I was a bit surprised when VF’s preliminary bid for Billabong came as late as it did, and I was also intrigued by the partnership with Altamont. Why, I wondered, didn’t VF just buy Billabong itself? A couple of possible answers occurred to me. The first was that somehow they couldn’t afford it. But a review of their […]
My Aunt Jenny died maybe 12 years ago at the age of like 97. I helped clean out her house and one of the things I saved was her egg beater. It was made by the Dazey Manufacturing Company in St. Louis. I don’t know if it’s 60 or 90 years old. The company is out of business. I […]
I haven’t been before, and I didn’t stay long, but that’s a really good thing because it’s an indication that the show is accomplishing just what it’s supposed to be accomplishing. The show was full of focused retailers paying close attention to presentations by reps and, as far as I could tell and from what […]
Three days ago, Quik filed its annual 10K with the Security and Exchange Commission for the year ended October 31, so I’ve had the happy task of wading through it and rereading the earnings conference call from a few weeks ago. You can see the 10K here if you want. I’ll look at the results for […]
I don’t generally have a way to get good information on Rip Curl, but somebody sent me the interview below with Rip Curl co-founder and owner Brian Singer. Why don’t you read it, then I’ve got a comment for you. Rip Curl co-founder and owner Brian Singer speaks exclusively to the Surf Coast Times about Rip […]
You may recall (or not) that about a month ago I wrote an article expressing some concern that winter resorts were targeting baby boomers. My point was that dependence on high income baby boomers couldn’t be an exclusive, long term strategy because, inconveniently, those people are going to get older sooner and stop snow sliding. When that […]
My list this year includes Agenda, The KNOWSHOW in Vancouver, and SIA in Denver. Part of me would like to go to others, especially Surf Expo, part of me wouldn’t and, like all of you, I figure it out based on schedule, resources, expected results and, frankly, my tolerance for travel. I liked Agenda as usual. Also […]
I haven’t followed A & F as closely as I probably should. Too many companies (especially now that our market is something broader than action sports), not enough time. But A & E is the owner and originator of that iconic surf brand Hollister (heavy sarcasm). And especially after my recent post on cosmetics and skateboarding where I […]
My wife uses Bobbi Brown cosmetics and I doubt most of you really care. Like me (and I’m guessing all the guys who read this), until right now, you’ve probably never heard of Bobbi Brown. Maybe some of my women readers know it. I care that my wife looks great but not what brand she chooses. […]
Just for fun, let’s jump right to some comments in the conference call for Tilly’s quarter ended October 27, 2012. In discussing the quarter’s results, CEO Daniel Griesemer notes that, “While our third quarter comparable store sales growth of 1.9% [They were 8.5% in the same quarter last year] was below our expectations, this represents high […]
