by The Editors on August 31, 2010
Not really sure what’s been going on at the Surf Industry Manufacturers’ Association lately, but it seems their Boot Camps have been oddly relevant. On September 22, 2010 SIMA will tackle “New Media.”
The first panel discussion of the morning, Media vs. New Media: Tracking the Transition, will showcase a discussion with the surf industry’s leading media experts on the transition to new media, its benefits and advantages, and specific learnings from the interactive endeavors of these media outlets. Moderated by Doug Palladini, the panelists will include: Rob Campbell / Editorial Director, TransWorld Media; Norb Garrett / Senior Vice President, Group Publisher, ASG; Ross Garrett / Director of Operations and Development, The Surfer’s Journal; Gene Pao / Vice President of New Media and International Development, FUEL TV; and Jonno Wells / CEO, Surfline.
It’s always entertaining to see what corporate executives from the established action media have to say about “new” media, isn’t it?
Follow the jump for the rest of the scheduled topics, or click here to register. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on August 31, 2010
Billabong’s recent annual report has been out for a while now, but Jeff Harbaugh’s gotten back to it in his most recent Market Watch column. In it he covers what currency fluctuations can mean to global businesses, why new accounting rules make profit comparisons difficult, the China crisis, and Billabong’s retail strategy.
In talking about Billabong’s motivations for retail, they note how they’ve seen an increase in house brands by retailers in recent years, and how that ends up “…eroding the amount of space that’s available for premium brands…” and usually not working for the retailer. Though they don’t come right out and name it, I think they were thinking about PacSun, where their sales last year were down 40%. . . . There is also a general concern about the overall whole base. In Australia, they estimate their account base has declined 5% in the last 12 to 15 months. In addition, they have “quite a few” on credit hold and “may not continue selling to those accounts.”
Reading Jeff’s columns is a lot like having a favorite uncle go over the numbers with you. Click it and you’ll see.
[Link: Jeff Harbaugh’s Market Watch]
by The Editors on August 25, 2010
We’ve always wondered how mall retailers stay in business. Apparently, they just keep borrowing more money. Pac Sun just announced that on August 20, 2010 they borrowed $29.8 million more, according to a Form 8-K filed with the SEC.
On August 20, 2010, Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc. (the “Company”), through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Miraloma Borrower Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“Miraloma”), and Pacific Sunwear Stores Corp., a California corporation (“PacSun Stores”), executed two promissory notes pursuant to which borrowings in an aggregate amount of $29.8 million from American National Insurance Company (“Anico”) were incurred.
Because no one has more money than the insurance companies. . . and this will probably help get Pac Sun around the corner, right?
[Link: SEC]
by The Editors on August 25, 2010
For the past five years (starting in June 2005) Skate Park of Tampa’s tech nerd Rob Meronek has been logging skateboarding magazine coverage for the SPoT’s Skater Database. In this time he has kept a record of the ad and editorial pages for Skateboarder Magazine, The Skateboard Mag, Slap, Thrasher (graph above right), and Transworld Skateboarding.
Today he released all his data in a story titled: A Nerdy Analysis of Sketchy Skateboard Industry Paper Trails. Here is how it works:
For a page to get logged, it simply has to have a skater. Even if they’re just throwing gang symbols in front of their rims, as long as it has a skater it in, the page is logged as either editorial or advertising along with who the photographer is. I put all this crazy data I’ve collected since 2005 into a spreadsheet and out popped these Captain Corporate ass charts.
While only counting ads with skaters in them skews the total ad pages numbers of the magazines a little, the data does give a great snap shot of what is going on in skateboard print advertising. Look over the data and draw your own conclusions.
[Link: Skate Park of Tampa]
by The Editors on August 25, 2010
West 49’s shareholders decided that being purchased by Billabong was a great idea, according to a story in the OC Business Journal.
Shareholders of West 49 voted nearly unanimously for Billabong’s $93 million buyout. The deal is set to close later this month or in early September. . . West 49, based near Toronto, runs a chain of 138 mall stores in Canada selling clothes inspired by skateboarding and snowboarding.
Apparently, 99.9 percent of the shareholders agreed. Wonder who the hold out was?
