by The Editors on January 16, 2009
K2 Sports has purchased Zoot, the Kona, Hawaii based maker of triathlon apparel according to a story on Bicycle Retailer.
“We are excited to welcome Zoot to our family,” said Robert Marcovitch, chief executive officer of K2 Sports. “Zoot is a fast-growing brand whose shared dedication to innovation and quality make them a terrific fit for us and we look forward to their continued growth and expansion into new product categories and geographies.”
Apparently, this is another attempt by a seasonal company to break into a opposite season market. Maybe this one will work.
[Link: Bicycle Retailer]
by The Editors on January 13, 2009
Nixon co-founder Chad DiNenna appears to be investing in another headphone and luggage company called Astro Gaming, according to a story on GameDaily.
Astro Gaming announced today that that they have received $3.5 million in venture capital. This Series B round was led by Triangle Peak Partners with other investors including Fayez Sarofim & Co., Chad DiNenna and Gilbert Arenas.
We guess it’s good to diversify.
[Link: GameDaily]
by The Editors on January 12, 2009
Quiksilver announced today that Marty Samuels, president of Quiksilver Americas has left the company and Craig Stevenson has been named interim President of Quiksilver Americas effective immediately.
Robert B. McKnight, Jr., Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Quiksilver, Inc., commented, “I would like to thank Marty for his many contributions to Quiksilver over the last twelve years. Marty was instrumental to our growth during his time here, a period in which we’ve established ourselves as the leading action sports lifestyle company and we will miss him. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”
The press release gives no reason for Marty’s departure. Maybe he’s leaving so he can “spend more time with his family.”
[Link: Welt.de]
by The Editors on January 12, 2009
Quiksilver CEO Bob McKnight will be featured in a new commercial for Microsoft in which he makes the case that the right software can help them do their jobs better.
The ads, via JWT, New York, feature audio conversations with WestJet CEO Sean Durfy, Quiksilver CEO Robert McKnight and Eric Ryan, the co-founder and chief brand architect for Method. As each of the execs is talking, Monty Python-esque animation plays outlining what each are saying.
Quiksilver uses Mircrosoft products? Maybe that’s the problem.
[Link: MediaWeek]
by The Editors on January 12, 2009
Women’s Wear Daily did a really nice feature profile on Active Ride Shop in their Independent Spotlight section today.
It was so nice that it didn’t even mention any of the problems we’ve all been hearing about since last fall: no mention of the fact that many manufacturers are no longer shipping product to Active, or the rumor that one company spent last fall physically removing product from the stores. The only nod to the realities of the current business climate was this from Active President Shane Wallace:
It’s tough right now. In our 20 years, this is the most interesting and most difficult environment to move in I’ve seen,” Wallace said, adding that he would wait to up the store count until the economy improves or until Active finds an investment partner to help take the chain national. . . Looking toward the new year, Wallace is cautious, but positive. “We’re playing it very conservative for 2009,” he said, adding that he wouldn’t rule out store closings, if needed. “We’ll do what makes sense for our business.”
Yeah, playing it conservative probably isn’t a bad idea at this point.
[Link: Women’s Wear Daily]
by The Editors on January 8, 2009
Lately there are simply too many doom and gloom retail stories hitting to even try to keep up, so here is this morning’s round up:
And the New Year’s joy continues to roll in.
by The Editors on January 7, 2009
We received reports yesterday that Reef dropped the axe on 42 employees as the savage retail economy continues to take its toll. Reef is one of 25 brands owned by VF Corp. Some of the company’s other brands include Vans, The North Face, 7 For All Mankind, Eastpack, Jansport, Wrangler, and Eagle Creek.
In a late December 2008 interview with TransWorld Business VF Corp’s President Americas Coalition Dave Gatto said:
We all know there can be a huge up-swing when the market recovers; it’s just a matter of adjusting the business responsibly to survive the lulls and hopefully emerge a stronger, more efficient brand.
Looks like Mr. Gatto just “adjusted” the Reef business to survive this lull. Hopefully, that was enough.
by The Editors on January 7, 2009
On December 10, 2008 Blacks Leisure announced they were giving the UK distribution rights to O’Neill back to O’Neill Europe and later mentioned they would find a buyer for their 57 Freespirit and O’Neill boardsports shops. Well, according to a story in the Blacks Leisure the company was unable to find a buyer for the stores.
“The reality is in the current market people aren’t prepared to do a sensible deal,” Neil Gillis, chief executive. . . . He said the fashion of wearing clothing inspired by skateboard and surf culture appeared to have passed. Instead of selling the division, Blacks is preparing to convert the stores to its main brands at a cost of £150,000 a store or £1.5m for the first tranche to be completed this year.
Blame it on skate and surf fashions. Nice.
[Link: Financial Times]
by The Editors on January 6, 2009
Just a little reminder regarding January 21, 2009 and the Crossroads Retail Show and kind of wondering what this means for ASR and skateboarding if Crossroads becomes more successful.
[Link: Black Box Distribution]
by The Editors on January 5, 2009
ASG parent company Source Interlink’s owner (and Tony Hawk supporter) Ron Burkle has just announced that his Yucaipa Cos owns an 8.5 percent stake in Barnes & Nobel, according to a story on Bloomberg.com.
Burkle intends to monitor Barnes & Noble’s performance and consider the option to discuss strategic opportunities with the company’s board or executives, according to a regulatory filing today. The stake makes Burkle, 56, the fourth-largest shareholder of Barnes & Noble, based on data compiled by Bloomberg.
Wonder if one of those strategic opportunities will be cutting all competing magazine titles (TransWorld, Storm Mountain Publishing, etc. . . ) from the magazine racks in the bookseller’s stores? Burkle definitely knows how to leverage his assets so you never know.
[Link: Bloomberg.com]
K2 Sports has purchased Zoot, the Kona, Hawaii based maker of triathlon apparel according to a story on Bicycle Retailer.
