12 replies to this topic

[TUNA TATAKI]

Hello...

Does anybody know who represents the line "Chestnut Hill"? Need to order some polo shirts for a customer.

Thank you!!!!:)

[idelements]

It is Broders private line. Alpha I think carries it too. I have heard alot of good things about this line but I don't use them. I am not a fan of Broder due to continual shipping issues.

[TUNA TATAKI]

Thanks soooooo much!

I looked on Sanmar, Staton, Bodek, etc., etc.; but I have never used Broders, it didn't even occur to me to look there.

Have a nice w/end!

Maria

[epicemb]

Maria - I love Chestnut Hill - it is a great brand. Broder had a number of shipping issues about a year back as they integrated the warehouses with NES and Alpha, but things have been good for quite a while.

[TUNA TATAKI]

Thank You so much!

Have a nice w/end.

Maria:)

[idelements]

I may have to give them a try again. I just got tired of ordering 150 white tshirts and the smalls shipping from IN, the mediums from FL, the large and xlarge from TX...that sort of thing. I mean...can we not keep a large inventory of white tshirts?

That is what I love about S&S...one warehouse, good inventory levels (although..what the heck is going on with Jerzees, anyone know?). And of course, gotta love San Mar. That is another reason I hate to start ordering from Broder/Alpha. I know the Port Authority line very well. It is hard when you start from scratch and have to learn a whole new line.

[JON]

The shirt is great. The have a demo the shows what happens if you wash there shirt with another brand. The split the shirts in half and sew them together. Shows everything from shrinkage, color etc. BTW I just order 7800 shirts from them different sizes color etc. All was shipped out except 1 dz from Orlando Placed order Friday and order was in my hands on Tuesday. I think they have a 200,000 sf warehouse in Orlando now. They were also the best price.

[idelements]

I want a 7800 pcs order. I wonder how companies get orders like this? I know for sure my customer base in southeast missouri won't support those size of orders. I get excited when we get a $5k order.

[JON]

It's once a year order. Profit not that great. Lots of handling. Only good thing is I only have to wait is I get 1/2 down on completion & balance in 2-3 weeks. Most of my order's are in the 100- 500 range.

[jcarey]

Broder took a $97 MILLION dollar loss last year. this is their explaination
"Distribution center consolidation adversely affected financial performance during fiscal 2006 and 2007. In moving the Company's operations from one location to a new location, inventory was split between the locations for weeks during the transition, which created short-term availability issues during consolidation. Since inventory availability is critical to the Company's competitiveness, the Company suffered short-term sales declines as a result of splitting inventory between two locations. Unit volumes declined during fiscal 2007 and average selling prices declined due to a strategy to offer among the lowest selling prices in the industry to retain customer orders."

I'm not a finance guy but normally you consolidate to save money.

Here's the article
http://www.foxbusine...s_538140_1.html

[epicemb]

Joe - You just need to look further to see that they did consolidate to save money - it is a case of having to spend money to make money - from the same article (see final bolded section)-

Business Outlook
In addition to remaining focused on improving inventory availability to its customers to improve profitability, the Company has undertaken three initiatives during 2008 to drive improved performance. First, the Company will publish a new price list in the second quarter 2008 to increase the Company's competitiveness in the marketplace. Now that the Company's quality of inventory has dramatically improved over fiscal 2007, the Company's goal is to use its inventory and superior economies of scale to gain market share. Second, the Company has hired additional sales managers to better manage the Company's inside and outside sales forces. Since the Company maintains three separate sales forces, management believes that regional sales managers will help the Company gain market share by targeting the sales force to foster growth across customers with major potential and to avoid unproductive, inter- division competition. Third, the Company expects to reduce its operating expenses as distribution center personnel become more efficient in picking orders in the new multi-branded distribution centers, as orders continue to shift from call center calls to web orders following the introduction of three new websites launched during the first quarter 2007, and as fixed operating expenses are reduced by consolidating functions that had not yet been fully consolidated following acquisitions.

That is cool - I did not realize that they would announce this info as they are a private company - perhaps they needed to due to Bain.

jcarey said:

I'm not a finance guy but normally you consolidate to save money.

Here's the article
http://www.foxbusine...s_538140_1.html

[DTMG2]

Hi Maria,
I highly recommend the Chestnut Hill line. We use the CH100 in many programs, it's a great quality shirt and offered in many colors.

I, too, used to dislike dealing with Broder because of the split warehouses and inventory issues. I almost stopped using them because of it. Their website now, though, allows you to easily view and order inventory in all warehouses.

Good Luck!
Karen

[Dan]

I'm a huge SanMar fan, but the Chestnut Hill Performance Plus shirts are just too nice...several finding a home in my own closet. My only Broder complaint is when you only need a couple pieces, their shipping cost is twice that of SanMar. The new Broder webpage is great; a vast improvement.