by The Editors on May 13, 2009
Product placement appears to be one of the last standing forms of advertising that works in the mainstream market. Check this report from TMZ.com on how Billabong is getting some play from the vampires:
After Kristen Stewart was snapped smoking wearing this Billabong jacket on the set of “New Moon,” rabid fans quickly feasted on every last one available in stores across the country. Now, some opportunistic peeps are trying to flip the military-esque outerwear on eBay for upwards of $350 — and people are actually buying them!!!!!!!!!!!
Star power, huh?
[Link: TMZ.com]
by The Editors on May 11, 2009
Get all the details from Volcom’s recent SEC filling right here. We haven’t read the entire document, but this caught our eye:
Sales to Pacific Sunwear increased 21.8%, or $1.5 million, for the three months ended March 31, 2009 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2008. We currently expect a decrease in 2009 revenue from Pacific Sunwear compared to 2008. It is unclear where our sales to Pacific Sunwear will trend in the longer term.
As PacSun sales fall, Volcom gets further into bed with the mall. Maybe that’s because VeeCo is the only brand that is checking. Read the rest for yerself.
[Link: MarketWatch]
by The Editors on May 7, 2009
When you’re $1 billion dollars in debt and you have a huge payment to European lenders coming due on June 30, 2009 you have to cut back: even on the annual report, according to a story in USA Today.
Every spring, Quiksilver’s (ZQK) investors could look forward to having a thick annual report land in their mailboxes, filled with colorful photos of tanned bodies and monster waves. Not this year. . . As part of cost cutting not only at the Southern California surf wear company but at many companies, the traditional printed annual report to shareholders is slimming down if not disappearing completely.
Every little bit counts. Wonder if they’ve ratcheted back on Fed Ex, too?
[Link: USA Today]
by The Editors on May 6, 2009
Corey Smith’s new art show Air Superiority and Obsolete Dreams opens at Portland, Oregon’s Backspace Gallery May 7, 2009. And we’re pretty sure it’s going to be extremely arty.
Backspace Gallery, 115 NW 5th, Portland, OR May 7, 2009 6 PM.
[Link: Backspace Gallery via Yobeat]
by The Editors on May 6, 2009
The action sports fashion retail story continues to be grim, but not as grim as analysts had predicted at Zumiez. Today the mall store reported that April sales were only down 13.8 percent versus last year.
Analysts, on average, had expected the same-store sales to fall 14.1%, according to Thomson Reuters. Total net sales for the four-week period ended May 2 decreased 1.7% to $23.8 million, said the specialty apparel retailer.
Not too bad, really.
[Link: Marketwatch.com]
by The Editors on May 5, 2009
Ken Achenbach has always known how to turn ideas into dollars. Here’s another one as seen on Cldfx.com:
The backpack features a vertical snowboard carry, an internal padded laptop sleeve, a fleecelined goggle pocket and lots more. You better be fast if you want your own COC Mission Pack, the online shop isn’t online yet, but you can save a Pack by writing an email to COC. They’ve also got a colabo on the Crossfire Glove, we keep you updated.
Wonder if a free pack is included with the price of camp?
[Link: CLDFX]
by The Editors on May 4, 2009
Sometimes we just don’t get it. Gravis, the shoe company the Burton Corporation has been sinking money into for more than a decade, has released a shoe for the most beautiful boy in skateboarding and once again they’ve created something that no one will buy.
How do they do it? You’d think even by simply designing with a magic 8 ball you’d come up with a hit shoe every once in a while. . .but hey, at least they are trying right?
[Link: Gravis via The Skateboard Mag]
by The Editors on May 1, 2009
You know things are jacked up when Volcom announces that their first quarter profits dropped to more than half compared to last year and the stock still goes up.
Late Thursday, the company said profit fell 55 percent to $4.2 million, or 17 cents per share, from $9.3 million, or 38 cents per share last year. . . Revenue declined 15 percent to $68.3 million from $80.6 million last year.
Apparently, the market thought it would be even worse so the stock climbed 8.9 percent. Wonder if it’s possible to pay analysts to lowball expectations?
If you missed the call, the entire transcript can be read here on Seeking Alpha.
[Link: Forbes]
by The Editors on April 30, 2009
Volcom will discuss their 2009 first quarter results today in a conference call at 1:30 PST. Join in to hear just how poorly the surf fashion market has gotten.
The conference call will be available to interested parties through a live audio Internet broadcast at www.volcom.com. Volcom intends to utilize this webcast event to discuss financially oriented goals and objectives and to disclose material company and industry-based topics in an open manner. The company does not plan to report or comment on its progress during the current fiscal quarter.
We’re interested. . .
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on April 29, 2009
Two lawsuits brought against Zumiez by shareholders have been dismissed according to a story in the Puget Sound Business Journal.
The Everett retailer of youth clothing (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) said one suit was dismissed with prejudice by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. The suit claimed that Zumiez and its officials made materially false or misleading statements during March 14, 2007, to Jan. 4, 2008, and engaged in insider trading. . . Zumiez added that a related shareholder action that was filed in Snohomish County was also voluntarily dismissed.
But that wasn’t enough to keep UBS from downgrading the company from neutral to sell.
[Link: Puget Sound Business Journal]
Product placement appears to be one of the last standing forms of advertising that works in the mainstream market. Check this report from TMZ.com on how Billabong is getting some play from the vampires:
