Smiffy's, a long-time supplier of wigs and other products to NCA members, has been sold to Ad Populum, a company that owns a number of other costume-related brands. The sale apparently won't affect the sales of Smiffy products. The company posted this notice in June:
R.H. Smith & Sons (Wigmakers) Limited (trading as Smiffy’s) - in administration - completes sale to Ad Populum LLC
On appointment, the joint administrators (Jane Steer and Sarah O'Toole of PwC) completed a sale of the business and assets of the Company to Ad Populum LLC (“the Buyer”). Ad Populum Founder and Managing Director, Joel Weinshanker will lead the worldwide Smiffys business.
Ad Populum will leverage its product development innovation, creative capabilities, and omnichannel retail solutions to work with the existing management team at Smiffys. Building on Smiffys’ history and existing infrastructure, Ad Populum will look to grow Smiffys’ position as a global leader in dress up design, manufacturing, and distribution of costumes and accessories globally.
Smiffys will benefit from Weinshanker’s years of experience understanding pop culture fandoms to create coveted consumer products, collectibles, costumes, and entertainment experiences.
"Smiffys joins the Ad Populum group of full-service, boots on the ground brands that in this day and age are necessary to properly service our retail partners,” said Weinshanker. “Our leading-edge marketing and technological innovation not only provide best-in-class products, but help drive traffic to our partners, creating a truly unique winning offering that is unmatched for consumer demand.”
Ad Populum's portfolio of legendary brands includes NECA, WizKids, Kidrobot, Joseph Enterprises, Inc., Rubies II, Enesco, ExKaliber, and Graceland.