the way in the modern, multi-channel media landscape.

A significant proportion of small to medium-sized businesses in the UK have reported an increase in the export side of their business, according to new research from leading independent invoice financier Bibby Financial Services.

Building on its outdoor clothing brand credentials of quality, affordability and style, Regatta’s all-encompassing new range, featured in the 2010 brochure, continues to lead the way in the promotional, corporatewear and workwear markets.

RSK Tech, specialist providers of e-commerce solutions for the garment decoration industry, have announced the release of the new and greatly improved Version 3.0 of their online garment designer and e-commerce solution RSK NetShirt. 

Europe’s promotional product industry will see quite a festive start to the new year. On January 13, the starting signal for 50 years of PSI will sound at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre.

“This special anniversary will of course be with us throughout the year, but we will start the festivities right with the trade fair," says PSI director Michael Freter. On this occasion the Promotional Product Service Institute, which counts almost 7,000 distributors and manufacturers of promotional products throughout Europe as its members, will step up its presence at the industry’s leading fair.

Sign & Digital UK has a new website, complementing the evolution of the show’s branding with the aim of having an ‘easy to use’ online presence to improve the exhibitors and visitors show experience.

Avery Dennison has introduced a helpful new dimension to its Graphics and Reflective Products division website: an online colour selector showing what is available in each of the self-coloured ranges of Avery Graphics self-adhesive films.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has outlined its approach to procuring the goods and services required to stage the Games in 2012.

Sourcing City have announced the winners of their Distributor & Supplier Awards for 2009.  

Now in its third year, the awards drew the largest number of votes ever received. 

Make a date in your diary this month to visit the 2010 Trophex Show which takes place at the NEC Pavilion, Birmingham on January 17 and 18.

The show is free to attend and registration is available online at  www.trophex.com.

DYSS (Dae Young Systems), a leading Korean supplier of UV direct to media printers and cutter/router tables has appointed B&P Graphic Supplies Ltd as their distributor for UK and Ireland.

B&P, in association with Sun Chemical, whom B&P has appointed as a sub-distributor, will distribute the Apollo range of UV combination and flatbed printers and the X7 range of cutter/routers.

Avery Dennison Corporation has launched a range of new surface effect labels and trims that provide users with a cost-efficient way to add a touch of fashion to branded garments and non-apparel items.

Around this time last year I gazed into my school-specific crystal ball and wrote a column about the trends expected to emerge in schoolwear for the 12 months ahead. This year, however, as I adopted my Gypsy Rose Lee pose, all I could see was a haze of blue…

The media world doesn’t change very often, but when it does the change tends to be major. We are in such a change now, thanks to the explosion of use of social networking media and it is apparent that a lot of businesses are off the pace. Since the fifth anniversary of Facebook earlier this year there has been a lot of talk about the extent of use of social networking sites (plenty of it bemoaning that there’s too much). The classic comment is that students live their lives on them. But it goes far further than students. Use of sites goes across all social groups, income groups and age ranges. If you think that this is restricted to the youth market you’re wrong. Bear in mind, too, that those very students will soon be your business customers.

A return to what customers know

Alison McKenzie, brand director, Fruit of the Loom

Simplicity is the key to success in 2010. The garments that will secure orders are those that offer added value. Buyers are looking to maximise their promotional budgets as much as possible and they are demanding affordable, proven products that represent genuine value for money.

New leisure styles have been introduced by American Apparel for 2010. First up is the RSATR412 tri-blend short sleeve leisure shirt made from American Apparel's ultra soft Tri-Blend fabric comprising 50% polyester/25% cotton/25% rayon.

Last year saw the AWDis brand consolidate its position as the leading UK hoodie brand in the printwear market growing to a magnificent seven styles in 40 colours plus a dozen two coloured versions by midsummer.

The B&C collection consists of 118 styles which make up our six ranges. The composition of the collection enables us to offer you any style, from the basic to the most fashionable. The Duo concept, created in 2007, continues to be a success with 34 duos made of 67 styles.

