Strategy July 20, 2022
Top 40 Suppliers 2022
As predicted, a post-pandemic bounce-back has many suppliers feeling optimistic.
Compared to their relatively staid distributor brethren, the suppliers on the 2022 Top 40 continued to embody the whiplash-like change that is our “pandemic norm.” As expected, many Top 40 suppliers on this year’s list bounced back in a big way, with over two dozen posting double-digit growth. And a few dealt with severe PPE-induced hangovers, also as expected. But while the distributor rankings featured little movement, on the supplier side the shifts were more severe, with multiple companies moving several spots up or down and four newcomers being added. All that being said, the story remains the same: the biggest suppliers in the industry – particularly the apparel firms – continue to get bigger, consolidating distributor spend under a select few mega-companies. Some things never change.
| Company | 2021 sales (millions) | 2020 sales (millions) | Difference | Ranking change | 2019 sales (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SanMar (EG) | $2,880.0 | $2,300.0 | 25.2% | same | $2,400.0 |
| 2 | alphabroder | $1,700.0 | $1,530.0 | 11.1% | same | $1,700.0 |
| 3 | S&S Activewear (E) | $1,510.0 | $1,400.0 | 7.9% | same | $1,300.0 |
| 4 | Polyconcept North America | $696.4 | $512.3 | 35.9% | same | $818.2 |
| 5 | Hit Promotional Products | $433.8 | $442.6 | -2.0% | same | $495.7 |
| 6 | Koozie Group | $300.0 | $255.0 | 17.6% | 1 | $310.0 |
| 7 | Next Level Apparel (EG) | $275.0 | $199.8 | 37.6% | 1 | $228.3 |
| 8 | HPG | $172.7 | $169.8 | 1.7% | 2 | $205.7 |
| 9 | Staton Corporate & Casual | $136.6 | $123.7 | 10.4% | 2 | $170.4 |
| 10 | Gemline | $127.5 | $115.5 | 10.4% | 2 | $105.0 |
| 11 | Sportsman Cap & Bag | $121.2 | $113.0 | 7.3% | 2 | $84.0 |
| 12 | Sunscope | $109.4 | $185.5 | -41.0% | 3 | $94.9 |
| 13 | SnugZ USA | $105.0 | $52.1 | 101.5% | 14 | $57.5 |
| 14 | The Magnet Group | $95.1 | $89.3 | 6.5% | 1 | $121.4 |
| 15 | Logomark | $92.3 | $81.8 | 12.8% | 1 | $98.5 |
| 16 | Innovation Line | $85.0 | $66.0 | 28.8% | 4 | $61.8 |
| 17 | 3M Promotional Markets | $82.4 | $70.7 | 16.5% | 1 | $88.4 |
| 18 | NC Custom | $73.0 | $69.9 | 4.4% | 1 | $60.5 |
| 19 | Showdown Displays | $71.4 | $55.1 | 29.6% | 4 | $87.8 |
| 20 | Edwards Garment | $70.3 | $54.8 | 28.3% | 4 | $71.7 |
| 21 | World Emblem | $65.0 | $50.0 | 30.0% | 8 | $45.0 |
| 22 | Ariel Premium Supply | $61.8 | $62.9 | -1.7% | 1 | $71.3 |
| 23 | ADG Promotional Products | $59.2 | $56.0 | 5.7% | 1 | $52.3 |
| 24 | Blue Generation | $59.0 | $54.0 | 9.3% | 1 | $61.0 |
| 25 | Garyline | $57.7 | $43.5 | 32.6% | 8 | $53.8 |
| 26 | Stouse | $55.1 | $53.8 | 2.4% | same | $61.2 |
| 27 | Cutter & Buck | $51.5 | $46.0 | 12.0% | 3 | $79.0 |
| 28 | Outdoor Cap Company | $51.2 | $43.1 | 18.8% | NR | $57.1 |
| 29 | Evans Manufacturing | $49.5 | $35.5 | 39.4% | 10 | $53.0 |
| 30 | Stormtech Performance Apparel | $49.4 | $43.6 | 13.3% | 2 | $47.2 |
| 31 | Cap America | $48.7 | $38.2 | 27.5% | 7 | $44.0 |
| 32 | Bag Makers | $48.2 | $42.4 | 13.7% | 2 | $57.1 |
| 33 | Starline | $48.0 | $29.5 | 62.7% | NR | $34.0 |
| 34 | Delta Apparel (E) | $46.7 | $40.8 | 14.5% | 1 | $46.2 |
| 35 | Gill Studios | $46.0 | $50.3 | -8.5% | 7 | $54.3 |
| 36 | Vantage Apparel | $45.4 | $39.0 | 16.4% | 1 | $52.2 |
| 37 | Greater Pacific Industries | $45.2 | $68.4 | -33.9% | NR | $32.0 |
| 38 | Charles River Apparel | $42.0 | $34.1 | 23.2% | 2 | $45.0 |
| 39 | Tekweld | $40.0 | $45.0 | -11.1% | 8 | $41.0 |
| 40 | Hirsch Gift | $38.3 | $23.6 | 62.3% | NR | $22.0 |
Note: All revenues represent North American promo sales.
E: Estimate;
EG: Estimate W/Guidance;
NR: Not Ranked (new to list)
Click here for a downloadable and expanded version of our Top 40 supplier list with additional information for each company.