ASBMAG issue#78

Australasian Surf Business Magazine July

2017

ASBMAG.COM AUS $6.95 (INCLUDING GST)

FEATURE ARTICLES: RVCA/ Surf Culture / Rip Curl / Talking Shop / Buyers' Guide – Guys' Tees & Shirts – Girls' Tops & Dresses – Watches.

#78

SBIA Service to the Industry Award 45 Years of Wetsuit Innovation at Rip Curl

John “Sparrow” Pyburne The Old Bakery Circa 1973

CONTENTS

ISSUE #78 JULY

inside this issue

contents 08 18 22

Industry News

No Such Thing as a Free Lunch.

Last month we really felt the loss of three great surf shops in our industry, all in rapid-fire succession. Meanwhile, there’s been a swathe of mergers and acquisitions at wholesale level. Our ActionWatch panel revealed the lowest sales volume for the month of May in three years. Omnipresent is the arrival of Amazon in Australia, driving a frenzy of ‘commentary’ and speculation on various websites around the country.

Feature Article SURF CULTURE: ANDREW ‘FROGGY’ FROGGATT

Feature Article RIP CURL TAKE OUT COVETED SALES & CUSTOMER SERVICE OF THE YEAR AWARD

26

Media Meter

28

Fresh

30

Buyers’ Guide

34

Buyers’ Guide

36

Buyers’ Guide

38

Feature Article

42

ActionWatch OZ Insights

44

Talking Shop

46

Faces in the Lineup

Against that backdrop, the industry’s best gathered to celebrate its finest achievements at the annual SBIA Surf Industry Awards in Coogee. ASB’s Mark Eymes presented Rip Curl with the Sales and Customer Service Award, and inside you’ll find pages dedicated to those winners, including Men’s Brand of the Year RVCA. One man who wasn't at the SBIA Awards was Andrew Froggatt from Surf Culture in Bondi. Each day ‘Froggy’ makes the daily commute from the Northern Beaches to the southern suburb of Bondi, and his store is widely regarded as one of the best core stores in the country by his peers and suppliers. We admire dedicated, hard-working operators like Froggy, and we’re celebrating that by giving him the cover this issue.

GUYS' TEES & SHIRTS

It's the end of financial year and it’s a time to stock take (and take stock of ) your business. Reflecting on our own business, in this last financial year we’ve given away $125,000 in free subscriptions to independent surf retailers and 18,000 free copies to every surf shop, everywhere.

GIRLS' TOPS & DRESSES

In the last month, we’ve revitalised our business strategy. We’ve spent close to 100 hours creating social media channels for you to connect with us and we invite you to join the conversation by following the accounts below.

WATCHES

For 13 years we’ve bucked the economic theory that ‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch.’ by giving away over $1.6 million in free subscriptions to independent surf retailers.

However, next month, we’ll relaunch ASBMAG.COM with some exciting new features and content, including exclusive paid content in our premium Executive Edition.

RVCA

Kick back, grab a quiet corner of the store and enjoy.

THE RETAIL DOCTOR

Keith Curtain Publisher

PUBLISHER ASB is published six times a year

by Australian Surf Business Pty Ltd ABN 38 109 415 983

AUSTRALIAN SURF BUSINESS PTY LTD PO Box 747 Torquay VIC 3228 Australia Phone/fax 03 5568 3488. Mobile 0417 747 855.

Email info@australiansurf.biz

CREATIVE

If you have any comments to make about ASB, or any aspect of the surfing industry, drop us a line: editorial@australiansurf.biz

fluid.com.au studio@fluid.com.au

ACCOUNTING & FINANCE Crowe Horwath www.crowehorwath.net/au/ ACTING EDITOR editorial@australiansurf.biz ADVERTISING Keith Curtain 0417 747 855 sales@australiansurf.biz PHOTOGRAPHERS Adam Wise Jackson O'Brien

38 RVCA The Power of Twin Chevrons, The Passion of Two Key People & The Balance of Opposites.

QLD & NZ GREG SCOTT +61 (0) 407 577 997 sales@australiansurf.biz

ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT Australasian Surf Business Magazine is printed using ECO-CLEAN print processes. We use vegetable based inks and recyclable metal plates during the printing process. ASB is printed on FSC® accredited stock.

