BIC Graphic North America Enters Partnership With Cap America

BIC Graphic North America, Clearwater, Fla., announced that it has formed a new partnership with Cap America, Fredericktown, Mo. Beginning tomorrow, BIC Graphic will offer 11 Cap America styles.

"Partnering with Cap America is BIC Graphic's true entrance into the headwear category," said Kelly Diomeda, product manager of outdoor and leisure for BIC Graphic North America. "Our customers have been asking for retail-style caps and knits they can be proud to put their logo on, and a partnership with Cap America is absolutely the best way we can meet this demand. Offering their high-quality headwear provides a simple solution for these customers who are looking to consolidate vendor spend."

It was exactly a month ago that that BIC Graphic announced a similar partnership with HanesBrands Inc., which marked the supplier's first foray into the soft goods category.

BIC Graphic's continued expansion into other product categories within the promotional products industry highlights the growing trend of suppliers fashioning themselves into "one-stop shops," where they can offer distributors a wider selection of products, rather than specializing in one particular category. It's a good bit of business for suppliers like BIC, too, since it means their potential distributor partners don't have to take their business elsewhere.

"Cap America has been the leading headwear supplier within our industry for over 30 years," Mark Gammon, Cap America's president and chief operating officer, said in a press release. "This partnership is the culmination of over three decades of hard work and dedication to the Cap America brand. We are excited to move forward with another industry-leading supplier like BIC Graphic to provide high quality, retail-inspired headwear to a more diverse market."

The demand for retail-inspired products is only getting more intense, too, as suppliers are rolling out new lines of apparel, headwear, drinkware, bags and more that have a higher perceived value and take cues from runways and retail catalogs.

BIC Graphic's 11 Cap America styles will be available through BIC Graphic online. Distributor partners can place orders with either company, and all pricing will remain comparable, per a press release.

For more information on BIC Graphic, visit www.bicgraphic.com. For more information on Cap America, visit www.capamerica.com.