Welcome to

INNOVATIVE MARKETING
INTERNATIONAL

The original sourcing company

WE ARE CREATIVE

IMI is one of the longest established premium sourcing and promotional merchandise supply companies.

We started our operations in London in 1973 and since then have spread ourselves to other continents in the world. Our purpose in life is to help our clients succeed and we have been fortunate to work with some of the leading companies in the world over the last 50+ years.

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

We suggest, source and supply a wide range of promotional merchandise to many industry sectors. From idea generation and creative design briefs, we work closely with our clients to ensure suitable products are sourced and supplied to meet the required budget and target audience and ultimately to fully address the clients’ brief. Then, if required, we store them and send them out to our client’s customers. We pride ourselves on being different, imaginative and creative. We try to live up to our name by being innovative and keeping abreast of current and future trends.

PUBLISHING,
COVERMOUNTS

PUBLISHING, PARTWORKS

Health & Beauty

Charities

Beverages

Mail order / Retail

Packaging

APPROACH

DESIGN

OFFICES

Key staff

Here at IMI we have a hard working and expert team willing to go the extra mile to get the best results. The collaboration between Sales & Marketing, Purchasing, Design and Admin departments is what makes the company strong and efficient. From our longest serving members to the newest staff we always make sure that everyone is attuned to our clients’ needs.

Julian A. Lyons
CEO

With a BA Hons in Business, Julian joined IMI in 1986. Today he is CEO of the group and has responsibility for all the commercial aspects of the business.

Makhan Dhanjal
COO

Makhan joined IMI in 1983 and was appointed to the board in 1994. He is also the Company Secretary, with a role looking after the corporate treasury and overseeing the IT strategy.

Ivy Jia-Sian Liu
Purchasing Supervisor Agent

Ivy Jia-Sian Liu is our key purchasing representative in Asia. Ivy is based in Taiwan, and much of her time is spent working with our supply base and traveling in China.With a background in retail buying Ivy is an important part of our procurement team.

Happy clients

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“

IMI have been a supplier for many years and they are very reactive to briefs, coming up with great product ideas and always backing them up with good prices and excellent service.

Cotton Traders

“

Working with the IMI team is a pleasure, their costs are incredibly competitive, they are quick and responsive to requests, work hand in hand with all areas of our team to meet our requirements and needs as a charity and retail business.

Royal British Legion

“

I’ve worked with IMI for over 10 years, and they have consistently been professional, friendly, and highly responsive to our briefs. Their knowledge of our business, competitive pricing, and reliable service make them a trusted partner we value greatly.

Hachette Partworks

“

We have used IMI for our gift set fulfilment for several years now. Their attention to detail is excellent and they are a real pleasure to work with.

Revlon

News

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EUDR Regulations – Implementation Delayed to December 2026
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), in force since June 2023, aims to prevent deforestation linked to products sold in or exported from the EU. Originally due for full implementation by December 2025, it is now expected to be delayed until December 2026.

Key Requirements

Due diligence: Companies must ensure products are deforestation-free, not produced on land cleared after December 31, 2020.
Due diligence statement: Must include geolocation and product details proving compliance.
Traceability: Products must be traceable to their production plots.
Compliance: Proof of deforestation-free status is required to access or export to the EU market.

Scope and Impact
Applies to anyone placing or exporting affected products—cattle, coffee, cocoa, palm oil, rubber, soy, and wood, as well as items like beef, chocolate, and furniture.
Most obligations start December 30, 2025, with extended deadlines for small businesses until June 2026.

The EU will apply a risk-based country classification to determine due diligence levels, and member states will set penalties for non-compliance. The regulation is expected to increase costs for operators and traders.

Blank Sailings Continue Through November
Carriers are extending blank sailings through November, with more cancellations expected into December. Tight capacity and rising demand are driving rate increases from early November across major trade lanes. While most schedules remain stable, some short-notice changes or minor delays may occur as carriers adjust capacity. We’ll continue to monitor schedules and share updates affecting your shipments.

Container Truck Movements Disrupted at Chittagong Port
Protests by the Trailer and CV Owners Association have disrupted truck operations at Chittagong Port following increased gate entry fees by the Port Authority. Blockades have restricted container movements between inland depots and the port, causing export and import delays and slower vessel loading. We’re monitoring the situation and will provide updates on any further impacts.

Unfortunately most shipping companies, such as Maersk, have decided to not ply the Red Sea route for their vessels following Houthi terrorist attacks on ships in recent times.

The Israeli Gaza conflict has led to shippers being penalized and attacks by drones have increased in recent weeks. The principal aim is to stop Israel attacking Hamas in Gaza.

The decision was therefore taken to avoid this area for the safety of the crews and now most vessels are traveling the much longer route via Cape of Good Hope.

This adds approximately 2 weeks to the journey times and also as a result costs have increased. This will add to inflationary pressure in time as these higher costs begin to bite.

We hope that the service will return to using the Suez Canal soon and that things will be back to normal, but it might be a while.

We will update you as we know more.

Much overseas trade and in particular that from China and Asia has been heavily targeted by environmental campaigners who want to move goods away from traveling long distances and to try and ensure that materials are manufactured in as sustainable way as possible.

Here at IMI we use freight forwarders who are committed to Net Zero and have taken huge steps to reduce emissions. We do not want to pollute the world! New vessels with more efficient fuel use and solar vessels are coming! Some are already here and being used. Electric vehicles are deployed for local delivery, etc.

Other examples of what we now do to aid and route us to fully sustainable practices are numerous.
We deploy FCA paper and card throughout our products and their packaging and do not use any plastic wherever we can.
Our shipping cartons utilize paper tape for sealing and all the pallets we use for deliveries are eco wrapped.
When we have to make items in plastic we use GRS plastics, so that items are certifiably made from recycled plastic.
We ensure all the materials we deploy can be recycled.
We act responsibly to ensure that carbon capture policies are in place to counter the affects of any fossil fuel usage on travel, etc.

We are keen to target zero minimal waste and have measures in place to ensure we act carefully and anything we dispose of is done under strict surveillance.

There are many other measures and practices we follow today which that make IMI a responsible citizen in today’s society.

We want a planet that our children, grand children and many future generations can enjoy but we need to act now. Thankfully we are.

At IMI we are doing our bit to make the world a better place and we are fully to committed it!

We are proud to celebrate being in business for 50 years in 2023.

This is quite an achievement in this fast moving industry and we are delighted to have worked over the years with many famous and leading companies such as Kellogg’s, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, BP,Revlon, Coty and many, many more.

We have been fortunate to work with excellent people over the years and are grateful for the hard work our staff have put into furthering our reputation as the leading sourcing company in the market. Long may this continue!

We look forward to the next 50 years!

Check also…

Intelligent and practical products for the modern home. We have designed and developed a range of exciting every day products from Coolbags, to Fish servers, each with a unique twist. Clients such as Loch Fyne, Lakeland and Conran have enjoyed success with the items shown here and you can purchase them now directly.
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