FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

THE ENCORE GROUP SIGNS AGREEMENT
WITH DAVID TOLAND SANDS

 

One of the founding fathers of the decorative flag business has signed an exclusive license to once again bring his talent and expertise to the gift industry. David Toland Sands and his wife, Jill, will design a new line for The Encore Group to be marketed as The David Toland Sands Collection.

 

David and Jill Sands are synonymous with the flag business, which they successfully operated for more than a quarter century. Formerly based in New Orleans, their original business was sold following devastating losses from Hurricane Katrina, and the couple "retired" to Vermont.

 

Under terms of the five-year licensing agreement, Jill and David Toland Sands will create an original line of home and garden flags for Encore that will begin shipping in early 2008 and include worldwide distribution rights. The flags, which come in two sizes, celebrate special occasions, holidays, seasons, nature and hobbies, in bright colorful designs on weather-resistant material. Pending licensor approvals, Encore also plans to offer flags featuring many of its popular licensees, such as Harley-Davidson®, Looney Tunes®, NCAA® and other sports licenses.

 

In making the announcement, Encore Chairman Eldridge (Redge) Hanes said, "This is a very important and exciting addition to the Encore product mix, and we are extremely proud to have Jill and David join our Encore team- they are putting Encore in the flag business. David Toland Sands is an icon in the industry, and Jill has distinguished herself as a talented designer. Together, they bring new expertise to Encore that we are confident will be welcomed by our customers and prove mutually successful."

 

"We appreciate the warm welcome Jill and I have received at Encore, and we are extremely happy with this new alliance," said David Toland Sands. "Encore has established itself as a leader in our industry, and we look forward to developing our new line together. I look forward to reuniting with old friends and making new friends with our new flag collection from Encore. As always, we'll continue to be leading by design."

 

Dave Sands began his industry career when he bought a company and developed a means of sublimating door mats. As his business grew, he was the first to bring sublimated flags to market, which became the standard for the category. Meanwhile, Jill Sands ran a successful interior design business for more than 20 years, eventually joining her husband in his business fulltime. She is a board member of Gift for Life, the gift industry's alliance with amfAR, the American Foundation for AIDS Research; and is a Chairholder of the Color Marketing Group.

 

The Encore Group is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of giftware and decorative accessories. Its brands include United Design®, Figi®, Papel Giftware®, XPRES®, Living Stone®, and JW Stannard®. Licenses include Harley-Davidson®, John Deere®, NFL®, MLB® , NCAA®, NHL®, NASCAR®, Thomas Kinkade Company®, Lou Rankin®, and D&D Designs™ among others. The company has showrooms in all major market centers and a manufacturing facility in North Carolina.

 

For more information, contact The Encore Group, 111 Cloverleaf Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, or phone 1-800-334-0426. http://www.the-encore-group.com/

 

###