According to Shop-Eat-Surf.com‘s coverage of analyst Mitch Kummetz’ survey of board sport retailers (how’s that for third hand information) Volcom is the “hottest men’s and women’s brand.”
Hottest men’s brands
1. Volcom
2. Billabong
3. Quiksilver
4. Matix
5. KR3WHottest women’s brands
1. Volcom
2. Roxy
3. Billabong
4. Matix
5. O’Neill
[Link: Shop-Eat-Surf.com]
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At the recent Billabong-Pro Open women’s event in Whagamata, New Zealand, Mishca Davis, the winner of the event, was supposed to take home a $750 prize. But she wasn’t so happy about that when she found out that the top prize at the Von Zipper Bikini Contest held later that night was $1,000.
“I was expecting to win about a grand,” Davis said. “The heat sheet said $750. During the contest they started announcing the bikini contest that was going to be on and then they said the first place winner was going to get a grand and it was like what?”
”At first it was a bit funny, and then I was a little bit angry, because a thousand dollars is a lot of money,” Thomas said. “Theres a big difference between 1st place in a women’s surfing competition and a bikini contest. It just doesn’t seem to add up.”
When New Zealand’s TV3 tried to contact Billabong corporate communications office in Australia, Billabong would not respond, instead they provided the station with information about the amount of money Billabong contributes to surfing sponsorship.
Nice, spin, Billabong. Be sure to watch the video. Amazingly funny, stuff.
[Link: TV3]
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According to the San Diego Daily Transcript Nixon co-founder Andy Laats is sharing his business stoke with students at California State University at San Marcos.
The growth is what I still get stoked on,” Laats said of Nixon Inc. during the “In the Executive’s Chair” course at California State University, San Marcos Wednesday.
The Nixon co-founder and president told about 83 students the progress he alludes to is “not in terms of the product, but in terms of the amount of ideas and the amount of energy we have.“
Click here to watch the video or here for the video interview.
[Link: San Diego Daily Transcript]
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Sole Tech’s Bill Conrad, who builds window displays for Emerica and sets up their tradeshow booths was in Las Vegas on his birthday and won $1.7 million at the Las Vegas Hilton.
Congratulations, Bill! Spend it all in one place! Just kidding. Don’t do that. And you better not quit your job here, cuz we love ya.
Let’s see, $600,000 will go to taxes, another chunk to paying bills, we’d say maybe you should keep your day job, Bill.
[Link: Emerica Skate]
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According to Boardsport Source:
Quiksilver, Inc. reported that Robert McKnight has resumed his role as president of Quiksilver, Inc. and remains both chairman of the board and CEO. Mr. McKnight will again direct the company’s strategic and operational initiatives as it focuses on its Quiksilver, Roxy and DC core apparel and footwear brands, seeks to improve its operating results and implements strategic initiatives for the Rossignol group.
The company also announced that Bernard Mariette has resigned from his position as president and as a director of the company in order to pursue other interests, which may include attempting to acquire the Rossignol group. As previously announced, J.P. Morgan is conducting a process on behalf of the company to reduce its exposure to the winter sports equipment business, including a possible sale.
Avoir, Bernard. Hope you have better luck buying Rossignol the second time around. Quik was up 53 cents on the news.
[Link: Boardsport Source and LA Times]
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From BusinessWire:
Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) a leading specialty retailer of action sports related apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories, today announced the company’s comparable store sales increased 1.7% for the four-week period ended February 2, 2008, versus a comparable store sales increase of 12.4% for the four-week period ended February 3, 2007. Total net sales for the four-week period ended February 2, 2008 increased 16.3% to $20.7 million, compared to $17.8 million for the four-week period ended February 3, 2007. Due to the addition of the 53rd week in fiscal 2006, January 2007 had five weeks of sales versus January 2008 which had four weeks of sales. Total net sales for the four-week period ended February 2, 2008 decreased 11.7% to $20.7 million, compared to $23.4 million for the five-week period ended February 3, 2007 due to the loss of one week of sales in fiscal January 2008.
To hear the Zumiez prerecorded January sales message, please dial (888) 317-6095 (no passcode is required).
We’re going to dial it up right now just for kicks.
[Link: BusinessWire]
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The Von Zipper Feenom Googles are getting all kinds of play from the gadget press. Not a bad PR run for a couple Skull Candy headphone earpieces slapped on a goggle strap.
Maybe this is what Oakley had in mind before its sudden lapse in creating the “Medusa Hat.”
For more from cnet’s Crave blog, click the link.
[Link: Crave]
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Forbes Magazine kicks down on the details on Nike’s new decentralized domination plans for different market segments thanks to a big tear-down by Nike Chief Executive Mark G. Parker, 52.
The biggest thing he did: reorganize the company. It used to be divided into categories of products (shoes, apparel, gear like golf clubs). Now it’s divided by sport. There’s a division for soccer (shoes and apparel combined), a division for running, one for basketball, one for men’s fitness, one for women’s fitness. Each has its own product-development and marketing executives. In this taxonomy a running shoe is entirely different from a cross-training shoe—why, running is an entirely different sport from training. There are parts of the company that sell only to golfers or only to kids on skateboards. Dreamer athletes, the people who don’t run or pole vault but want to dress as if they do, have their own division (called Sports Culture at Nike).
No wonder Nike is the number one selling “skate” shoe.
[Link: Forbes]
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As seen on Boardsport Source:
Quiksilver, has appointed investment bank, JPMorgan, to initiate a sale process for its ski and snowboard brand, Rossignol. Quiksilver acquired Rossignol, in 2005, but the business has consistently underperformed ever since. The company wrote down the carrying value of Rossignol by US$166 million ($192 million) in the financial year ended October 31, 2007. Rossignol, along with Quiksilver’s three other winter sports brands, represents 16 percent of its total revenue.
[Link: Boardsport Source]
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This from Ben Pruess’ Facebook status update after a day at ISPO:
The whole snowboarding industry looks like it has barfed on its clothes.
[Link: Facebook]
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