Specialist headwear brand, Beechfield has announced a massive roll out of new caps and hats for 2010. It is adding 18 new styles bringing the total to nearly 60 different headwear designs, all made for decoration.

Blue Max has announced a number of exciting introductions into the new 2010 brochure.

For Back to School, the Ziggy's shirt collection has been extended with a range specifically designed for girls. It is available in both a short and long-sleeved format in white or light blue with a flattering and feminine fit.

BTC activewear has grown their offering by a quarter for 2010 with 44 market leading brands on offer.

As Russell Europe’s latest approved distributor, they have expanded their ranges of Jerzees Colours, Jerzees Schoolgear, Russell Collection and Russell Workwear. The 140 Jerzees Schoolgear Soft Shell Jacket offers a stylish alternative to the traditional school jacket but not at the expense of performance, being windproof, water resistant and washable to 40C.

The latest James & Nicholson Workbook by Gustav Daiber is better than ever with beautiful imagery which shows how the latest promotional wear stands up to the challenges of everyday life.

The High Performance chapter showcases products with innovative extras. And the newly created Fashion 4 Family range has something for everyone.

Finden+Hales know teamwear and they know it well. The brand has gone from strength to strength with its range of mix’n’match men’s, women’s and kids teamwear and, armed with more fantastic customer information than ever before, looks set to become the benchmark for those seeking a credible and quality teamwear solution.

T shirts are the primary focus of Fruit of the Loom’s new product development for 2010. The company is launching two men’s Ts and two children’s Ts, in addition to a new Lady-Fit Jog Pants.

The T shirts are knitted from 100% cotton Belcoro certified yarns (spun in Fruit of the Loom’s state of the art Moroccan factory), for a softer feel and cleaner printing process.

Front Row is all about leisure. When rugby, sailing, walking, or just being outdoors matters most then Front Row provides all the gear you need.

Whether you choose from Front Row’s authentic rugby shirts which stand the test of time or our extra special Front Row Collection supersoft cotton with a luxuriously soft handle making it a delight to wear, all are comfortable, practical and above all thoughtfully created.

Three exciting new ranges are available from Hanes for 2010 – Hanes Tagless, Tagless sports and Tagless organic.

Tagless stands for high impact products in leading edge fabrics. The special ComfortSoft material gives a perfectly soft and smooth feel for maximum wearing pleasure. All products are tagless, for a fresh design and great comfort without scratchy neck labels. Features include a superior fit, a perfectly printable surface and elegant design in every detail.

At Henbury we are looking forward to a vibrant 2010 with some fabulous additions to the range. As ever the Henbury label represents quality, innovation and design in the world of corporate, promotional and workwear clothing. With that in mind our new 2010 products are on trend and provide fresh new options for you and your customers.

This year Gazelle is bigger better and more importantly brighter than ever before.

We have added brighter colour combinations to our existing ranges and have expanded our size ranges to bring you a massive collection of teamwear products.

Colchester-based promotional clothing company, I.S. Enterprises, has added more than 20 new products for 2010, including two new ranges as well as additions to established brands such as Fruit of the Loom.

The two new ranges from Result include an inflatable jacket and gilet range as well as an athletics range with the launch of Air Down and Spiro respectively.

Styles introduced across the four brands - Mantis, Humbugz, Babybugz and TLC reflect what will be hot on the high street for 2010.

Star products include essential fashionwear, gorgeous hoodies for little ones and super-soft fabrics using wash effects and poly/cotton blends.

PenCarrie has added over 250 new products and five new brands to its portfolio for 2010.  Dunlop Workwear and Lee Cooper Workwear now complement other quality brands in PenCarrie’s workwear range. Newly available too is high specification, high performing rugby kit from KooGa, whose clothing professional players favour. A new range of outdoor clothing for travel and adventure comes from Craghoppers, with all styles made from technical fabrics designed to withstand tough weather conditions. The fifth and final new brand, Lewis Print, specialises in bespoke transfers. These include bespoke sports numbers (to add to sports shirts) as well as British standard reflective transfers (to add to high-viz garments, for example).

