by The Editors on July 22, 2010
People sometimes forget that Ken Block has always been a businessman first and an action sportsman second. In this interview with Transworld Businesses‘ Mike Lewis Block again reminds us that DC is worn by every kid in Hicktown USA for a reason–Ken understands what drives teen passions and how that passion translates to dollars. Here’s an example:
Even a brand like Vans or Nike, they’re doing it in ways that really are counterproductive to what people thought in the past would work. Those brands do everything, they sell everywhere. Vans and Nike are both sold in JC Penney’s,” Block says. “Who would think a brand that sold at JC Penney’s would still be cool to a core consumer and a core skateboard retailer today? Well, they’re doing it and it proves that as long as you can send the right messages to the right people you can pull off some pretty interesting business moves. It’s the same thing that we do today, and every brand in our market really does – you have to continue marketing in the right way, to the right people, with the right messages. It’s pretty easy to fuck up, but there are ways to find the right paths.
Yeah, it’s as ugly as action consumerism can gets, but from the sales side it’s genius.
[Link: Transworld Business, Times Live, and Sports Business Daily]
by The Editors on July 20, 2010
Looks like the high fashion diva Erin Wasson was a little too high maintenance for RVCA and they have cut her contract, according to the fashion blog Fashionista.
According to sources inside the company, RVCA dropped Erin Wasson because her team was too hard to work with. “Total chaos and the epitome of unorganized,” according to one person we spoke with. We know, what a shocker.
Then again, we’re guessing Ms. Wasson was pretty expensive and RVCA wasn’t exactly flush with cash. . . until lately.
[Update 6 PM, July 20, 2010: According to RVCA: “. . . the fashionista Wasson story is completely false, I’m sure it will be down or have a correction printed by tomorrow.” And by “completely false” RVCA means that Ms. Wasson will no longer be with the company, nor will she design another line for the company, but that’s because her contract expires on December 31, 2010. Not because she was “too hard to work with.”]
[Link: Fashionista]
by The Editors on July 20, 2010
We were just on our way to pick up some Beta Unit tees at UNIV (because Shaun McKay always looks so sexy in them, doesn’t he) when we were reminded that Beta Unit groove doesn’t stop at tees. No, not this season. Thanks to a collab with K2 snowboards we’re all in for a bit of an up-sell on the Beta Unit side.
Beta Unit is excited to announce their partnership with K2 Snowboards for the upcoming 2010/2011 season. We got to design the graphic for the Darkstar, which we used as a canvas to transmit our geo-futuristic dreamscapes to. We love snowboarding, and a lot of details in our clothing is inspired by the functionality of outerwear.
For the rest of the Beta Unit goods click the link.
[Link: Beta Unit and K2 Snowboards]
by The Editors on July 16, 2010
After 15 years of writing action sports business analysis for publications like Transworld Business, Ski Area Management, Boardsport Source, Snowboard Canada Business, and others Jeff Harbaugh has joined the modern era. For the last couple months he has been providing his “commentary, analysis, and advice” directly to the people through his blog Jeff Harbaugh’s Market Watch.
While his analysis often pisses people off, one thing is certain: it is always entertaining, insightful, and opinionated; three things that are rare in action sports business media. The most recent topic Jeff dropped in on is, not surprisingly, Billabong Acquiring West 49.
Billabong’s strategy may be opportunistic with regards to timing (anybody’s acquisition strategy is) but I don’t think there’s any doubt that they have been planning to make retail a bigger part of their business. The presentation on West 49 says, in part, “Billabong has a long track record of successfully acquiring and integrating ‘bolt-on’ acquisitions consistent with its key strategic objectives of growing its brand portfolio and expanding its retail distribution network.” (Emphasis added) And their store count has grown from 49 in 2004 to 510 this year assuming they complete the West 49 deal.
And better yet–Jeff has posted every Market Watch column he’s written since 1995. Check it out if you care, and if you do, put him on your RSS reader.
[Link: Jeff Harbaugh’s Market Watch]
by The Editors on July 15, 2010
The Photoshop wizards at Reef have been going so over-the-top retouching the Reef girl’s asses that it’s getting creepy in a silicone-and-articulated-joints kind of way.
If they’re going to spend this much time making real girls look plastic, wouldn’t it be easier to simply shoot plastic girls?
by The Editors on July 13, 2010
Paul Naude, SIMA Environmental Fund President; Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., SIMA Environmentalist of the Year; Tom Curren, SIMA Waterman of the Year; Scott Anderson of Channel Islands accepting Al Merrick’s Lifetime Achievement Award on his behalf. Photo Credit: Carl Steindler
Al Merrick may not have showed up to accept his SIMA Lifetime Achievement Award (family vacations are important) but 650 members of the surf establishment got dressed up for the 21st Annual Waterman’s Ball held at the super-plush Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel on Saturday, July 9, 2010.
