Hulken races to build up inventory ahead of holiday season sales spike
Between rapid retail growth, an expanded assortment and being labeled Vogue’s “summer’s hottest it bag,” the viral rolling tote bag company Hulken is preparing for what is likely to be its busiest holiday season yet.
Hulken grew to a $100 million brand with a strong direct-to-consumer presence. But the past year has brought rapid omnichannel growth, which means the company has made significant behind-the-scenes updates. The bags showed up on Target shelves in late 2025, and Hulken is growing its presence with exclusive back-to-school colorways as well as an endcap running through March 2027.
CEO and co-founder Yoni Sheleg said Hulken has added a third dedicated manufacturing facility and centralized U.S. warehouse operations, and is weighing when to use air freight. The goal is to ensure it can meet its new retail inventory commitments for partners like Target while still growing DTC through new products like tote bags and exclusive colorways.
“We’re racing to supply to all these channels,” he said. “And we’re making sure that Amazon and Shopify, for our direct-to-consumer, have all the inventory they need. And it’s quite a challenge, especially while we are expanding our assortment at the same time.”
The company, founded by Sheleg and his wife, Alex Schinasi, first launched in 2018. With five wheels and sturdy handles, the Hulken rolling tote is becoming synonymous with “schlepping” in places from farmer’s markets to fashion shoots to kids’ soccer games. The bag even made a cameo on “And Just Like That” last year. It has sold over 1 million units since its launch and crossed $100 million in lifetime sales without any outside funding.
This year, the company has seen 50% year-over-year revenue growth, propelled by a shift from a predominantly DTC business into one with a burgeoning wholesale presence. The Hulken is sold in over 2,500 doors as of summer 2026, and retail revenue represents about 34% of all sales, up from about 16% last year. Beyond Target, it’s also sold on Amazon, QVC and The Container Store.
Behind the scenes, though, the omnichannel growth has meant the brand has had to ramp up its inventory and add manufacturing capacity to meet its holiday commitments, Sheleg said. Typically, the fourth quarter represents about 40% of Hulken’s sales.
“This is by far our top priority, making sure we make the bags fast enough with high quality — there’s no compromise whatsoever on that — then getting it in the hands of customers who want it,” he said.
Hulken’s experience mirrors a larger challenge brands face during the holiday season, when sales spike and inventory gets stretched: ensuring they have enough inventory to meet demand in the right timeframe.
A recent report from Narvar and eTail Insights, “Delivering the 2026 Holiday Shopping Season,” showed that about 66% of retailers say meeting on-time delivery commitments is one of their top three concerns. About four in 10 retailers also said they’re concerned about managing higher-than-expected order volumes, according to the survey.
For Sheleg and the rest of the nine-person Hulken team, gathering inventory counts and mapping out timing is more art than science at this point.
While some brands can prep for the holiday season in advance, such as by bundling popular products ahead of time, Sheleg said the brand’s new commitments and product expansions mean it doesn’t have the luxury of knowing its exact inventory needs. It’s taking into account its new commitments, along with last year’s Black Friday and fourth-quarter sales, to get an indication of what its needs might look like. “We have some kind of indication of what to expect. Our goal is basically to just get to that, and ideally more,” he said. But “because things are moving fast and because we are expanding assortment, it’s not apples to apples.”
To meet anticipated demand, Hulken added a third factory to focus exclusively on Hulken manufacturing. It already has operations in Hungary and India, but Sheleg said adding capacity will help the company meet spikes in demand and keep pace with newer DTC products. In late August, Hulken opened up pre-sales for a new carrying option, the metallic Bang Bang tote, as well as a collaboration with Stoney Clover Lane.
“It was absolutely important to us that Hulken is perceived as nothing less than the high-quality premium bag that we offered since day one,” he said, “And we believe we achieved that and actually exceeded expectations with the expansion.”
Hulken also consolidated its logistics operations into a single 3PL this year, instead of separate ones for wholesale and DTC. That allows the company to have the option of reallocating inventory for DTC or wholesale based on immediate needs, Sheleg said. It also simplifies points of contact and operations for the team, he said.
“The 3PL world is tough labor, and by definition, you’re going to run into problems. But having two sets of problems is much harder than one set of problems,” Sheleg said. “We’re a small team, so we find it more efficient in our situation to really deal with the work and be productive with one provider.”
But even ramped-up production and streamlined distribution are not always enough for moments of peak demand or unexpected changes in inventory needs. For situations that require a rapid influx of product, Sheleg said the “nuclear option” is air freight.
While the costs may be exorbitant, he said the brand is willing to pay the premium if it means selling more Hulkens.
“It’s so critical to remember to look at the big picture, because, yes, you might squeeze your margins here. But at the end of the day, you’re putting more Hulken bags in more hands,” Sheleg said.