What Sourcing City does

Sourcing City is a UK-based B2B promotional merchandise platform, operated as a trading division of Dynamic Image Ltd since 2004 and headquartered in Farnborough. The company connects 670+ subscribing promotional merchandise distributors with 3,000+ suppliers across the UK and Ireland, indexing 95,000+ products. Its customer base is exclusively trade-facing: distributors use the platform to source products for end-client promotional briefs, and suppliers use it to gain distribution visibility. End consumers are explicitly excluded and directed to engage a trade distributor.

The platform's technology stack centres on an AI-powered product search engine, the Dynamic Highway real-time data integration layer (65 suppliers feeding live pricing on 65,257 products and live stock on 48,101 products), and a suite of adjacent modules: Skin Sites and Eco Skin Sites for distributor-branded websites, Web Shops built on NOP Commerce for full e-commerce, Promotional Office business management software, and the Purple Club membership with annual market intelligence reports. A proprietary longitudinal dataset of click-through enquiries at product level, captured continuously since 2007 and totalling 675,000 CT enquiries in 2025, underpins annual white papers used as top-of-funnel demand generation.

Sourcing City monetises through multiple subscription and transaction streams: monthly distributor subscriptions with one-off setup fees and a free two-week trial, supplier product listings and enhanced entries (12-month terms statistically achieving 5x more CT enquiries than standard entries), banner advertising (averaging 250 click-throughs per month at £1.58 CPC), web shop and skin site build fees plus recurring hosting (£60-£79/month), and the Sourcing City Platinum premium tier offering live pricing and stock visibility, sold via dedicated account management. The company operates with 11-50 employees and shows no evidence of external institutional investment.

Name

Sourcing City

Legal name

Dynamic Image Ltd

Website

https://sourcingcity.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sourcing City is a UK-based B2B platform connecting 670+ promotional merchandise distributors with 3,000+ suppliers across the UK and Ireland, indexing 95,000+ products with AI-powered search and live pricing data via Dynamic Highway, monetised through subscriptions, supplier advertising, and the Platinum premium tier.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

B2B Promotional Merchandise Sourcing Platform

NAICS

Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (4251), Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (42512)

SIC

Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD)

Keywords

• Promotional merchandise sourcing
• B2B trade marketplace
• Product supplier database
• Live pricing integration
• Distributor web storefront

Headquarters

HQ city

Farnborough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Distributor Subscriptions: Distributors pay monthly access charges and setup fees to access the Sourcing City platform. Access is blocked if monthly fees are unpaid. Free trial (two weeks) available for verified trade distributors. Pricing is subject to change with one month's notice given to existing customers.
2. Supplier Product Listings & Enhanced Entries: Suppliers pay to list products on the platform, with enhanced entries (featured placements) commanding premium pricing. Enhanced entries statistically achieve five times more CT Enquiries than standard entries. Each enhanced entry runs for 12 months with a maximum of 9 enhanced products per item type.
3. Supplier Advertising Services: Suppliers purchase additional advertising including special offer ads, new product ads, and banner ads. Banner ads average 250 click-throughs per month at approximately £1.58 cost per click. Sourcing City creates personalised 'advertising bundles' for suppliers.
4. Web Shops & Skin Sites: Distributors subscribe to web shop and skin site services built on NOP Commerce. Web Shops: one-off setup £595 plus £79/month. Skin Sites: one-off build fee plus monthly hosting. Eco Skin Sites: one-off build £495 plus £60/month. Purple Club members receive discounts.
5. Platinum Membership: Platinum tier provides exclusive access to actual pricing, current stock levels, and advanced data on Sourcing City Platinum. Managed through Dynamic Highway. Sold via dedicated account management team.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sourcing City operates a B2B promotional merchandise sourcing platform connecting 670+ UK and Ireland trade distributors with 3,000+ suppliers across 95,000+ products. The platform provides AI-powered product search, real-time supplier pricing and stock data via Dynamic Highway, click-through enquiry generation, branded distributor websites (Skin Sites, Eco Skin Sites, Web Shops), and supplier advertising services. End consumers cannot buy directly — they must purchase through a trade distributor.

Product overview

Sourcing City operates as a B2B promotional merchandise sourcing platform connecting suppliers and distributors within the UK and Ireland promotional products industry. The platform functions as a unified ecosystem combining a core product database with multiple integrated service modules: the core Sourcing City platform provides access to 95,000+ products from 3,000+ suppliers; Dynamic Highway delivers real-time live pricing and stock data; Skin Sites and Eco Skin Sites offer bespoke branded websites for distributors; Web Shops provides full e-commerce capabilities on NOP Commerce; Promotional Office delivers industry-specific business software; Purple Club membership provides exclusive market intelligence and reports; and Supplier Advertising/Lead Generation services enable supplier visibility. The platform is exclusively trade-facing, serving distributors and suppliers rather than end consumers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sourcing City Platinum: Premium subscription tier offering exclusive features including actual pricing, current stock visibility, and enhanced platform access for distributors and suppliers.
• Promotional Office
• Dynamic Highway
• Purple Club
• Sourcing City News
• Merchandise World
• PromoAlliance

