Gildan Activewear Inc has agreed to acquire 100% of the common shares of Anvil Holdings for a total purchase price of approximately $88 million. The acquisition will be financed by utilization of Gildan’s bank credit facility. Gildan will not assume any of Anvil’s currently outstanding indebtedness.

Clothing brand Regatta has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2012. This is one of the UK’s most prestigious accolades for performance in business in the UK and overseas.

UK leading trade-only promotional bag supplier Crazy:Bags has struck a unique alliance with global promotional bag manufacturer and specialist, Halfar. Since May 1, UK distributors now have unlimited access to the full range of Halfar products whilst working with a trusted and established UK based brand.

MHM Direct GB are now an official UK dealer for Brother Digital Garment Printers and are offering the full range, including the all new GT-3 Series. This new series has been designed following five years of feedback from garment printers all over the world.

Blue Max Banner has announced the expansion of its Quality Control department at the head office in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. The new department increased from one member of staff to a team of three from March. The dedicated full-time personnel will report to Chris Whitby, commercial director.

Giving customers the right tools to develop their business is key, according to the UK’s largest printwear distributor, Ralawise. DEBBIE EALES chats to Ralawise Marketing Services Manager FRAZER HYNES on the distributor’s innovative marketing tools stand at Printwear & Promotion Live.

We are delighted to announce the winners and runners-up in the 2012 Printwear & Promotion Garment Decoration Awards, which attracted a bumper crop of entries. The awards were announced at this year's Printwear & Promotion Live at Birmingham's NEC, when editor, Debbie Eales presented the winning entrants with trophies kindly provided by Crystal Galleries.

Details follow, but please see the April issue of Printwear & Promotion for full story.

Roland Authorised Dealer, Tyne and Wear-based Radecal, has recently added the Roland EGX engraver range to its growing portfolio of Roland technologies.

Day three of Printwear & Promotion Live has just opened on a high with stands reporting brisk business, solid orders and hundreds of potential new customers.

And the great news is that this year’s show (which continues today, Tuesday) in Hall 12 at Birmingham’s NEC looks set to be a record breaker with visitor numbers up a whopping 10% over the first two days.

There’s plenty to see and do, with a full, information rich seminar programme, three great fashion shows a day and all the biggest names in printwear, decoration machinery and associated supplies.

Plus, you never know who you’re going to bump into at Printwear & Promotion Live. Yesterday, we had a visit from Coronation Street actor, Sam Aston, who plays Chesney Brown in the popular soap.

Day One of Printwear & Promotion Live got off to a cracking start at Birmingham’s NEC on Sunday (February 26th) with almost 2,000 visitors in attendance. And the great news is that if you want to be part of the action, there’s still time to attend. The show is open from 10am to 5pm on Monday (February 27th) and from 10am to 4pm on Tuesday (February 28th).

With more than 100 stands, this year’s show is our biggest and best for years, with hundreds of great ideas to help take your business forward. Many of our exhibitors are offering show deals, so don’t miss an opportunity to bag the equipment you need at the price that’s right. And if you’re after samples and give-aways, there are plenty to be had, along with some super competition prizes.

With the promise of 100 stands, some exciting new printwear brands, a host of first time exhibitors, the latest machinery and a strong focus on teamwear, ahead of the London Olympics, Printwear & Promotion Live 2012 is going to be a cracking show! The show takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, from February 26th to 28th.

Printwear & Promotion Live (February 26-28, Hall 12, NEC, Birmingham), is always a good opportunity to take advantage of special show offers and discounts. Some of our exhibitors are also offering free samples, competitions and prize draws. See details below*

Printwear & Promotion Live 2012 features an action packed, free seminar programme and for the first time, we will be running daily at noon, an industry-leading keynote seminar presented by Continental Clothing, Fujifilm Sericol and The Soil Association.

All presentations will take place in the seminar suite from Sunday, February 26^th to Tuesday, February 28^th (see timings below).

A new product has been added for 2012 under the DecoNetwork product umbrella. The DecoKiosk allows custom decorator to open a physical store virtually anywhere. Run on DecoNetwork as a platform, the DecoKiosk utilises DecoNetwork’s interactive Online Designer as well a powerful back-end allowing DecoNetwork users to centrally manage their products, payments and shipping instantly.

EcoPrint 2012, a new print industry event dedicated to sustainable print production, has announced that Mimaki Europe is the latest organisation to become a founding exhibitor and supporter. As a founding exhibitor, Mimaki Europe will also take its seat among other industry leaders on the EcoPrint Development Group, where it will play a key part in defining and refining the event.

Beechfield is sponsoring a gruelling fundraising trip to Mount Everest that could see the brand’s B181 Coolmax Sports Cap occupying the highest point on earth. 

To celebrate the St. James's Place Wealth Management Group’s 20th year in business, the company’s charitable arm – St. James's Place Foundation – is aiming to raise £500,000 through a sponsored 120-mile trek to Everest Base Camp, (following the route taken by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing in 1953), and a subsequent attempt on the summit. The money raised will be used to fund a multitude of projects that help children with special needs, and hospices.

Stocks Sewing Machines have opened an Embroidery Academy in partnership with Embroidery Design Solutions, offering training on Wilcom products and embroidery techniques. Stocks are one of the largest UK independent suppliers of Industrial and commercial embroidery equipment. They are sole UK and Ireland agents for ZSK industrial embroidery machines for the UK and Ireland, and also supply the Brother PR range.

For a business that started in a garage 30 years ago, Somac Threads hasn’t done too badly. The Chester-based, family-run firm sets the bar for quality threads, great customer service and keeping the tradition of UK thread manufacturing very much alive. DEBBIE EALES reports.

Philip Penlington, director of Fotorama, one of the UK’s leading and longest established fixed fee promotions companies believes that contrary to media reports there will be many superb opportunities in 2012 for marketers to run exciting sports-linked promotions – without the danger of acquiring a criminal record...