Total
Apparel Group, Inc., which was recently selected as the official U.S. Master
Distributor of FIFA and FIFA World Cup licensed product, has opened new
locations in New York and Los Angeles. In an effort to manage the sales
and marketing requirements for both FIFA Collections and the Kappa brands, TAG
will move into office and showroom space in New York’s Fashion District.

 

In a
statement, TAG said the “unprecedented availability and affordability”
of commercial real estate has provided TAG with a cost-effective solution to
properly presenting its licensed properties’ extensive collections to major
retailers during the increasingly important New York market weeks.

 

Per TAG
President and CEO Janon Costley, “Establishing a dedicated showroom in the
heart of the Fashion Capital of the World is a vital part of the growth
strategy of any apparel company seeking to become a major player in this
industry. It is also important in this economy, as many key retailers look to
centralize their buying efforts in New
York – saving the time and money associated with
traveling to various markets to visit key vendors.”

 

In
addition to New York, TAG has also established
a West Coast presence by securing a dedicated office and showroom space inside
the 200,000 square foot City of
Industry, CA
headquarters of SEREC, its 3rd party warehousing and fulfillment partner.
“The new space further solidifies our strong relationship with one of the
industry's leading third party logistics providers. SEREC presented TAG an
attractive means to establish a West Coast office that made excellent business
sense, given our existing relationship and the current economic
conditions,” stated Mr. Costley. “We now have the capabilities to create
an administrative and sales base in a key market, while significantly
minimizing the additional overhead and expense generally associated with such a
move.”

 

As
reported, for the first time in its 104-year history, FIFA, the governing body
of soccer, is launching an official collection of merchandise. And FIFATM has
anointed TAG as its official ambassador to the U.S. in the year leading up to the
predictably lucrative 2010 World Cup. To round out its soccer-inspired
portfolio, TAG has also inked a deal with BasicNet Group, S.p.A, to become the U.S. and
Canadian Master Licensee for the Kappa and Robe Di Kappa brands.