by The Editors on February 19, 2010
Peter Glenn of Vermont, the 16 store medium box East Coast snow sports retailer has announced they are closing their original Berlin, Vermont location after more than 50 years, according to a story in the Time Argus.
“After more than 52 years selling Skis, Snowboards, Skateboards, Accessories and Outerwear clothing in Vermont, 20 years at this location, Peter Glenn of Vermont, will close their doors,” the press release stated. “Peter Glen (sic) operates 15 other stores in the southern United States which will not be closing.”
[Link: Times Argus via Sports One Source]
by The Editors on February 19, 2010
Billabong sales in the US dropped by 6 percent but CEO Derek O’Neill says that’s actually not that bad considering the economy and currency fluctuations, according to a story in The Australian.
“There are a lot of other companies in our sector which wouldn’t have minded a drop of only 6 per cent in America,” Billabong chief Derek O’Neill said yesterday. “It got better in November and December, but in the early months — July and August — conditions were very tough in the US.”
But none of this has caused Billabong to cut back on the 5 percent growth they are estimating for the year.
Mr O’Neill said the company did not expect a strong sales burst but it was counting on increased margins for it to meet its profit guidance after cost-cutting in the second half of last year, particularly in the US.
[Link: The Australian and BusinessWeek]
by The Editors on February 19, 2010
The battle between Quiksilver’s Roxy and Kymsta Corp’s Roxywear has been rolling on in court for nearly a decade and the back and forth wins in US District courts have kept lawyers for both companies working overtime it seems.
In 2008 the court, ruling in Quiksilver’s favor, decided that Roxywear would have to phase out their line of clothing over an 18 month period. On December 30, 2009 an appeals court decision overturned that ruling and Kymsta has won the right to start making clothes again, according to a story in ApparelNews.
“After all these years, we’re finally done,” said attorney James Nguyen, who represented Kymsta. . . “This is very positive for us,” said Art Pereira, who with his wife, Roxanne Heptner, owned Kymsta. . . “Hopefully this is the end of it,” said Charles Exon, Quiksilver’s chief administrative officer, executive vice president, secretary and general counsel. “From our first meeting, Quiksilver was happy to have Kymsta live within the parameters that were ultimately set forth.”
Apparently, the little guys occasionally win some.
[Link: Apparel News via Sports One Source]
by The Editors on February 18, 2010
Whistler-Blackcomb Resort’s uber-owner Fortress Investment Group LLC has been given an extension on the Intrawest asset action that was supposed to take place tomorrow February 19, 2010, according to a story on Bloomberg.com.
Creditors including the estate of collapsed bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., who have sought control of Intrawest since it missed a final payment in December on a $1.4 billion loan, agreed to extend the deadline for the auction until Feb. 26, according to the person, who declined to be identified because terms are private.
Nice of them not to dirty up the Olympic proceedings with some financial realities isn’t it?
[Link: Bloomberg]
by The Editors on February 18, 2010
In a post on AngrySnowboarder.com (pointed out to us by SouthoftheNorth’s Jonny Burns) the Angry One discovered that all the snowboarders who are currently appearing in the 2010 Olympics have had their names and likenesses removed from the team pages of their sponsor’s websites.
Turns out this is the result of a small by-law of the IOC’s rule 41 (mentioned yesterday in a story on ESPN). It reads:
Except as permitted by the IOC Executive Board, no competitor, coach, trainer or official who participates in the Olympic Games may allow his person, name, picture or sports performances to be used for advertising purposes during the Olympic Games.
Guess that explains the Scott Lago hole in the Flow website (above right) as well as Louie Vito missing on Omatic, Shaun White, Kelly Clark, Hannah Teter et. al. missing from the on the Burton site, etc. etc. etc. . . Now, if you’re an official Olympic sponsor, then it’s a completely different game. Another not-so-subtle reminder that the Olympics really are all about the money.
[Links: AngrySnowboarder via SouthofTheNorth and ESPN]
by The Editors on February 16, 2010
Claw Warbrick the founder of Rip Curl will be inducted into the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame at the Coolangatta Hotel on Saturday February 20, 2010 according to a story on Goldcoast.com.au.
The surf businessman will become the hall’s 32nd inductee. . . “I feel honoured,” said Warbrick. “I feel humbled to join the list of those who have made such rich contributions to our Australian surfing culture.”
It’s about time.
[Link: Goldcoast.com.au]
by The Editors on February 16, 2010
by The Editors on February 16, 2010
While we heard reports that the annual ispo Trade Show in Munich had a couple busy days, a so-so day and “the fourth day was for the exhibitors to visit each other” show organizer Messe München International claims they had a record year, according to a story on SportsOneSource.
More than 64,000 international visitors from 177 countries came to preview new trends and innovations during the 70th ispo in Munich, Germany. That represents an increase of close to 7% compared to 2009. . . Show organizers said 68 percent of visitors came from abroad, an increase of about 2% compared to last year. . . . “The numbers clearly show how strong this international sports business network is,” said Klaus Dittrich, chairman of the Management of Messe München GmbH: “Even after 4 decades ispo remains the “place to be” for the global sporting goods industry. In the future we will continue to expand our position with innovations and new concepts, like the ispovision and Opinion Leader concept.”
[Link: SportsOneSource]
by The Editors on February 12, 2010
Thanks to a year that reportedly saw Burton’s sales drop 13-18 percent the Burton corporation has announced that they will be laying off 15 people in their Burlington offices according to a story in the Burlington Free Press.
In addition to the cuts in Burlington, two staffers in a California office will be laid off, Potdevin said. . . After staff reductions, Burton employs more than 600 people in North America, with its total global headcount topping 950. . . “Our industry has contracted. The layoffs are about scaling the company to the industry’s size,” Potdevin said. . . “This hasn’t been easy for anyone,” said Jake Burton, founder and chairman of Burton. “It’s still a very challenging marketplace, but with the best product, team and marketing in the industry, we will get through this stronger than ever. The reinstatement of salaries and merit increases has been a priority, and fortunately, with our improvement in performance we are able to accomplish that.”
The layoff apparently represents two percent of the global work force. Not bad, really.
[Link: Burlington Free Press]
by The Editors on February 11, 2010
Paul Speaker, the president of Time Inc.’s in-house video production unit, has apparently been named to the Quiksilver board of directors according to a press release issued today. Bob McKnight is very pleased.
“We are very pleased to welcome Paul to our Board of Directors and we look forward to the important contributions he will make to the future success of Quiksilver. Paul has a terrific track record as a marketing innovator and he will add a valuable executive perspective to our continued efforts to market our great global brands and our media in new and interesting ways. Paul’s experience in coordinating marketing messages across multiple platforms including online, television, mobile and video-on-demand will help us to evolve our marketing strategies and drive effective use of technology in communicating our messages.”
We’re certain stranger things have happened on the Quik boards, but we just don’t remember them. Follow the jump for the entire release.
[click to continue…]
Peter Glenn of Vermont, the 16 store medium box East Coast snow sports retailer has announced they are closing their original Berlin, Vermont location after more than 50 years, according to a story in the Time Argus.
