Tuesday Top Seller: Val Surf

kailee bradstreet

• December 23 2008
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Val Surf
valsurf.com
Shop Co-Owner: Mark Richards
Sq. Feet: 1200 feet

With locations in Pasadena, Thousand Oaks, Valley Village, Woodland Hills and Valencia, Val Surf carries hundreds of surf, skate and snow brands and has been around for 46 years, according to co-owner Mark Richards.

“Our main customer demographic is late teens, but I always say we cater to all ages here,” says Richards. “In large part, our success comes from our ability to attract all ages and have all ages comfortable shopping at our stores, from juniors all the way through parents.”

Transworld Business caught up with Richards to see what categories have been Top Sellers for the shop over the last month. Because the shop has not seen one particular stand-out product this holiday season, Richards decided to give us a quick breakdown - and rough estimate - of product categories that have been performing well within their respective discipline.

BEST SELLING CATEGORIES

1. Snowboards
“It’s no secret that it’s been a very, very soft holiday season, not just for Val Surf, but for everyone,” Richards says.”I don’t know if we are really knocking them dead with a certain item - I don’t think anyone can go out on limb and say that. But fortunately with the snow in southern California recently, snow gear has taken a predominant place in sales lately.”

Best Selling Brand: Lib Tech

Lib Tech’s catch phrase - “A Snowboard is not a ski” - is part of the explanation this company uses for its creative shaped boards. A detailed break-down of how Lib Tech’s boards are made can be found on the company’s Web site.

Best Selling Sku: Banana Technology

2. Footwear
“Footwear has kind of been holding its own through all of this,” Richards says.

Best Selling Brand: Vans
Vans is one of those brands that has always held its own in the footwear category, according to Richards.

Best Selling Sku: Chukka or Authentic
After a quick check-in with his shoe manager, Richards confirmed that it was a close tie between the Chukka and the Authentic for best selling sku.

3. Wetsuits
While holiday sales have been slow, and Val Surf has felt some pressure from surrounding big-box and mall retailers, Richards says that a bright spot in surf sales has been wet suits.

Best Selling Brand: O’Neill
Val Surf is one of the top stores in its region that carry O’Neill wet suits, as indicated by the company’s Web site.

Best Selling Sku: Psychofreak
This wet suit is designed for the harshest conditions, designed with O’Neill’s new XDS-Air Insulated Neoprene and featuring a complex 3D structure of rubber and trapped air components.