Facilisgroup (asi/475998) beat 2020.

The St. Louis-based software-as-a-service company and partnering community for promotional products firms said on Thursday, Feb. 11, that distributors within its network increased sales, on average, by 8% last year. Industry-wide, North American promotional products distributors’ sales declined 19.8%, on average, in 2020.

Ashley McCune, president, Facilisgroup

Facilisgroup executives called the performance of its partner distributors an “astonishing achievement” given the business and public health challenges presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“The growth we’ve seen this year is a true testament to the tenacity, high quality and innovative spirit of distributors in our community,” said Ashley McCune, Facilisgroup president.

Overall, Facilisgroup partners processed more than $1 billion in sales through the organization’s technology in 2020, up from about $800 million in 2019. Sales of personal protective equipment contributed significantly to driving the 2020 performance, but Facilisgroup partners continued to support the company’s preferred supplier network, “with comparable numbers to 2019,” executives said.

Facilisgroup believes more sales gains are in the cards for its distributor partners in 2021. The organization is also focused on adding new quality distributors to its roster to further increase the overall revenue it processes through its technology. Executives noted that the recent acquisition of certain software assets from developer Corexpand will help power a stronger e-commerce platform for Facilisgroup distributors to leverage.

Facilisgroup is a subsidiary of The Pebble Group, a Manchester, UK-headquartered provider of products, services and technology to the global promotional products industry. The Pebble Group also owns distributor Brand Addition (asi/202515).

“In a year that brought so much uncertainty,” said Pebble Group CEO Chris Lee, “the teams across our businesses in Europe, North America and Asia showed great care for each other, our clients and suppliers, and the group’s long-term success. The board’s thanks go to everyone in the business for their unwavering commitment and support.”