Clothing Company Bans Wal-Mart

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Clothing Company Bans Wal-Mart

SHAWNEE, Kan. (May 18, 2005) – Ace Kicker Tees has announced that it will not allow Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) to carry Ace Kicker’s line of poker t-shirts in any of Wal-Mart’s more than 5,000 retail outlets.

Wal-Mart’s past history of music and book censorship contributed heavily to Ace Kicker Tees’ decision. “It really worries me when big business starts dictating ethics to artists and other creative voices,” says Ace Kicker Tees sole proprietor John Carlton. “One of our poker shirts has an obscenity on it. And we’re simply not willing to sacrifice our first amendment rights, regardless of what sum of money we stand to make in return.”

In addition, Carlton believes that the business values of Ace Kicker Tees and Wal-Mart are not in line with each other. “I have a great respect for Wal-Mart’s tremendous success and economic influence. But I believe that to get our products’ pricing in line with the low-price leader would require us to decrease quality and significantly devalue the creative contributions of all the people involved in making Ace Kicker Tees. Even though that means our prices will never compete with Wal-Mart, we believe our customers are willing to pay more for a premium quality product.”

The popularity of poker – especially No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em – has skyrocketed in recent months. Retailers have experienced increased sales in poker chip sets, electronic poker games, tabletops and other poker supplies. But despite the added demand, Carlton says Ace Kicker Tees must remain true to the company’s core values. “We might not ever sell at the highest volume, but we will always sell with the highest integrity.”