Ampersand Group (PPAI 260319, Standard-Plus) has announced the acquisition of Butler, Pennsylvania-based distributor Keystone Specialties (PPAI 106266, Standard-Plus). The move begins what the former is expecting to be a year of "targeted growth and...

Hustle culture and an “always on” mindset are starting to wear people down. Nearly half of U.S. workers (43%) say they feel stressed at work, with 76% saying work stress affects their sleep. One possible solution is soft discipline. Rather than powe...

While branded merchandise is gaining strategic relevance, it is not yet consistently positioned as a strategic marketing channel. Roughly one-third of suppliers indicate that it’s still treated as an add-on, primarily for events or short-term use....

While branded merchandise is gaining strategic relevance, it is not yet consistently embedded across all marketing strategies.View and download the special report below to discover what end buyers still get wrong about merch and how to overcome ...

PPAI 100 suppliers report growth of approximately 1.3% in January and February 2026, remaining modest and below inflation. Challenges include rising procurement costs, tariff uncertainty and sourcing volatility, although many firms report stable mar...

A flash survey of PPAI 100 distributors in March 2026 shows that growth has been positive but uneven in the industry, with increased sales and repeat business helping distributors grow at a rate of approximately 2.5%.View and download the PPAI 1...

Many teams don’t struggle with too few leads. The bigger challenge is dealing with leads that aren’t ready. Unqualified leads aren’t necessarily out of the running for merch — they just don’t meet your criteria today. They may not be a good fit due ...

Dennis Oglesby, MAS, director of promotional products at GO2 Partners (PPAI 240324, Gold), PPAI 100’s No. 30 distributor, will be attending PPAI’s North American Leadership Conference in San Diego next month.And he’ll be doing it, in p...

After 30-plus years in the branded merchandise industry, there’s a question I still hear from marketing directors that should make every one of us uncomfortable:“How do I know this stuff actually works?”It’s not an unfair question. If we’re ...