Our printer is accredited for ISO9001, ISO14001, AS/NZS 4801 and is an FSC® certified printer ensuring that we uphold the highest international standards for the prevention of pollution and promotion of a clean environment. No animals were harmed during the production of ASB.

FASHION CO-ORDINATOR Fiona Hampson fashion@australiansurf.biz SUB EDITOR Jock Serong

CONTRIBUTOR Raphaela Serong

ASB PROUDLY SUPPORTS

SURF STORE LOCATOR FOR iPHONE FREE ASB iPHONE APP AVAILABLE FROM THE iTUNES STORE.

6/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

EDITORIAL PLATFORM Australasian Surf Business (ASB) magazine objectively reports on all aspects of the Australasian surf market. ASB is committed to editorial excellence and provides the only one-stop forum for the entire Australasian surf industry. Views expressed in ASB do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editors or publishers. No responsibility is accepted

by ASB for the accuracy of advertisements or information within the publication.

ASB FOR iPHONE FREE ASB iPHONE APP AVAILABLE FROM THE iTUNES STORE.

Summer 2017 available now | @globebrand | GLOBEBRAND.COM | est. Australia 1994

INDUSTRY NEWS

brand news O’NEILL CELEBRATE THE LIFE & LEGACY OF JACK O’NEILL A memorial fund to celebrate the life and legacy of Jack O’Neill will help ensure that future generations can experience the incredible accomplishments and a lifetime love of the sea of Mr Jack O’Neill; the legendary founder of O’Neill who passed away from natural causes aged 94.

The O'Neill Sea Odyssey (OSO) provides a hands-on educational experience to encourage the protection and preservation of our living sea and communities.

Reflecting on Jack O’Neill, current O’Neill South Pacific Marketing Manager Rob Bain says that the first time he met Jack was when he competed at the O’Neill ASP event at Santa Cruz now known as the O’Neill Cold Water Classic. Years later the pair crossed paths with son Pat O'Neill whilst Bain was working as the wetsuit category manager.

“We were driving along and Pat said "Hey there's Jack," so here's Jack in his 80's riding along on a bicycle, cut-off jeans, eye patch, thongs…we stopped and chatted, but it left an incredible impression on me,” said Bain on meeting the legendary founder.

Years later, Bain and the team at O’Neill South Pacific developed a global art tour celebrating the company’s 60-year celebration in 2012.

“It was all paintings, sculptures, illustrations and artwork tributes to Jack from around the world. We wanted to create something special to honour him, while he was still with us. On reflection it was really special seeing Jack’s influence reflected in art from Japan, Australia, South Africa. It wasn't established artists or designers - this included raw art from street kids in Africa, Bali, Europe and around the world,” said Bain.

“It was a special end to a special initiative.”

At the time of his passing, Jack O’Neill was surrounded by family including son Tim (President O’Neill Inc.) and daughter Bridget (Vice President for International Design).

“Jack was as soulful and encouraging as always, reiterating his love for his family, appreciation for a life well lived, his hopes for his friends and the oceans he loved, all within the familiarity of his oceanfront home of over 50 years, with the famous waves of his beloved Pleasure Point beach lapping at his deck,” read a statement from O’Neill.

By the 50s Jack had both invented the first surfing and bodysurfing wetsuits and opened his first surf shop near Ocean Beach.

He also coined “Surf Shop,” a term for which he later received a Registered US Trademark.

At that time Jack famously remarked, “All my friends said, ‘O’Neill: you will sell to five friends on the beach and then you will be out of business.’

Jack’s life was a study in the balance of life, family and business and as their small family business grew, Jack continued to travel the world and became internationally known as a surfer, an airplane and balloon pilot, sailor, fisherman, and adventurer.

Jack was most recognisable for his eye patch and his beard, often seen driving around Santa Cruz in his convertible Jaguar. The eye patch resulted from his surfboard hitting his left eye while riding a wave.