Products and services

• Sourcing City (Core Platform) Core B2B subscription platform providing trade distributors access to 95,000+ products from 3,000+ suppliers, with AI-powered search, click-through enquiry generation, and exclusive trade-facing access. Distributors pay monthly subscriptions with one-off setup fees; free two-week trial available for verified trade distributors.
• Sourcing City Platinum

Quantifiable outcome

• Enhanced product entries achieve five times more CT Enquiries than standard entries
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• PromotaminorOthersSourcing City holds membership in Promota, a leading European promotional merchandise trade association. This affiliation provides industry networking, credibility, and visibility within the trade community.
• ASI (Advertising Specialty Institute)coreOthersSourcing City's white papers and market reports cite ASI (Advertising Specialty Institute) Research 2024/25/26 as a primary data source. ASI is the primary industry research body for the promotional products sector in North America. Sourcing City contributes UK-specific data to the global promotional merchandise market sizing ecosystem.
• BPMA (British Promotional Merchandise Association)minorOthersSourcing City is affiliated with the BPMA, the UK trade association for the promotional merchandise industry. Membership provides industry credibility and regulatory alignment.
• NOP CommercecoreTechnology or IntegrationSourcing City's web shop and skin site products are built on NOP Commerce, described as 'the most flexible enterprise-class eCommerce platform'. This is the technology foundation for distributor-branded storefronts on the Sourcing City platform.
• 65 Dynamic Highway Supplier PartnerscoreTechnology or Integration65 suppliers participate in Dynamic Highway, Sourcing City's live pricing and stock data integration programme. These suppliers provide real-time product pricing and stock availability data to Sourcing City Platinum subscribers. Named suppliers include BIC Graphic Europe, Senator Pens Ltd, The Pen Warehouse, Badger Design Ltd, and hundreds more across the promotional merchandise industry.
• Andrew TalbotminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAndrew Talbot conducted original research and analysis on print-on-demand workflow published in September 2019. His work — quantifying 163 working days per year in potential savings from workflow optimisation — was updated in April 2026 by Alistair Mylchreest and Sourcing City, demonstrating a collaborative intellectual contribution to industry knowledge.
• ASI ResearchcoreOthersASI Research provides the primary third-party market sizing data used in Sourcing City's white papers. ASI data underpins Sourcing City's Merch Ecosystem report ($27.7bn US promo market 2025, $14.24bn European market 2024). Sourcing City contributes UK-specific market data to the global research ecosystem.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ASI (Advertising Specialty Institute): North American industry body and operator of the ESP+ distributor software and ASI Marketplace. ASI is the dominant US promo merchandise trade body and platform, providing the closest broad incumbent comparison to Sourcing City's UK trade-facing marketplace model.
• 4imprint: One of the largest publicly listed promotional products distributors in North America and the UK. Operates as a direct distributor rather than a marketplace, but competes for the same end-customer marketing budgets and shares the supplier-aggregator model.
• HALO Branded Solutions: Large US-based promotional products distributor and platform operator (Halo Cloud). Comparable as a major aggregator of promotional merchandise suppliers serving distributor and corporate clients, with similar white-label and web shop service offerings.
• PCNA (Polyconcept): One of the largest global suppliers of promotional products, parent of brands like Bullet, Leeds, and Trimark. Operates a B2B distribution and supplier-side marketplace that intersects with Sourcing City's supplier ecosystem.
• Alibaba / 1688.com: Global B2B wholesale marketplace where many promotional merchandise suppliers source and list products. Represents the broader cross-border B2B wholesale ecosystem that ultimately feeds Sourcing City's UK distributor demand.

Emerging players

• BrandVia: US-based B2B promotional merchandise distributor focused on e-commerce platform and supplier integration for distributors. Operates a comparable online platform enabling distributors to source promotional products with live data.

Direct peers

• ePromos Promotional Products: US-based promotional products distributor combining an online catalogue and e-commerce store with supplier aggregation. Operates a similar trade-adjacent B2B marketplace model with broad product breadth across promotional categories.
• National Pen: Large promotional products manufacturer and distributor specialising in pens, stationery, and customised merchandise with B2B e-commerce. Comparable as a vertically integrated promotional products platform with similar product category focus.
• Crestline Promotional Products: Large US promotional products distributor and custom merchandise platform offering online catalogue, white-label storefronts, and supplier integration. Comparable in operating model: B2B promotional merchandise with white-label/distributor-branded storefronts.

Others

• BPMA (British Promotional Merchandise Association): UK trade association for the promotional merchandise industry of which Sourcing City is a member. Acts as an industry body setting standards and providing market intelligence, serving as a key reference point for Sourcing City's research and credibility.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sourcingcity
• Facebookfacebook.com/Sourcingcity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dynamic-image-ltd-sourcing-city-sourcing-planet-promotional-office-software-sc-events-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Sourcing City