It should come as no surprise that cross-border business concerns were the focus of a few of the most popular Canadian stories in 2025 – particularly tariff developments as Canada elected Prime Minister Mark Carney to succeed Justin Trudeau. Canadian readers also continued to monitor labor disputes at major parcel firms and looked for details on earnings and key personnel moves. Here are ASI Media’s top 10 stories from our Canadian coverage in 2025.

1

DHL Express Canada Reaches Tentative Agreement With Workers Union

It was another busy year for freight and delivery concerns in Canada. Just a few months after Canada Post went on strike for more than a month during the busy 2024 holiday season, unionized DHL Express Canada workers went on strike over wage increases and pension benefits. The situation was resolved relatively quickly, with an agreement reached less than a month after Unifor workers hit the picket lines, but it was a blow for the beleaguered parcel industry in Canada. Many Canadians were forced to switch to alternative service providers like DHL during the drawn-out Canada Post labor dispute, a move many made permanent as the government postal service continues to deal with plummeting parcel volumes and rotating strikes in 2025.

2

Gildan Activewear Announces Q3 Sales, Reports 2.2% YoY Growth Ahead of Hanes Acquisition

Counselor Top 40 supplier Gildan (asi/56842) in Montreal announced gains in Q3 in 2025, including a 2.2% year-over-year increase in net sales to $911 million and a 5.4% increase in activewear sales to $831 million. After a tumultuous 2023 with a leadership battle at the very top of the company, Gildan announced a major $2.2 billion acquisition of Hanesbrands, which is slated to close by early 2026. Glenn J. Chamandy, president and CEO, said the company continues to lean into the Gildan Sustainable Growth strategy, with focus areas of environment, circularity, people, communities and transparency, and will have further reach and capabilities as a result of the Hanes acquisition.

3

New Steel, Aluminum Tariffs Prompt Price Increase Fears for Drinkware, Other Promo Products

When the Trump administration first announced tariffs on steel and aluminum early in 2025, it sent shockwaves through the promo industry. The metals are key components of a number of popular hard goods, particularly drinkware (promo’s second-most-popular product category by sales in 2024), while Canada is the top exporter of both steel and aluminum to the U.S., which was poised to have a widespread impact on the business activity of those sectors. The announcement proved to be the beginning of a tumultuous year for trade relations between the two countries, with several key industries like metal and wood in the crosshairs.

4

Trump Announces Barrage of Updated ‘Reciprocal’ Tariffs Going Into Effect Aug. 7

The tariff rollercoaster continued throughout 2025, with uncertainty about the levies causing hesitation and malaise for the cross-border economy. In August, President Trump announced an additional 35% on all Canadian goods not covered by Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) as part of a series of blanket tariffs imposed on nearly 70 countries – a move meant to even out ongoing trade imbalances, according to the White House. President Trump and Prime Minister Carney continue to negotiate into the new year.

5

New Wood, Lumber Tariffs Could Have Splintering Effect for Promo Companies

As the top exporter of lumber to the U.S., Canada has been disproportionately affected by the recent wood tariffs implemented by the Trump administration in October, due to concerns over national security and the viability of U.S.-based mills. In response, Prime Minister Carney has announced government funding measures, “buy Canadian” mandates for government contracts and worker reskilling programs to bolster the lumber and steel industries, which collectively employ nearly 220,000 Canadians.

6

Steve Pons Joins McCabe Promotional Advertising as CEO

In early spring, certified B Corp McCabe Promotional Advertising (asi/264901) in London, ON, announced that Canadian industry veteran Steve Pons would be taking the reins as CEO. Previously, Pons spent almost a decade at Staples Promotional Products Canada, part of Counselor Top 40 distributor Staples Promotional Products (asi/120601), and helped spearhead the growth of Accolade Promotion Group, where he was vice president of national sales before the company’s purchase by Golf Town Canada in 2007, followed by an acquisition by U.S.-based Staples Inc. in 2015. McCabe was Counselor’s 2019 Distributor Family Business of the Year.

7

ASI Power Summit 2025: Day 3 & Conference Wrap-Up

The 19th ASI Power Summit took place at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia in Arizona from Oct. 12 to 14. The event welcomed nearly 200 attendees from across the industry and featured professional development speakers and panels – including keynoter Sophia, the AI-powered robot who engaged in a Q&A with ASI President & CEO Tim Andrews, along with returning presenter Dr. Mary Kelly, who gave an overview of the state of the economy, and tech futurist Sam Maule, who gave his take on what to expect in technology over the next five years. Industry panels covered topics like global sourcing, family business dynamics and building successful companies, and the annual Counselor Power 50 dinner recognized the most influential people in the industry.

8

4imprint’s Order Count Falls as the Firm Predicts ‘Supply Chain Disruption, Higher Product Costs’

Counselor Top 40 firm 4imprint (asi/197045), the industry’s largest distributor, reported a 2% year-over-year drop in order count in the first four months of the year compared to 2024. At the time, the industry and its end-customers were bracing for upcoming impacts from tariffs announced in the early months of the year by the Trump administration. Publicly traded 4imprint, which serves both North American and international clients, added at the time that, although order count was down in early 2025, average order values had stayed about the same from the year prior. Three months later, in August 2025, the company said its half-year revenue was down 1% year-to-year due to tariff pressure and other economic factors.

9

Promo Sales Drop for Second Consecutive Quarter, but Optimism Up for Rest of 2025

The North American promo industry quickly felt the impact of the Trump administration’s proposed tariffs in Q1 – a reality that was reflected in data from ASI Research. Collective distributor sales were down 3.2% year over year in the second quarter, mainly due to tariff uncertainty surrounding Chinese and Canadian products and the resulting business hesitation and overall malaise among industry firms. Many anticipated not only disruption in the movement of goods due to increased customs scrutiny but also a fall in business activity among end-buyers, particularly among those in sectors in tariff crosshairs. Even so, companies surveyed also expressed optimism for the second half of the year – indeed, Q3 sales rose 5% year over year, the biggest quarterly surge since 2023.

10

Numo Manufacturing Welcomes Kate Plummer as Director of Sales

Kate Plummer, well-known in the North American promo industry, made waves this fall when she announced she would be joining Texas-based supplier Numo Manufacturing (asi/74710) as director of sales. Plummer spent more than 15 years at Toronto-based Clearmount, an awards and high-end drinkware company founded in 1989 by her parents, David and Rosalind, that was acquired by Counselor Top 40 supplier SRG (asi/84592; Canada, 84595) in December 2022. She became vice president of business for awards and recognition at SRG the following May before joining Counselor Top 40 supplier HPG (asi/61966) later that same year as director of business development. Plummer is also a regular contributor to professional development in the industry and a committee member for the PPPC Women’s Empowerment Event (WEE).