London-based 4imprint Group plc, the parent company of Top 40 distributor 4imprint (asi/197045), has announced that its revenues for 2016 were $558 million, an increase of 12% over 2015. About 97% of those revenues came from the firm’s North American business.

“Our business model is resilient, and our market opportunity remains large and attractive,” according to Paul Moody, chairman of 4imprint. “After a period of volatility in the fourth quarter of 2016 caused by uncertainty around the U.S. presidential election, customer order activity normalized in December. The first few weeks of 2017 have shown a satisfactory start to the year.”

The company noted that a trend of organic growth continued in 2016. Orders were 12% higher than in 2015. In fact, it was the first time total annual orders surpassed one million. Moody called it a “major milestone.” More than 240,000 new customers were acquired in 2016; reorders from existing customers were also strong. In its earnings release, 4imprint attributed its growth to effective and innovative marketing, pointing to customer acquisition initiatives and a popular sample mailing program.

“I'm proud of our team and our supplier partners. Together they do a wonderful job in delivering the remarkable customer experience necessary for success,” Kevin Lyons-Tarr, president of 4imprint, told Counselor.

Counselor ranks 4imprint as the second largest distributor in the industry, after the firm reported 2015 North American ad specialty sales of $479.2 million.