By 1980 O’Neill had become a thriving international business and the world’s largest ocean recreation wetsuit designer and manufacturer. As worldwide interest in surfing exploded, so did the O’Neillsurf brand in Australia, Europe, Japan, and beyond.

For his proudest achievement, in 1996 Jack established O’Neill Sea Odyssey (OSO), a marine and environmental education program using his personal Team O’Neill catamaran, taking over 30 children at a time into the newly designated Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, along with the dedication of a coast-side classroom and laboratory building in the Santa Cruz Harbour, which he built in 1965. Jack played an instrumental role in the development of the harbour.

Now over 20 years old, the O’Neill Sea Odyssey program is one of the largest of its kind in the world, having hosted nearly 100,000 school-aged children. Remarking on OSO, Jack said, “The ocean is alive and we’ve got to take care of it. There’s no doubt in my mind that the O’Neill Sea Odyssey is the best thing I’ve ever done.”

“What's not to say about Jack?” concluded Rob Bain. “A pioneer, who created an industry out of a want to simply stay in the water longer, It's so simple and pure at the heart of it all, but just so special.

He opened the first surf shop and developed the first surfing wetsuit.

“They say that Jack created the O'Neill brand, but Santa Cruz built it. From his family, to the town of Santa Cruz, the surfing world can all say thanks for keeping us all warm and out there surfing longer. It's an amazing story and such a great brand,” said Bain.

Connect (or donate) with the O'Neill Sea Odyssey here http://oneillseaodyssey.org

LUSH PRODUCTIONS ACQUIRES RES DENIM Lush Productions announced that it has completed negotiations with the Bradmill Group to acquire Res Denim. Res Denim is one of the top three women’s denim labels in action sports distribution ahead of Billabong, Roxy, Rip Curl, Levi’s and Wrangler on our ActionWatch Oz retail panel in 2016 with a 13.5% of the brand $ share in this market. Lush Productions General Manager Ron Luff said they been working on the deal for just over a month and the integration of bringing Res Denim into the Lush Productions business is effective immediately.

“We have some catching up to do with getting spring and summer production back on track along with ensuring Winter 2018 is to the reps in August, so we will be very focused on making that happen. To do this, we are bringing across the three key people from Res Denim, Simone Coates who will be Brand Manager, Brendan Davis who is the National Sales Manager and Melissa Smith, Product Developer,” said Ron Luff.

Luff said that Res (Denim) has a fantastic reputation for delivering on trend product using both premium Chinese and Turkish denim at realistic pricing.

“Res already has some great synergies with Lush as half of its customer base is the same as ours, however it brings some great strengths that will complement our existing business,” Luff told staff in a company-only announcement.

“Res is 75% women’s where we are much stronger in men’s and the Res bottoms account for almost 90% of their business where we are the opposite, tops account for 90% of our business.”

“Res also have (with the exception of Your House Agencies) a different sales team, so that too will be a fresh approach to market for Lush. Res comes with its own Shopify-based online store and a stand-alone B2B platform, which we will activate (at the time of press).

Res also has a growing international business

with sales into the USA and Japan, so there are limitless international opportunities for Res,” added Luff.

Luff said it’s a very exciting acquisition for Lush Productions bringing with it some new ideas, energy and opportunities to the business.

Management at Bradmill were unable to comment on the specifics of the deal, however Res Denim agents notified key accounts in May about the company’s planned closure of its Res Denim brand.

RES Denim’s Simone Coates said: “We’re pumped to be part of Lush Productions.

We really needed some back end support for the brand development and marketing and Lush was able to provide a solution and at the same time is a great cultural fit for the RES denim team.”

“Lush Productions’ stable of brands includes Santa Cruz, Zoo York and Independent. The company boasts an active network of over 600 retailer doors across Australia including independent surf, skate and fashion stores and key multi door national retailers, among them General Pants, SDS, Ozmosis, and The Iconic. Lush also operates six of its own stores under the Street Machine name,” added Coates.

RIP CURL HAVE BEEN SNOWED UNDER FOR 30 YEARS 2017 marks 30 years since Rip Curl started producing high quality mountainwear. They may have a wave as their logo, but founders Brian Singer and Doug “Claw” Warbrick knew early on, that the same adrenaline they felt surfing could be matched on snow.

‘The Search’ took them far above sea level to mountains where surfers increasingly found themselves in winter months. From joining the Mt Buller Ski Patrol for one Aussie Winter, ‘The Search’ eventually found them skiing all over the world in Chamonix, Canada, Chile, Alaska, New Zealand and beyond.

Not only did the company search for higher peaks and powder, they simultaneously searched for ways to improve the rider's experience through their mountainwear.

The result is such innovations as STL (stitchless technology), their super flexible Gum Series and the ultimate search outfit, a zip-free one piece.

Rip Curl applied the same principles they learnt keeping surfers warm in cold water to their one piece, which is by far the most innovative on the market. The zip free system and zipperless entry is clearly inspired by modern wetsuits as is the unique combination of body mapping fabrics that balance waterproofing, breathability, stretch and warmth.

To complement the one piece and to further mark the occasion, Rip Curl has come up with the Freeride Airbag Vest. Designed and made 100% in France, there can be no doubt that the country's high stakes mountains (read Chamonix) contributed to the seriousness of the safety vest. 14 double density foam panels (5mm of cellular rubber foam combined with 3mm of Bio Foam) aim to reduce the impact of a bad fall on your upper body. Whilst the collar entry system, inspired by bulletproof vests enables the perfect fit and prevents the ‘bouncing’ associated with a typical backpack.

As you’d expect from such a serious, high-end product, it comes with all the features and space required for personal and avalanche equipment, such as a beacon compartment, phone compartment and straps to attach your ski or snowboard to. Most importantly the vest also accommodates a removable Mammut Airbag 3.0 system, which is said to be “the lightest, comfiest and most reliable airbag system on the market.

Source: Mountainwatch.

8/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

ARBOR SKATEBOARDS TO ABSOLUTE BOARD CO. Absolute Board Co. will become the Arbor Skateboards new global partner from September 2nd 2017. Absolute Board Co told ASB they are excited about the partnership with Arbor Skateboards. “Arbor Skateboards is a fantastic addition to our portfolio and we look forward to continuing the development of the brand, globally into the future,” said Shane Kearney, GM Absolute Board Co. APAC. Absolute will manage production, sales, and all aspects of distribution globally.

Arbor Collective will remain independent and in place to guide product development, design, and marketing from its headquarters in Venice, CA. “I am impressed with Absolute’s vision for the future,” said Bob Carlson, The Arbor Collective’s Founder and CEO. “They have created an exciting plan for developing and distributing a house of brands, utilising the significant global infrastructure that was built for their current lineup. Arbor Skateboards is a great fit.”

Absolute will manage the distribution of Arbor Skateboards through its office/ warehouse facilities in Australia, the UK, and the US. The company plans to continue using the Arbor Collective’s sales reps in the US and Canada, and is discussing with Arbor’s current international distributors where they might fit into a revamped distribution network.

Former Australian distributor Future Sports parted ways with Arbor about 15 months ago. “The (Arbor Collective) owners split the brand up about two years back and licenced it out to three different companies to run skate, snow and clothing,” Future Sports Managing Director Rodney Ball, told ASB. Absolute’s CEO Frank Messmann said Arbor is an amazing addition to their line-up.

“Arbor does not compete with our other brands, and we can quickly improve distribution, delivery, and product availability; all while making Arbor more competitive around the globe.”

Arbor’s current partner, Bravo Sector 9 will continue to run the program through September 1st. This interim period provides Arbor and Absolute the time needed to make the transition as seamless as possible for Arbor dealers. Specifically, it gives Absolute time to communicate with accounts about the coming changes; and to build the necessary inventory for September/Holiday deliveries.

“I want to thank the Sector 9 family, past and present, for years of friendship and shared success,” said Bob Carlson. “We wish the current crew all the best, as you build what will be a great next chapter.”