Tom Curren won Waterman of the Year, Robert F. Kennedy (a favorite on the SIMA circuit) won Environmentalist of the Year, and SIMA raised $400,000 for charitable causes. Not a bad evening at all.
“Supporting the efforts of the 19 ocean-related Waterman’s Weekend beneficiaries has never been more necessary than before with the worst man made environmental disaster happening in the Gulf right now,” said Paul Naude, President of the SIMA Environmental Fund. “Thanks to the surf industry, this year we raised $400,000 and now Waterman’s Weekend has raised more than $5.4 million over the past 21 years for environmental causes. A special thanks goes to our honorees, Tom Curren and Al Merrick for their dedication to the sport of surfing. As well as our Environmentalist of the Year recipient, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for fighting to protect and preserve our playground and livelihood and inspiring us all.”
Follow the jump for all the SIMA details or click on one of this links for photos and stories from media outlets who cared enough to actually attend: (OC Register, Shop-Eat-Surf.com, Transworld Business, Surfer Mag, Transworld Surf)
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on July 11, 2010
Guess it’s hard to keep a secret in action sports: Billabong announced today that they “have reached conditional agreement to acquire RVCA.”
Like many others who have sold their businesses to Billabong, RVCA founder Pat Tenore seems pretty happy about the deal.
One of the key things about Billabong is its respect for the creative independence of each of its brands and that level of flexibility will allow RVCA to maintain its identity while benefiting from the support of the wider Billabong group.”
The unofficial Billabong rumors list is getting shorter by the day. The only one we’re waiting on now is the Sun Diego acquisition. Maybe they’re saving that for next Monday.
Then again, the Sydney Morning Herald is suggesting that Billabong focus on some acquisitions at home and pick up the now profitable Globe brand from the Hill brothers. Really? That sounds like a bit of wishful thinking on someone’s part.
Follow the jump for the official RVCA details.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on July 11, 2010
Today is the day the skate footwear industry has been waiting for. On July 11, 2010 Shaun White’s Target tennies go on sale in stores around the country and online. Wisely the line includes both a dunk (the Scrambler, which in men’s sizes is called the Mossimo Stone) and an old school (the Brickyard) as well as several other skate knock offs.
And the best part? They’re all less than $35 a pair. Hard to believe you can sell quality China shoes for that much, huh? What must the other companies be doing with all that money? Oh yeah. They’re supporting skateboarding. . .
[Link: Target]
by The Editors on July 9, 2010
In a story we posted June 16, 2010 about Zumiez expanding into Canada we mentioned jokingly that if Zumiez was interested in moving north of the border “wouldn’t it just be easier for Zumiez to buy West 49.”
Now, it appears that our joke could become a reality as West 49 is reporting that Zumiez has offered the Canadian action mall retailer a buyout “in excess” of the $1.30 offered by Billabong.
The Company’s board, after consultation with its outside legal and financial advisors, has concluded that the Zumiez proposal would reasonably be expected to lead to a superior proposal. However, the Company is concerned with Zumiez’s previously stated intent to enter the Canadian market, and therefore the board has instructed the Company’s management to seek to protect the Company’s competitive position. Subject to the terms of the existing agreement with Billabong International Limited, the Company’s special committee intends to seek to negotiate with Zumiez to determine if its offer can become a firm offer that is financially superior to the transaction with Billabong and that West 49 can otherwise treat as a superior proposal under the terms of the existing agreement with Billabong.
Guess that would give Billabong a few extra dollars to spend elsewhere. Even better: what if Billabong just waits for Zumiez to cover the West 49 acquisition costs and then buys the whole thing two years down the road when mall retailers are even cheaper. . . Follow the jump for the entire release.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on July 9, 2010
In a classic example of just how rumors get laundered Apparel News retail editor Andrew Asch spins out a three page story titled Could RVCA Be Next in Billabong’s Buying Spree in which he adds absolutely no new information on the topic. Here’s the crux of his story:
Billabong . . . is widely rumored to be buying celebrated Costa Mesa, Calif.–based fashion brand RVCA. After several surf-industry publications and websites speculated on the rumor in the past couple of weeks, both Billabong and RVCA remain mum on the possible acquisition. (Neither company responded to requests for comment.)
That didn’t, however, stop Asch from rounding up few recycled conference call quotes from Billabong CEO Derek O’Neill, comments from Macquarie analyst Greg Dring, and a few lines from BRA’s Melissa Clary, and turning out a story so good that it almost makes us believe the Billabong buyout is a done deal.
But then what about Nike? We hear they’re the deep pockets with room for RVCA. After all, the Nike Open is right around the corner and you can’t exactly expect skaters to wear Hurley with their Cons.
[Link: Apparel News]
