EMI Sportswear

What EMI Sportswear does

EMI Sportswear (now EMI-TGT, Inc.) is a privately held U.S. wholesale supplier of resort apparel and accessories, headquartered at 750 Randolph Rd, Detroit Lakes, MN. Founded in 1984, the company has served resort retailers nationwide for over 40 years by offering custom and stock apparel (tees, sweatshirts, hats) alongside a complementary accessories portfolio (stickers, magnets, keychains, iron-on patches). In 2024-2025, EMI merged with TGT Stickers (itself a 30+ year sticker and accessory specialist) to consolidate under the EMI-TGT brand, broadening the product mix and deepening in-house production capabilities including screen printing, embroidery, and local sticker manufacturing at the Detroit Lakes headquarters.

The company goes to market exclusively through B2B wholesale channels, relying on a network of independent sales representatives, national trade show participation (Las Vegas Market, Rocky Mountain Gift Show), and a Denver, CO showroom. Products are sold in bulk to resort retailers, gift shops, and souvenir stores across the United States, with pricing handled on a quote basis. The firm has segmented its offering into sub-brands such as ĀPEX EMI (women's luxury knits), Premium 51 (retro-cool designs), and Pocket Pals (kids' tees with plush companions), with all products customizable to location-specific themes. Operationally, EMI-TGT owns the full production pipeline for apparel and accessories, including finishing and retail-ready packaging, and emphasizes four-decade brand trust and PFAS-free materials as core value propositions.

Name

EMI Sportswear

Legal name

EMI-TGT, Inc.

Website

https://emisportswear.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

EMI Sportswear (EMI-TGT, Inc.) is a U.S. wholesale supplier of customizable resort apparel and accessories, founded in 1984 in Detroit Lakes, MN, serving resort retailers, gift shops, and souvenir stores nationwide through independent sales reps, trade shows, and a Denver showroom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Resort Apparel and Accessories

NAICS

Sporting Goods Retailers (45911), Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing (33992)

SIC

Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports, Concert & Venue Gift Shops (CRALAJAH)

Keywords

• Wholesale resort apparel
• Custom screen printing
• Souvenir accessories
• Resort retail merchandise
• Gift shop wholesale

Headquarters

HQ city

Longmont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Apparel Sales: B2B wholesale distribution of resort apparel including tees, sweatshirts, hats, and accessories to retailers nationwide. Products are sold in bulk quantities to resort retail stores, gift shops, and souvenir retailers.
2. Wholesale Accessories Sales: B2B wholesale distribution of accessories including stickers, magnets, keychains, iron-on patches, and related souvenir items. High-margin, impulse-buy products that retailers stock near checkout.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

EMI Sportswear designs, produces, and wholesales resort-themed apparel and accessories (tees, sweatshirts, hats, stickers, magnets, keychains, iron-on patches) to resort retailers and gift shops nationwide. All production is handled in-house at the Detroit Lakes, MN headquarters, including screen printing, embroidery, and local sticker manufacturing. The company offers extensive artwork customization so retailers can tailor any design to their specific location (e.g., changing a palm to a pine or a savanna to the sea).

Product overview

EMI Sportswear operates as a wholesale resort retail partner offering a diversified portfolio of branded apparel and accessories. The core offering includes resort apparel across multiple sub-brands: ĀPEX EMI (luxury women's knits), Premium 51 (retro-cool vintage designs), and Pocket Pals (interactive children's tees), alongside foundational unisex, women's, and youth apparel categories. The accessory portfolio encompasses stickers (Mini, Holographic, Horizon, Chrome), magnets (Acrylic, Flexi, Button), acrylic keychains, and iron-on patches. These products are unified by bold designs inspired by adventure themes, customizable artwork for specific locations, and retail-ready packaging for point-of-sale performance. EMI Sportswear combines its 40+ years of apparel expertise with TGT's 30+ years of sticker and accessory expertise to serve resort retailers nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ĀPEX EMI: Luxury knits and effortless comfort product line.
• Premium 51
• Pocket Pals

Products and services

• ĀPEX EMI

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Sticker Giant: Custom sticker and label manufacturer offering wholesale and bulk pricing to businesses. Comparable sticker manufacturing capability with overlap in the souvenir/accessory wholesale segment.
• Sticker Mule: Custom sticker and accessory manufacturer selling through digital channels to businesses and individuals. Comparable product category (stickers/accessories) but operates via digital-first motion rather than trade shows.

Direct peers

• Carrot Top Industries: Wholesale supplier of flags, souvenirs, and gift-shop accessories to retailers nationwide. Comparable B2B wholesale souvenir product mix sold to resort and gift shop accounts.
• One Stop: Wholesale supplier of souvenirs, gifts, apparel, and accessories to resort, tourist, and gift retailers. Direct overlap in product mix, customer base, and B2B wholesale go-to-market.
• Tri-Mountain: Wholesale apparel brand supplying decorated and blank apparel to resellers and corporate/resort buyers. Similar product breadth across apparel categories with B2B wholesale motion.
• Staton Wholesale: Wholesale souvenir, gift, and apparel supplier serving resort, tourist, and gift shop retailers. Direct overlap with EMI-TGT in resort/gift shop wholesale channel.
• Lakeshirts: Wholesale apparel and souvenir supplier referenced directly in EMI-TGT's own privacy policy. Operates in the same resort/souvenir wholesale channel with overlapping product categories and B2B distribution model.
• Boxercraft: Wholesale apparel supplier to college, resort, and boutique retailers with branded and customizable apparel lines. Highly comparable B2B wholesale resort/apparel business model.

Broad incumbents

• Alphabroder (now part of S&S Activewear): Wholesale apparel distributor offering decorated and blank apparel to resellers, corporate buyers, and retail accounts. Comparable wholesale B2B apparel distribution infrastructure.
• S&S Activewear: Large-scale wholesale apparel distributor serving decorators, screen printers, and retailers nationwide. Overlaps with EMI-TGT in blank apparel supply and B2B distribution to apparel resellers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EMI Sportswear