The significant new product for 2010 is the chef’s PR659 long sleeve jacket. The Coolmax fabric helps chefs stay fresh and focussed when things hot up. The performance fabric includes an effective, fibre-based moisture management system that moves perspiration away from the body. In addition to offering superior comfort and styling, the easy care unisex jacket is also soft to the touch.

Key additions to our brand portfolio for 2010 offers customers even more opportunities to grow their business.

With 63 brands and more than 1850 products, Ralawise offer the widest range in the industry.

Regatta has a plethora of new products for 2010. Using the brand’s outdoor clothing credentials of quality, protection and value, they are destined to be great additions to the existing range.

TRA436 Avery: The Avery Down Effect Jacket is designed to provide maximum insulation to maintain comfort in cold conditions. The jacket is made from a water repellent polyamide fabric and packed with down effect padding to trap warm air. It retains a lightweight feel without compromising on insulation. Available in S-XXXL and a black colour option.

At Russell we always like to give you more, especially when it comes to quality and choice. So this year we’ve introduced two new 100% cotton polos that do just that.

The Ultimate Cotton Polo and the luxury Pima Cotton Polo complete our family of cotton polos, both striking the perfect balance on quality and price.

A new highlight for 2010 is a 210 g/m heavyweight T shirt in Stedman quality.

The Prime ST6000 is made from 100% ring-spun cotton, single jersey tubular fabric, taped shoulder to shoulder.

Skinnifit’s bringing fresh back for 2010 with six new women's styles.

The brand has listened to customer feedback and responded with products that are both wanted and needed.

TheMagicTouch transfer process just gets better and continues to be affordable for all to enjoy and benefit from. The market is changing, as indeed are attitudes and perception towards transfer technology, with a realisation the process assists in creating new business and marketing opportunity.

Kick start 2010 with Tombo’s selection of new products – all designed with your team and sports needs in mind.

The most visible introductions to the 2010 range are two bright yellow garments; the High Vision Jacket and the High Vision T Shirt. Both are exclusively available in a dazzling yellow with reflective detailing and both ideal for wearing in lower light conditions or for situations where being noticed is a distinct benefit.

For 2010 UKL have launched Zoggs, the Australian swimwear brand that was founded in Sydney in 1992. Zoggs was the first company to implement innovative design features such as UV protection and split yoke straps as standard features on all goggles.

Zoggs are now offering a range of innovative swimsuits and shorts for personalisation exclusively via UKL.

The last leg of the tour was on familiar turf - at Sandy Park, home to Exeter Chiefs rugby club. And if the Exeter event was anything to go by, PenCarrie has a hit on its hands.

"It's probably the world's most expensive team building exercise!" David Abraham quips, as we settle down for a chat in PenCarrie's boardroom. "It's a testament to everyone on the bus that we're still talking to each other."

BagBase has announced the launch of four new fun bag styles that update some of the brand’s best-loved products.

With the BG212 Universal Backpack, BagBase is living up to its reputation as ‘Europe’s most colourful bag brand’. This modern and timely reworking of the original BG12 Classic Backpack is offered in a 10 fresh and funky fashion hues – orange, classic pink, pure green and yellow; core promo options – black, bright royal and French navy; plus chic graphite grey and white – the latter is destined to be the ‘must have’ bag colour of 2010, according to the brand.

A PET bag made from used plastic water bottles has been introduced for 2010 by Crazy Bags. Designed to be the ultimate in environmentally sound bags, it is 100% recycled and 100% reusable. 

BTC activewear has grown their bag offering for 2010, with an expanded range from Shugon, joined for the first time with ranges from Regatta and Nike Golf.

