Gildan and Delta Apparel (asi/49172), two of the largest suppliers in the promotional products industry, just reported record-breaking quarterly sales to open 2022.

Montreal-based Gildan, one of the largest makers of basic apparel and the sixth largest supplier by revenue in promo, said total first quarter sales increased 31% year over year to $775 million – the best-ever performance for the company in a Q1.

Meanwhile, Duluth, GA-headquartered Delta Apparel, a Top 40 supplier, reported that total sales for its second quarter were $131.7 million – a 21% year-over-year increase and a record for the period. Delta operates on a fiscal year and its second quarter essentially corresponds to the calendar year traditional first quarter (January through March).

The sales tallies from Gildan and Delta include revenue from all the companies’ business channels and divisions, including but not exclusive to promo.

The news was positive on earnings, too.

Gildan’s net earnings for Q1 were $146 million, or $0.77 per share on a diluted basis, up from $99 million and $0.50 per share the year prior. Adjusted net earnings totaled $144 million, or $0.76 per share on a diluted basis, compared to $95 million, or $0.48 per diluted share, in the first quarter of last year. Operating income was $162 million, or 20.9% of sales, a year-over-year increase from $114 million, or 19.3%

“Record results in the first quarter and a strong start to 2022 reflect the impact of Gildan’s Sustainable Growth (GSG) strategy,” said Glenn J. Chamandy, Gildan president and CEO. “Our team’s clear focus on capacity-driven growth, innovation and ESG, leveraging our world-class, vertically integrated manufacturing platform, is putting us in a strong position to service customer demand while effectively managing inflationary cost pressures.”

Delta Apparel’s net income for the quarter was $10.1 million, or $1.44 per diluted share. That represented an increase of more than 130% compared to $4.4 million, or $0.62 per diluted share, for the same period in the prior year. Higher operating profits and a lower tax rate drove the performance. Operating income increased to $14.3 million, or 10.9% of sales, compared to the prior year fiscal Q2 profit of $7.6 million, or 7% of sales.

Delta Apparel CEO Robert W. Humphreys noted that growing sales in the company’s Delta Group division, which includes business with the promo products/decorated apparel industry, helped propel the strong performance.

“Significant growth in our Delta Group segment was achieved through unit sales growth, increased value-added services, and our continued ability to update our pricing in the marketplace to offset higher input costs,” said Humphreys.

With estimated 2020 North American promo product revenue of $413.1 million, Gildan ranked sixth on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry. The new list is due out this summer.

With estimated 2020 fiscal year North American promo revenue of $40.8 million, Delta Apparel ranked 35^th on Counselor’s most recent list Top 40 supplier list.