Delta Apparel (asi/49172) is reporting a record-breaker.

The Duluth, GA-headquartered Top 40 promotional products supplier says total global sales for the first quarter of its fiscal 2022 reached $110.7 million – the highest-ever tally for a first quarter in company history, according to executives.

The revenue performance in the quarter, which ended Jan. 1 and corresponded to the calendar year fourth quarter, was a 17% gain over the same three-month period the prior year. The sales figures include revenue from all Delta Apparel’s channels, not just promo.

Earnings were robust, too. Net income totaled $3.6 million, or $0.51 per diluted share, a year-over-year increase of 313%. Greater sales, higher operating profits and a lower tax rate fueled the earnings growth.

For the quarter, operating income increased to $5.9 million, or 5.3% of sales, compared to the prior year first quarter profit of $3.1 million, or 3.3% of sales.

“The fast start to the new fiscal year reflected broad-based performance across both our Delta and Salt Life business segments,” said CEO Robert W. Humphreys.

Humphreys said Delta Apparel’s business model of servicing diverse sales channels, from direct-to-consumer to retail partners to the promo products/branded merchandise industry, through a vertically integrated manufacturing platform has been key to success.

“Our manufacturing output continues to reach record levels and we remain on track to bring additional capacity online during the second half of 2022,” he noted.

There were some sour notes in Q1 for Delta Apparel. Gross margins contracted 60 basis points to 20.8% – a consequence of inflationary pressures on manufacturing operations. Total net debt, including capital lease financing and cash on hand, was $139.6 million in December 2021, an increase of $17.9 million from September 2021.

Still, Delta Apparel’s overall strong performance in Q1 continues a recent run of positive financial news from publicly traded promotional products companies.

4imprint (asi/197045), the third-largest promo distributor, said in a January trading update that its full-year sales for 2021 increased 41% year over year.

Meanwhile, promo’s sixth-largest distributor Cimpress (asi/162149) – the parent firm of Vista and former Top 40 distributor National Pen – reported a 9% year-over-year sales increase and a nearly 70% net income increase for its fiscal second quarter, which concluded Dec. 31.

In the coming weeks, ASI Media will release fourth-quarter and full-year 2021 results for promo distributors’ collective performance last year.

With estimated 2020 North American promo products revenue of $40.8 million, Delta Apparel ranked 35^th on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry.