by The Editors on May 7, 2013
Billabong has placed a “trading halt” on their stock while the action sports fashion world anxiously awaits news of former US Billabong President Paul Naude’s takeover or kickout.
In a statement Billabong said:
Unless ASX decides otherwise, the securities will remain in Trading Halt Session State until the commencement of normal trading on Thursday, 9 May 2013, or when the announcement is released to the market.
It won’t be long now. We’re guessing the takeover will roll right through the approval process.
by The Editors on May 6, 2013
In the big snowboard agent world, this is likely news. Carl Harris, the former President of Ookii Co Athlete Management & Marketing has joined the action sports division of IMG and has brought Ayumu Hirano and Kazu Kokubo with him.
Harris joins IMG from Ookii Co Athlete Management and Marketing where he served as President for the past three years. Previously, Harris spent three years as Vice President of Business Development at VAS Entertainment. Prior to that, Harris spent five years at Viacom’s MTV Network. Harris has also held positions at Swatch Group, Burton Snowboards, and as Supervising Producer and Director for Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom HuckJam.
Now it all makes sense.
[Link: Wall Street Journal]
by The Editors on May 6, 2013
Nielsen (owners of the Outdoor Retailer and Interbike tradeshows under their Nielsen Expositions wing) got what appears to be a pretty clean exit from the tradeshow business today when they sold Nielsen Exhibitions to a Canadian private equity fund (Onex Coproration) for $950 million, according to a post on Rapaport.
“This is an exciting development in the history of the Nielsen Expositions business,” said David Loechner, the president of Nielsen Expositions. “Onex’ experience and successful track record in executing similar corporate carve-outs and building those divisions into industry-leading businesses position it as a strong partner. We look forward to working with Onex to execute our strategic plan and to continue to grow the business to better serve the exhibitors and attendees who participate in our events, all the while providing a seamless, business-as-usual transition for our clients and associates.”
Wonder who Onex is going to sell it to next year?
[Link: Rapaport]
by The Editors on May 3, 2013
It’s good to know that the snowboard industry isn’t going to take all the economic gloom and doom laying down. . . in the sun. . . with a drink their tanned, relaxed hands.
No, with the help of the Snow Industries of America they took action and jetted off to Palm Springs this week to get some winter problems solved the old fashioned way: meetings, powerpoint presentations, poolside drinking, tanning, and good old bro-ing down, all under the auspices of The Committee of Snowboard Brands. Committee Chairman Mike West of 686 explains:
“From company founders to CEO’s, it was an honor to have key players from the snowboard community come together to discuss some major issues within the industry,” said Mike West, founder of 686, chairman of the SIA Snowboard Committee and member of the SIA Board of Directors. “Our discussions have led to taking the next steps on increasing participation through retention and allocating our resources towards increasing healthier sales in retail. Our goal is to work ON snowboarding instead of working IN snowboarding.”
For the complete list of industry problem solvers and the additional committees they’re going to form to solve even more snowboarding industry problems, please follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on May 3, 2013
Today (May 3, 2013), Burton Snowboards named longtime employee John Lacy (left) as Chief Product Officer and promoted Sasha Dietschi-Cooper (right) to the position of SVP of North American Sales at Burton. Lacy will report directly to CEO Jake Burton while Dietschi-Cooper will report to Burton COO Mike Rees.
“We’re more focused than ever on the long-term success of Burton, and realigning John and Sasha’s roles reflects this priority,” said Jake Burton, Founder & CEO of Burton Snowboards. “During the past couple of years, John really stepped up and got our North American sales house in order. Now, we want to see him focus on key initiatives like product development & innovation, snowboarding participation and our opportunities in China. As for Sasha, he’s also a longtime veteran of the brand and the industry, and it was a natural evolution to have him take on more responsibility in sales. We have no doubt that both John and Sasha will succeed in their new roles.”
For the official word from Burton, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on May 1, 2013
For the month of May (April 27 – May 31, 2013) Keep A Breast is posting up a pop up shop in The Garage at Univ, in Encinitas, California.
The pop-up will feature everything Keep A Breast has to offer and more including: merchandise from http://shopkab.com and our partners; KAB breast casts; Non Toxic Revolution prints from artist Shepard Fairey and others; Kassia Meador photo collection; ltd skate decks from Todd Bratrud; and interactive breast cancer prevention learning lounge. The pop-up shop will also feature a series of special events such as a KAB Treasured Chest breast casting day for survivors.