[Link: OC Business Journal]
by The Editors on August 24, 2010
Tony Hawk’s annual Stand Up For Skateparks Fund raising is going down in billionaire Ron Burkle Beverly Hills, California estate again this year. (As some might remember Burkle own’s Skateboarder Magazine parent company Source Interlink.)The October 17, 2010 event will feature a performance by Jane’s Addiction.
The exclusive event will feature games, activities, food, live and silent auctions, a Vert Demo by Tony Hawk and an all-star cast of pro skateboarders and BMX riders on Tony’s personal ramp, and a special set by Jane’s Addiction that promises to make for a unique, intimate, and one-of-a-kind event.
If you want to attend tickets are $350 a piece (on the low end) and $20,000 for the “Platinum Package” which allows the buyer to bring a 19 person entourage to the event, shower them in Tony Hawk gifts and goodness, and hang out with people like: Shaun White, Andre Agassi, Lance Armstrong, Jamie Lee Curtis, Miley Cyrus, Michael Eisner, Jon Favreau, Mia Hamm, Mat Hoffman, Terry Kennedy, Chuck Liddell, Howie Mandel, Sal Masekela, and Paul Rodriguez, Jr.
For more info follow the jump.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on August 24, 2010
Mossimo Giannulli has officially licensed Modern Amusement to Pacific Sunwear of California, according to a story on Sports One Source.
Mossimo establishd the Mossimo brand in 1987 and later licensed to Target Corp. The MODERN AMUSEMENT brand has been sold in the United States through retailers such as Nordstrom, Barney’s, Fred Segal and Bloomingdales, and internationally through accounts such as Selfridges and Harvey Nichols in the U.K. and Beams in Japan. . . .”I am so pleased to be working again with Pacific Sunwear which in many ways is like coming home,” said Giannulli. “PacSun was my first large account when I was building MOSSIMO, and to be able to take the model that I have had so much success with and build on that platform with Gary and his team is really exciting.”
When we read news like this we wonder how much money Mossimo really need. More apparently. Then again he probably does it for the love of the game.
[Link: Sports One Source]
by The Editors on August 23, 2010
We all have heard that Chris Cole owns a skate shop in Langhorne, Pennsylvania called Reign Skate. But what we didn’t know is that he has a partner in the business named Skip Millard.
Transworld Business interviewed Millard to get the background on Reign and what it’s like to run a small business with a big partner.
Everyone around the shop thinks since Chris is the partner we have unlimited cash but if that was the case I would just write myself a check. Really, just the trials and tribulations of opening a small business. There is no turning it off at 5-o’clock and sometimes you won’t get home until nine and have to put in another two hours. It’s a lot of hard work, but if you love doing it, it’s worth it.
Follow the link for the rest of the interview.
[Link: Transworld Business]
by The Editors on August 20, 2010
After reporting year end numbers for fiscal 2010, Billabong shares dropped 13 percent according to a story on Goldcoast.com.au.
Billabong yesterday posted a $146 million bottom-line result, down 4.5 per cent on last year’s result. . . This year’s profit was again impacted by a higher Australian dollar, but investors sold off the stock due to weakliness in the company’s key overseas markets as well as Australia.
Derek O’Neill is right (click here for video). Being down only 4.5 percent in 2010 is pretty good. Apparently, Australian traders do not agree.
[Link: Goldcoast.com.au and Heraldsun.com.au]
by The Editors on August 20, 2010
Randy Wright isn’t saying much about the closure of the Horizons West Surf Shop last month, according to a story in the Santa Monica Daily Press. But to fans of the Dogtown & Z-Boys story it was a sad day.
The skate and surf shop, owned by surfer Randy Wright, occupied a modest, one-story building at the corner of Main and Bay streets that was designated a city landmark in May of 2007 after neighbors and skateboarding enthusiasts erupted in outrage over plans to tear it down and replace it with a mixed-use development. The retail space was the original home of Zephyr and Jeff Ho Productions, whose founders, Skip Engblom and Jeff Ho, created the Zephyr Skate Team, which became known as The Z-Boys. . . Wright did not return several phone calls seeking comment.
Guess we can’t expect a retailer to live on the past forever.
[Link: Santa Monica Daily Press via LAist]
Not really sure what’s been going on at the Surf Industry Manufacturers’ Association lately, but it seems their Boot Camps have been oddly relevant. On September 22, 2010 SIMA will tackle “New Media.” 
