Deckers Has a Strong Quarter; Sanuk Shows More Signs of Life
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Trade Shows and Scooters
I’m back from the first combined Outdoor Retailer/Snow Show trade show in Denver. The most impactful thing I brought back from the show was the flu. You guys who had dinner with me Thursday night- let me know if you got it. You know, last year I came home from Denver with what turned out
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Speaking of Consolidation- Boardriders’ Acquisition of Billabong
Back in September of 2013, when Centerbridge and Oaktree invested in Billabong, there was some discussion/consternation about the possibility of Oaktree combining Quiksilver, which it already controlled with Billabong. Quiksilver’s name, as you know, was changed to Boardriders. It owns the Quiksilver, Roxy and DC brands. Billabong’s three largest brands are Billabong, RVCA, and Element.
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Agenda Was Kind of Slow Last Week
In the past, I’ve been more than willing to criticize trade shows, suggest changes, and express our mutual uncertainty as to what the role of trade shows should be and how they should perform that role. Even recognizing that the winter Long Beach Agenda typically has lower attendance than summer, I was surprised at the
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Looks Like GoPro Might Be Up for Sale
This article on CNBC has the title, “GoPro has hired JP Morgan to put itself up for sale.”
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“What If You Are a Retailer Thinking of Just a Few Collections a Year?”
Or a brand for that matter. Please find 13 minutes to watch this Ted Talk on the evolution of retail in China. If you can’t do that, at least read the transcript in six minutes or so. The trends she discusses are enabled by the fact that 90% of online sales are controlled by two
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Sales Go Nowhere, But Profits Rise- A Poster Child? Tilly’s Quarter Ended October 28th
How, when you increase your sales less than half of one percent (compared to the prior year’s quarter) from $152.1 to $152.8 million, do you manage to increase your net income 36.5% from $6.42 to $8.76 million even though tax expense rose by $1.38 million while operating with five less stores (220 total)?
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Brands, Staffing, and Stores; Zumiez’s Quarterly Results
Zumiez increased revenues and profits in their October 29 quarter compared to the same quarter last year. The more interesting strategic question is how (if a single quarter is indicative of longer terms trends) and I’d like to highlight three factors that I see working together, though they are typically discussed separately.
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Billabong Receives an Offer to be Taken Private
Well, it appears I’ve done it again. After having published just this morning an article in which I said, “Billabong would be better off as a private company, but I don’t see a path to privatization that makes sense to Oaktree,” Billabong has received an offer to have its outstanding shares acquired for $1.00 each
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Billabong and Rip Curl; A Tale of Two Surf Companies and Their Interesting Juxta Positioning
A few weeks ago, you no doubt saw the reports that Billabong (which would mean Oaktree Capital Management– the controlling investor in Billabong) was doing due diligence on Rip Curl as a possible acquisition. Oaktree, of course, is also a major investor in Quiksilver. When Oaktree invested in Billabong, there were some rumblings about combining