Regatta is offering a selection of six great value backpacks including the TRB028 Easypack Packaway 25 litre Backpack which packs into its own front pocket and is available in a choice of 4 colours. The TRB034 Landtrek 35 litre Backpack is made from hard wearing 600D polyester and features an adjustable padded hip belt, two zipped compartments, front pocket and easy-grab zip pullers.

With James & Nicholson’s latest teamwear, teams not only make a good sportive impression. Bags are the icing on the cake of the brand new collection. Gustav Daiber GmbH shows that they are not only an expert in chic textiles, but also for other fields in the promotional world.

I.S. Enterprises (I.S.E), the Colchester-based promotional clothing company, caters for the middle to top end of the market supplying companies with quality promotional items.

Director of I.S. Enterprises, Jill Granger, comments on the range of promotional bags currently available through I.S. Enterprises and predicts on-going trends for 2010.

Prestige Leisure UK stock a wide range of bags which can be applied to numerous markets including sports, leisure, promotional, corporate, workwear and schoolwear.

One of Prestige’s biggest selling bags is Bagbase’s BG10 Gymsac, which is available in 36 colours including all the school favourites. This bag is 45x34cm with an 11-litre capacity and is made from water resistant fabric.

Four new bags from BagBase, six from Quadra, two from Westford Mill, a team holdall from adidas and an entirely new range of seven bags from outdoor clothing specialist Regatta extend PenCarrie’s range, keeping it one of the most comprehensive in the industry. Bags from Regatta will be available from March 2010; all others are expected in stock early in the new year.

Quadra is launching six new bags in 2010, four of which are designed to carry and protect a laptop computer.

The QD896 Urban Laptop Messenger is a lightweight, fashionably styled bag that takes its design cues from performance apparel. Made using a contemporary 600D polyester/300D rip-stop polyester combination fabric, it offers an eclectic mix of urban and outdoor performance styling for maximum consumer appeal.

Bags are now well established apparel items within our industry, with customers now seeing the benefit of bags as a core product for a range of sectors. Bags are perfect to complete a corporate style, school uniform or team kit. 

Regatta has launched a range of seven bags for 2010, which are suitable for print or embroidery.

Using the expertise the Regatta brand gained in the consumer market, Regatta can now offer the promotional and schools markets an innovative range of bags which have been tried and tested in the great outdoors. The range includes backpacks from 12 litres to 35 litres.

In a year that is undoubtedly proving very tough in the hi visibility and workwear sectors RTY Enhanced Visibility has had a very good year particularly with an increase in demand for its very noticeable luggage.

Westford Mill is adding two new bag styles to its collection in 2010. The new product launches mean that there are now a total of 15 styles across the collection, in a choice of six sustainable fabrics, and up to 19 colours.

Printwear & Promotion Live opens on Sunday, February 28 through to Tuesday, March 2 and offers the visitor all that’s best in blank garments from the UK’s major distributors and manufacturers with ranges covering the leisure, workwear, schoolwear, sportswear and promotional markets.

PROMOTA is acutely aware at all times – but especially when economic times are tough – of ensuring best use of members’ time and money. That’s one of the driving forces behind the decision to co-locate the International PROMOTA Show 2010 with Printwear and Promotion 2010.

In basic terms, social media can be described as an online method of communication enabling users to share information via text, images, audio and video.

Social media is all around us with sites such as Twitter and LinkedIn becoming part of most people’s daily routine. The sheer popularity of social media was shown when Facebook hit the headlines for its use in Barrack Obama’s presidential campaign. The American president’s campaign team used the networking site to help encourage younger Americans to vote, making his page the one with the most ‘friends’ in the world – with close to three million people registered.

The promotions market is a hugely important part of the overall sales and marketing strategy for Powertraveller, the UK manufacturer of the powermonkey – the UK’s favourite portable charger for mobiles and other gadgets.

This year Powertraveller won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for their range of portable chargers. And according to the company, the prestigious award has helped increase interest from promotional companies both in the UK and in Europe.

