alphabroder and Prime Line Combine

alphabroder, Trevose, Pa., the leading distributor of imprintable sportswear and accessories in North America, has announced the addition of Bridgeport, Connecticut-based Prime Line to its family of brands. The combination of these two companies establishes a new standard in the industry for convenience, service and solutions, creating the industry’s first true "one-stop-shop."

“As a family business with long-time employees, we gave careful consideration to this strategic move, and ultimately feel that this is in the best interest of both customers and employees,” said Jeff Lederer, now president of alphabroder’s hard goods division, which will operate under the Prime Line name, and will report directly to alphabroder CEO Norm Hullinger. “The industry is changing, and it was important for me to make sure Prime Line is positioned in the best possible way moving into the future. We have chosen a partner in alphabroder that matches our values and commitment to the future. I am so excited to work with Norm and Dan Pantano, president of alphabroder, helping to lead the team to the next level.”

Lederer and the long-time members of the Prime Line management team will be joining the alphabroder management team while continuing to operate Prime Line with the same dedication to customers and family values that created one of the industry’s leading companies, which was one of the key drivers for alphabroder in this deal.

As plans were being formed for the integration of these two great companies, Hullinger and Lederer agreed to place one priority above all else: Continue to deliver the highest level of service to all of our customers.

“The combination of these two great companies and cultures was born out of the input from our customers," Hullinger said. "We will honor this by continuing our sharp focus on their businesses. Bringing our organizations together will provide us with the flexibility and agility to focus 100 percent on our customers, to deliver best-in-class solutions to help their businesses succeed. This merger provides our customers with unmatched product choice, reach, delivery and availability. The quality and longevity of the Prime Line team and their corporate culture firmly grounded in family values brings a high level of predictability to the business, which is essential to delivering the ultimate customer experience, and these were the key drivers of this deal.”

alphabroder is committed to the ongoing growth of the company and the industry. Prime Line is the fourth significant company to join the alphabroder family in the last five years, having added Bodek and Rhodes in 2015, Ash City Worldwide in 2014 and Imprints Wholesale in 2012.

Contact:
Tricia Lyster tlyster@alphabroder.com
(215) 291-6140 ext. 1399

About alphabroder:
Founded in 1919, alphabroder is North America’s largest distributor of trade, private label and retail apparel brands and merchandise to the promotional products marketplace. alphabroder offers more than 40 brands including a broad selection of retail and trade brands from Gildan, Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, Jerzees, Bella + Canvas, Next Level, American Apparel, adidas Golf, Champion, alternative and Dickies, as well as private label brands including UltraClub, North End Sport, North End, Core365, Devon & Jones, Harriton and Team 365.

About Prime Line:
Founded in 1980, Prime Line became an industry leader through the introduction of innovative products and services. The company, headquartered in Bridgeport, Conn., now offers more than 1700 products across 15 categories. It features exclusive brands such as MopToppers, Leeman New York, Rubik’s and BUILT, as well as numerous product collections. In 2016, it acquired Jetline, which was rebranded as Prime’s value line. Source Abroad by Prime is the company’s custom and overseas sourcing division offering fully custom products as well as fast turn import items. A founding member of QCA, Prime has an industry leading focus on product safety and regulatory compliance.

For more information on alphabroder, visit www.alphabroder.com. For more information on Prime Line, visit www.primeline.com.