Research

Testing Research Source

There’s competition at the top and good feelings all around after a much-anticipated rebound.

Amid the unprecedented turmoil for businesses in 2020 was this little nugget: the Top 40 distributors didn’t do so badly. In fact, as a group they only fell 5.8%. And so it makes sense that when the industry came rumbling back at a 12% clip in 2021, this year’s Top 40, with an 8.8% revenue increase, lagged behind. There was simply less ground to make up. But the details of these rankings are far from uniform with a sizable group shaking off the effects of the pandemic, while others were dealing with disappearing PPE sales and continued COVID headwinds. There’s intrigue at the bottom – where three new companies make their appearance – and at the top, with HALO Branded Solutions holding on to the number-one spot but 4imprint hot on its heels after a massive bounce-back year. The race to become the first billion-dollar distributor just got very real once again.

  Company 2021 sales (millions) 2020 sales (millions) Difference Ranking change 2019 sales (millions)
1 HALO Branded Solutions $822.0 $765.7 7.4% same $787.0
2 4imprint $773.7 $549.9 40.7% 1 $839.3
3 Staples Promotional Products (E) $740.1 $643.6 15.0% 1 $601.6
4 Proforma $540.8 $538.5 0.4% same $501.0
5 Cimpress (E) $464.0 $429.3 8.1% 1 $477.0
6 BDA $338.5 $477.4 -29.1% 1 $494.0
7 HH Global $318.0 $260.0 22.3% same $149.3
8 American Solutions for Business $244.3 $238.3 2.5% same $202.0
9 Geiger $243.7 $206.0 18.3% 1 $236.3
10 Taylor Promotional Products $240.3 $215.4 11.6% 1 $243.1
11 BAMKO $215.8 $193.9 11.3% same $108.6
12 IMS $202.1 $185.0 9.2% same $196.8
13 iPROMOTEu $180.0 $165.0 9.1% 1 $178.0
14 Cintas (E) $177.0 $163.8 8.1% 1 $181.4
15 DiscountMugs.com (E) $172.3 $172.3 0.0% 2 $215.4
16 Nadel $167.4 $116.4 43.8% 3 $154.9
17 AIA Corporation $124.7 $146.2 -14.7% 1 $210.7
18 Deluxe/Safeguard $120.4 $129.6 -7.1% 1 $136.0
19 Overture Promotions $114.0 $126.9 -10.2% 1 $81.7
20 Fully Promoted $109.5 $115.0 -4.8% same $105.6
21 Positive Promotions $102.0 $97.2 4.9% same $90.9
22 Corporate Imaging Concepts $99.8 $87.0 14.7% 1 $87.0
23 Kaeser & Blair $94.8 $92.0 3.0% 1 $124.3
24 Touchstone $92.0 $72.5 26.9% 2 $48.5
25 Boundless Network $88.8 $80.3 10.6% 1 $100.3
26 G&G Outfitters $78.0 $77.0 1.3% 2 $96.0
27 Myron (E) $74.3 $74.3 0.0% 2 $82.6
28 ePromos Promotional Products $72.0 $70.0 2.9% 1 $61.0
29 The Vernon Company $65.5 $61.9 5.8% same $80.6
30 BrandVia Alliance $63.7 $43.0 48.1% 4 $71.2
31 PromoShop Inc. $55.8 $39.9 39.8% 6 $52.4
32 Zorch $52.5 $39.3 33.6% 4 $54.1
33 Kotis Design $49.3 $36.4 35.4% 7 $47.9
34 Stran Promotional Solutions $47.3 $46.9 0.9% 2 $31.7
35 Summit Group $45.5 $47.3 -3.8% 4 $66.0
36 The Artcraft Group $44.0 $39.5 11.4% 2 $53.5
37 Genumark Inc. $42.4 $34.6 22.5% NR $50.2
38 Quality Logo Products $38.6 $33.3 15.9% NR $45.3
39 SomethingInked $38.5 $26.0 48.1% NR $28.0
40 Drive Marketing $37.0 $40.6 -8.9% 5 $43.7

Note: All revenues represent North American promo sales.
E: Estimate;
EG: Estimate W/Guidance;
NR: Not Ranked (new to list)