With its massive warehouse capacity, Blue Max can offer an unrivalled selection of colours and sizes across many of its corporate wear lines. For customer convenience, everything is held in stock and ready for next day delivery.

All the latest corporate wear is featured in the new 2010 brochure.

BTC activewear have grown their corporatewear offering with an increased range from Kustom Kit. New for 2010 is the KK131 men’s tailored fit long sleeve business shirt and KK132 double cuff long sleeve business shirt which both feature double folded side and sleeve seams and removable collar bones.

According to brand director Alison McKenzie: “A smart collared shirt is the foundation of any more formal corporate uniform. Fruit of the Loom Work Shirts look the part, wear and last well, and are priced in line with today’s budgets, making them firm favourites with a growing number of corporate wear buyers. We have seen sales increase every year since the shirts’ launch in 2007 and we are anticipating a further increase in 2010.”

Gustav Daiber’s latest Safety and Workwear collection, which features in James & Nicholson’s Workbook, comprises high visibility wear in all variations as well as workwear.

One example of safety wear is the Safety Softshell Jacket (JN 807). This versatile jacket with reflective horizontal stripes made of 3M Scotchlite is comfortable to wear and offers a lot of room to move.

In the current climate, businesses have to compete strongly and while other sectors may hold back on re-ordering uniforms, those with staff in the public eye need to protect their corporate image and know that smartly dressed employees project a positive image to clientele.

As every market sector is keen to achieve the best possible value, at Henbury we have produced our range from excellent quality fabrics that provide durable garments that perform and look great longer.

I.S. Enterprises handles a variety of different clothing and apparel brands including Fruit of the Loom, Gildan, Jerzees, Kustom Kit, Quadra, Mantis and Result jackets and headwear.

The R110x City Executive Coat is perfect for use in a corporate environment due to its smart design. Made with a 100% Poly Dewtel outer and featuring a 100% Polyester 300gsm Tech3 Fleece inner, this coat offers the wearer a showerproof garment which is extremely breathable while also remaining windproof. The inner lining provides a reduction in body heat loss with warm/air permeability, while the outer offers stain resistant properties and moisture control.

The corporate wear collection features a huge selection of shirts, blouses, ties, scarves, trousers, knitwear and jackets from top performing brands such as Russell Collection, Premier, Result, Kustom Kit, Fruit of the Loom and Henbury. Shirts dominate and for 2010 PenCarrie is adding new styles from Kustom Kit and Henbury including shirts, knitwear and trousers.

Corporatewear is all about making the right impression. With shirts, blouses, ties and suits, the corporate product offering at Ralawise is sure to make the difference with your customers.

The corporatewear range at Ralawise offers a multitude of opportunities for customers to benefit from great style and a professional appearance. From smart suits for managers to premium shirts and blouses for office staff, there’s a host of products available which is sure to impress customers.  

Prestige Leisure carry several brands such as Russell Collection, Henbury, Premier and Kustom Kit who have a range of styles specifically designed to service the corporate wear market.

As we all know the corporate wear industry has been badly affected in 2009 with many customers and suppliers feeling the effects of the credit crunch.

When you think of Russell and Corporate Wear you may think Russell Collection for our stylish range of shirts, for both men and women. But our corporate wear offering doesn’t stop there. Our technically advanced jackets (including our 550 Gore-Tex jacket) and our new Pima Cotton Polo would be very much at home within any corporate wear wardrobe.   

A wunch of bankers

Many readers will have been delighted to see a promise to restrict bankers’ bonuses. I certainly can see no validity in people earning a monster bonus for doing their job properly. But there are three problems with the idea. First, it puts in question the principle of open-ended bonus structures for all business sectors, which is a wholly retrograde step.

It is a well-known fact that it’s a lot more cost effective to try to keep your existing customers, rather than attract new ones. Simple ways to do this are by consistently providing quality products and services, treating your customers well, and making it convenient and enjoyable for them to purchase from you.