Gemline (PPAI 113948, S11) has announced that the Lawrence, Massachusetts-based supplier has signed an agreement to acquire the RuMe (PPAI 478410, S5) brand and related intellectual property.
RuMe, short for ReUseMe, originated in the retail marketplace, where the brand first appeared in gift shops and boutiques, and then quickly expanded into retailers such as The Container Store, Whole Foods and Target. In 2014, RuMe, headquartered in Centennial, Colorado, entered the promotional products channel as a supplier. In 2018, it signed a long‐term strategic partnership with Gemline, through which their offering of bright, fun, patterned bags and accessories gained market penetration and an accelerated growth path.
“RuMe has been a great brand partner to Gemline the past few years due to their strength and depth in cut-and-sew products, encouraging growth and alignment in their desire to offer sleekly designed eco-friendly products,” says Frank Carpenito, president of Gemline. “We are thrilled to leverage our success to advance our relationship with the RuMe brand from partner to owner, and we look forward to growing the RuMe product portfolio with our distributor partners in the future.”
Jonathan Isaacson, CEO of Gemline, adds, “The acquisition of the RuMe brand represents an important transaction for Gemline, and I anticipate there will be more to follow in the coming years. We continue to see opportunity in being best‐in‐class brand stewards for both large and up‐and‐coming retail brands looking to make their mark in the promotional channel, and feel strongly that our culture and reputation make us desirable to brands and businesses looking to be acquired.”
