New ownership to provide broadened distribution, increased access to sourcing, and lowered retail prices for Lyon-based skateboard brand.
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August 05 2009 |
1,024 views | 8 comments
On July 30, TransWorld Business sat down with Quiksilver CEO Bob McKnight for an exclusive interview on the state of the company, the future of the action sports industry, and the challenges of the current economic climate. In this first installment, McKnight outlines Quiksilver’s banking arrangements in the US and Europe, how buying Rossignol affected its European credit facilities, and what the company’s most recent financial announcement means to the bottom line.
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August 03 2009 |
3,001 views
According to Bloomberg.com, VF Corp CEO Eric Wiseman said the company “is in ‘active discussion’ on possible acquisitions to increase revenue from outdoors and action-sports brands.”
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May 18 2009 |
1,567 views | 5 comments
A February 11 report on Bloomberg.com further explores speculation that Nike and VF Corp are interested in acquiring Quiksilver. Eric Tracy, an analyst with BB&T Capital Markets in Vienna, Virginia says If Quiksilver sells only its DC Shoes unit, for an estimated $530 million, it could reduce its $1.1 billion in debt.
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February 11 2009 |
3,510 views | 53 comments
VF Corporation (VFC) announced that it is restructuring its stable of brands. According to Eric Wiseman, VF’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, the company is creating an Action Sports Americas Coalition in order “to best capture future opportunities in these industries.” Vans President Stephen Murray has been promoted to President of the new coalition of brands, which—at this point—only includes Vans and Reef.
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January 20 2009 |
2,705 views | 20 comments
Florida based action sports retailer Adrenalina announced today that it has submitted a proposal to acquire PacSun for a price of $4.50 per share. The price marks a 24% premium. News of the acquisition sent PacSun share prices up as much as 31 percent.
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October 20 2008 |
1,297 views | 13 comments
The company announced this morning that it has acquired its Japanese distributor for an unspecified amount and will bring operations in house in order to better coordinate efforts in this key territory.
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September 02 2008 |
663 views | 1 comment
This just in from Australia: Billabong International announced it has acquired Sector 9 skateboards from Co-founders Steve Lake and Dennis Telfer. The acquisition includes Gullwing trucks. Billabong expects Sector 9 to contribute approximately 2% to the company’s overall sales in 2008-09.
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July 01 2008 |
5,073 views | 41 comments
Back in 2004 Wasserman Media Group acquired 411 Video Skate Magazine. In 2006 it acquired Sportnet, and in April 2008 the company announced it had partnered with VAS Entertainment. In yet more acquisition news from Wasserman, the company has purchased Wetsand.com from founder Chuck Menzel for an undisclosed sum. Menzel retains ownership of the brand’s commerce and the storefront. “It’s the creative side of it that we really wanted to maintain, and I’m still creatively in control of the site, as far as keeping it on track with content and credibility,” he says.
What’s interesting about the partnership is the launch of a new version of the company’s surf forecasting Web site, Wetsand.com. The latest version of the site features a completely new interface called Swellwatch 3D that allows users to do things never before possible.
The most badass new feature? High-resolution swell models overlaid on a completely interactive, 3D-capable Google map of the planet. With info from more than 7,000 tide locations world-wide, 4,000 pre-programmed surf spots, easy-to-use buoy readings, wind information, and spectral charts, the site is a must see for any serious surfer.
A couple of other interesting components of the site are the “Your Lineup” and “Session Log” tabs. The Lineup feature allows users to network with their closest surfing buddies and keep them updated with their own forecasts. Based on information from their session log—an interactive diary that records all the details of the users best surf sessions—users can learn to predict exactly how conditions will be, and let their bros know about it.
“You can contact your buddies and tell them you’re surfing this afternoon, or tell them to check out the models,” explains Menzel, who developed the site. “You’re always communicating with one or two guys, and this becomes your community, where you can keep up with your bros.
“Say you have a great session at seven a.m. at C-Street. It saves your records, and a year from now you can click on that session and it’ll bring up every single display—the wind, the swell, the spectral, et cetera. It remembers exactly what it was like at seven a.m. that day.”
The kicker is that the site is going to remain free. No upgrades or subscriptions are necessary. “Before I sold to Sportnet I was going to have to charge users, and that was my biggest fear,” Menzel continues. “We’ve always been free. We’re going to have to start showing advertising now, but no one cares because we deliver so much.”
Menzel says that Swellwatch by Wetsand will offer users both the new Swellwatch 3D site and the classic version.
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May 05 2008 |
1,387 views | 5 comments
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