KAB will kick things off with an grand opening party at 6 PM Friday, May 3, 2013. The evening features music by DJ Tony Larson. The Univ Garage is located at 1057a South Coast Highway in Encinitas, California. For the full schedule of KAB events planned for the month of may, follow the jump
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on April 30, 2013
Active Interest Media, run by former Times Mirror CFO Efrem Zimbalist III, Time4 Media SVP Andy Clurman and former DC Shoes and Transworld Media CEO Brian Sellstrom, announced today that they have purchased Ski Magazine, Skiing Magazine, and Warren Miller Entertainment from Transworld parent company Bonnier Corp. for an undisclosed amount according to a story in AdAge.com.
The magazines’ print business has diminished since Bonnier bought them from Time Inc. in 2007 as part of a $225 million deal for 18 enthusiast magazines. . . Ad pages fell 33.7% at Ski magazine last year, a steeper drop than the 8.2% decline across magazines as a whole, according to the Publishers Information Bureau. . . The deal, terms of which were not disclosed, also includes the rest of the company’s Mountain Group in Boulder, Colo.; . . . and Nastar, a recreational ski and snowboard racing program.
As one action media professional told old us on hearing the news: “Publishers have been using the “buy high sell low” method for the last dozen or so years.” And we’re guessing that trend is going to continue. It is odd, however, that Bonnier didn’t throw Transworld Media in with the purchase, but they probably believe they can milk a few more years of revenue out of the action sports industry before they need to dump it.
[Editors’ Note: We assumed everyone would know, but the previously unwritten irony here is that Times Mirror used to own both magazines and Clurman and Sellstrom used to run them. So yeah, they’re runnin’ their tread mill after you, their runnin’ their tread mill now.]
[Link: AdAge.com]
by The Editors on April 30, 2013
![Unknown[1]](http://www.boardistan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Unknown1-tm.jpg)
DC Shoes won’t omit anything when it comes to Chris Cole according to an announcement released by the company today. Cole will now be plastered in DC logos for shoes and apparel. Cole says it’s something he’s always hoped for.
“To have a head to toe sponsor with a signature line of shoes and also now apparel is really what every skater hopes for. I’ve always been very specific about what I skate in, so the fact that DC makes great products is why I am here. I work closely with the DC designers and they have a gift for creating the best shoes and apparel for my style of skating. Thanks to DC for making this happen and for all the support,” said Chris Cole.
For the official word from DC, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on April 25, 2013
After all the excitement about The Boardroom (the consumer surf show formerly known as Sacred Craft) joining the grand parade at the 2013 US Open of Surfing on the sand in Huntington Beach, California, it now won’t happen thanks to US Open event owner IMG’s reported inability to “permit GLM (Boardroom’s owner) to charge admission to the consumer component of a planned trade-plus-consumer.”
“Every year, IMG tries to bring something different to the US Open of Surfing,” says James Leitz SVP of IMG. “For 2013, in support of Vans’ inclusive directive, we teamed up with GLM to bring in The Boardroom. This was a game changer for our industry. A massive trade show footprint on the beach with both B2B and B2C components. Unfortunately, like some big ideas, things just don’t work out. I am confident that The Boardroom will continue to be a huge success.”
So just like that The Boardroom is back on its own and scheduled for October 5 – 6, 2013 at the OC Fair & Events Center. Thanks for playing. For the official word from GLM follow the jump.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on April 25, 2013
Freewaters Footwear has named Robert “Bob” Kelley as CFO. Previously Kelly held positions at Adidas, Tyr, and most recently at Sanuk.
“I had the distinct pleasure of working with Bob for over 8 years while at Sanuk” said Freewaters CEO John Vance. “He knows every aspect of how to stage a company for profitability, while being flexible to the changing markets and spending needs. All of us at Freewaters feel very fortunate to have such a seasoned professional and genuinely good human on board with us at this early stage in our brand’s history.”
Freewaters has also added reps in the southwest, midwest, and in Florida. For the official word on Freewaters spring ramp up, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
![Unknown[1]](http://www.boardistan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Unknown1.png)
