RICHMOND, Va. -- A local retailer is putting into play new in-house manufacturing capability to be more responsive to spikes in demand for sports gear.
Evergreen Enterprises plans to convert 20,000 square feet of office space at its headquarters campus at 5915 Midlothian Turnpike into a production center to emblazon team logos and other designs on items like doormats and drinkware sold by the company.
CEO John Toler said sports merchandise as a category will see unexpected demand when an athlete suddenly becomes popular or a particular team has a good season, which creates a stocking problem for the Richmond-based wholesaler. Customers will clean out the offerings for a team, and Toler said products from overseas can often arrive after the team’s popularity fades and before Evergreen can fully capitalize on the trend.
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