Author: Ryley Bane

Quiksilver’s Mervin Sale Completed for $58 Million, Now Divesting Hawk Designs, Moskova, Surfdome Shop, Plus the State of Action Sports

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They call it their “profit improvement plan” to streamline the brand, and focus, but another way to put it is that Quiksilver, once the kingpin of surfing and action sports, has had to deal with a harsh wake-up call that they simply aren’t popular with their once-core market of teens. Quiksilver hasn’t turned a profit […]

WeSC Buys Back U.S. License from Oved Apparel Group, Names New America CEO

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We Are the Superlative Conspiracy (WeSC) decided to bring back its license deal, a 10-year arrangement with Oved Apparel, which also has license deals with brands such as PRPS and Modern Culture, in-house in the U.S. to try and get the brand back in line with the American marketplace. According to an interview in WWD […]

Abercrombie & Fitch Reports Loss of $15.6 Million—Latest On the Teen Retailer

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Abercrombie & Fitch continues on its rocky road to turn-around, and announced several initiatives at its November 6th meeting. However today, November 21, 2013, the financials came out reporting $15.6 million net loss. Sales were down 11.7% to $1.03 billion from $1.67 billion in Q3 last year. The transfer of Gilly Hicks to their Hollister […]

Snapchat Spat-Back Facebook’s $3 Billion Offer While Youth Markets Remain Key Asset

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Facebook’s clearly losing its cool, and as we’ve revealed in our Fall Youth Culture Study 2013, there are other social networks that are taking over what was once considered insurmountable. With the recent news that Snapchat refused a $3 billion offer from Facebook, it’s making Facebook look even more like a MySpace. Even though Facebook […]

X Games in Austin, TX To Be Hosted Later, June 5-8, 2014

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Today, November 7, 2013, ESPN announced that that the inaugural X Games Austin event dates will shift to June 5-8, 2014. Previously, the X Games was May 15-18. Here’s more: Following a highly competitive bid process during which Austin edged out Chicago, Detroit and Charlotte, N.C., ESPN announced in July that the Texas capital was […]

Abercombie & Fitch Closes All Gilly Hicks Stores, Moves Brand Into Hollister

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Teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch continues with their new plans at streamlining strategies and getting back to a core brand focus by announcing the closure of their Gilly Hicks stores by Q1 of 2014. Gilly Hicks as a brand however, will be relocated online and in their Hollister stores. At the announcement on November 6, […]

Beleaguered Billabong “Simplifies” and Sells Canadian Chain West 49 to YM Inc. for USD $8.6-$10.5 Million

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Billabong continues to struggle along, this time by selling 92 West 49 retail stores across Canada to YM Inc., owners of Sirens, Stitches, Urban Planet, and Bluenotes for approximately C$9 million-C$11 million or between USD $8.6-$10.5 million. In a statement Neil Fiske, CEO of Billabong, said, “The sale of West 49 is part of our […]

Nixon Names New CEO to Replace Co-founder Andy Laats

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It’s been a long haul for Nixon to find a proper replacement for its co-founder Andy Laats who is leaving this roll for family health reasons. However on Tuesday, September 24, 2013, Nixon named Nick Stowe as their new CEO. Here’s more: After an exhaustive search, Nixon has named Nick Stowe as their new Chief […]

Quiksilver to Sell Mervin Manufacturing, Owners of Popular GNU and Lib Tech, to Extreme Holdings In Latest Divestment of Non-Core Assets

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In their on-going efforts to streamline assets and reduce amounts drawn on its credit facilities, Quiksilver announced October 23, 2013 that it would be selling Mervin Manufacturing, owners of the popular snowboarding brands GNU and Lib Tech, to Extreme Holdings, Inc. an entity advised by Altamont Capital Partners, who also advised on the deal when […]

Retail Round-up: VF’s Q3 Results with Vans Up 16%, Plus Re-launch of Women’s Collection; Adidas Group Unites Adidas and Reebok Under One Management Team

VANS Women's Spring 2014 Presentation Hosted by Chrissie Miller, Heidi Bivens, Langley Fox Hemingway, Annabelle Dexter Jones, Coco Young, Georgia Ford and Luz Pazon

Once again, VF Corp’s Outdoor and Action Sports divisions are leading the charge for the mega-conglomerate with revenues up 5% to $3.3 billion and Vans up 16% in North America. The Q3 financials released Monday, October 21, 2013 indicate a strong quarter and changes including a 4-to-1 stock split. “VF is at its best when […]