Flash-Retailer Launches First Garfield Event September 19 at Midnight
TORONTO – September 18, 2012 – Today ShirtPunch Inc. announced that they were officially licensed and set to take the Paws Inc. beloved character GARFIELD into the 24-hour flash retail arena globally this September 19 starting at midnight. www.shirtpunch.com GARFIELD, the lasagna-loving and cynical fat cat, is the brainchild of cartoonist Jim Davis, a native of Indiana. This year the tubby tabby and his cartoonist celebrated the strip’s 34th year in syndication having debuted in 1978 in just 41 U.S. newspapers. Today, according to Guinness World Records, GARFIELD is the most widely syndicated comic strip in the world, appearing in nearly 2100 newspapers, with an estimated 200 million readers in 80 countries.
ShirtPunch is a front-runner in the growing ‘flash-retailing’ trend where designs are only available for 24 hours. Launched on October 25, 2011 and according to Google Analytics, they have received over 3.25 million visits, 725,000 unique visitors, and 3.9 million page views. The United States makes up the majority of their traffic with 80%, followed by Canada at 10%, with the balance coming from the United Kingdom and Australia. According to Alexa.com, ShirtPunch.com is experiencing growth of 71% in the past 3 months, with a growth of 45% in the past month.
“We are so honoured to be a Garfield licensee,” said ShirtPunch President Russ Montegue. “It’s such a classic character and it’s a brand that resonates with our consumer base. We’re really excited about the upcoming events.”
“We are very excited to partner with ShirtPunch and the opportunity this brings to our program and entry into the world of “flash” retail,” said Gay Nation, Director of Sales for Paws, Inc. at the Garfield studio. “Russ and his staff know their stuff and have been great to work with every step of the way. Be sure and check out Garfield’s Facebook page (5.4 million fans and counting) at http://facebook.com/Garfield or go directly to ShirtPunch’s website.”
For more information: Contact Nancy Fowler at The Licensing Shop Inc. at nancy@thelicensingshop.com or 416-322-7300 x 202