News January 22, 2025
Hit Promo To Create, Sell Cutter & Buck-Branded Hard Goods
The move marks another strategic partnership between Counselor Top 40 promotional products suppliers.
Key Takeaways
• New Partnership: Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125) will produce Cutter & Buck-branded (asi/47965) hard goods, launching in July 2025.
• The Goods: Hit will design, manufacture and stock items like bags, notebooks, drinkware, golf products and tech goods.
Two Counselor Top 40 distributors are teaming up in a new partnership that will see Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125) produce hard goods under the brand name of apparel supplier Cutter & Buck (asi/47965).
Florida-headquartered Hit will be designing, manufacturing and stocking Cutter & Buck-branded items in categories that include bags, notebooks, pens, tech goods, drinkware, outdoor products, golf and travel.
Hit has already designed product samples and expects to launch the C&B line for sale in 2025. Executives noted that distributors will buy the hard goods from Hit; Cutter & Buck will continue to sell its popular apparel lines the same as it does today.
“Cutter & Buck is a perfect addition to Hit’s brand portfolio,” Traci Tarquinio, Hit’s chief merchandising officer, told ASI Media.
Tarquinio said Cutter & Buck issued a request for proposal inviting suppliers to bid on creating the hard goods line. Hit earned the job.
“We were thrilled when they asked us to design and develop Cutter & Buck hard goods that will be exclusive to Hit,” Tarquinio said. “We bonded instantly, brainstorming new product designs for our hard goods line. These will be iconic styles that incorporate the same branding elements that Cutter & Buck features in its apparel. It will all be engineered for exceptional versatility.”
“Cutter & Buck is a perfect addition to Hit’s brand portfolio.” Traci Tarquinio, Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125)
Strategic partnerships between well-known industry suppliers, including Counselor Top 40 firms, have been picking up of late.
In late December, Counselor Top 40 firm Blue Generation (asi/40653), an apparel provider with an 80-year history, partnered with headwear provider Cap America (asi/43792), also a Top 40 firm. Meanwhile, Counselor Top 40 supplier Vantage Apparel (asi/93390) has recently formed partnerships to carry products from iClick (asi/62124) and Counselor Top 40 supplier Starline (asi/89320).
Based on reported 2023 North American promotional products revenue of $639.2 million, Hit ranked sixth on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry. Cutter & Buck, with reported North American 2023 promo revenue of $74 million, ranked 23rd.