DRAGON X MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID COURSE Dragon Alliance has taken a proactive step in addressing the wellbeing of their staff and young customer base, completing Mental Health First Aid Training. Led by Dragon Alliance, the group participated in the Surf Coast Shire Council-run course last month.

Employees from Dragon, Strapper, XTM, Rip Curl, Quiksilver, Surfing Victoria, Torquay Boardriders, Go Ride A Wave and the Bells 50 Year Storm Invitational surf event learnt about the signs and symptoms of mental health conditions and the importance of early detection, so the person is treated and supported.

Dragon Director Mark Hudson said it was beneficial for people in the surf and lifestyle industry to have the information and tools to support young people. “We know that mental illness is a condition that many of our local young people are dealing with either directly or indirectly,” said Hudson.

“All of the organisations which participated in the training are in regular contact with this vulnerable age group – whether it’s serving them as a customer in store, being an employee or supporting them as they chase their surfing dream. We were keen to soak up as much knowledge as possible about how to assist people who might be struggling.”

Torquay Ward Councillor Martin Duke praised the surf industry for their hands-on approach in supporting young people, which aligns with the work of Surf Coast Shire Council’s Youth Development team.

“The health and wellbeing of our young people was identified as a key issue in our youth survey last year,” said Cr Duke.

“To see these industry leaders put their hand up to improve their understanding of mental health is admirable. It’s also great that Council as an organisation is continuing to empower people on how they can play their part in addressing this important issue.”

Surf Coast Shire Council and participating organisations are supporting Surfing Victoria’s Bells 50 Year Storm Invitational, held in memory of talented surfer Shaun Brooks who died by suicide in 2012 after a long struggle with mental illness. The event will welcome the Surf Coast’s best surfers on the biggest swell at Bells this winter.

For 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services, please call Lifeline on 131114 or visit www.lifeline.org.au/gethelp.

LEUS PARTNERS WITH PRIMER GROUP High profile industry start-up brand LEUS towels have announced its newly signed distribution partnership with Primer, the leading distribution company in the APAC region. Primer will initially distribute LEUS in Australia via Primer Pacific Pty Ltd, with the rest of APAC on the near horizon.

“We’re extremely honoured and excited to partner with the Primer Group and expand into new regions,” said the LEUS management team. “The Primer Group shares our core values and will be a huge asset in growing the brand overseas.

We look forward to a long and successful partnership with them.”

“We’re really excited to be working with LEUS,” said Primer Pacific Managing Director Scott Williams. “The brand has launched successfully in the US and Europe and the combination of great product, a category focus and fun vibes is something that we feel will deliver excellent results for our Australian retail partners when we launch LEUS this spring.”

Currently WSL world number 25, Connor Coffin has signed on as the marquee ambassador and there are a number of talks going on to expand on the team in the near future.

“LEUS will be partnering with Rip Curl to support the event in the US and we will be reaching out to the Rip Curl Marketing team here to express our interest to support the Australian leg,” Scott Williams told ASB. Primer Group is engaged in the retail and distribution of premium consumer brands globally including the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia. Primer Group’s headquarters are in Manila, while Primer Pacific’s operation is based in Sydney, Australia.

Check primerpacific.com.au

THE FIJI PRO WAS MORE THAN JUST OK. The inaugural OK Fiji Pro was won in spectacular fashion by Copacabana's Matt Wilkinson over Cronulla’s Connor O’Leary in an all-Aussie final. Whilst Outerknown currently has a ‘focused offer’ and limited

Leus Co Founder Connor Coffin.

distribution within Australia, according to Simon Krite from Melbourne (VIC) based The Brandroom Pty Ltd, the ANZ distributors for Outerknown, the OK Fiji Pro merchandise such as their OK Fiji Pro organic cotton event T-shirt and stainless steel drink flasks sold ‘really well’ on the WSL store. Throughout the down-time at the OK Fiji Pro, Co-Founder (and event sponsor) Kelly Slater has offered some insights into OK’s brand values and ethical supply chain.

11-time World Surfing Champion Kelly Slater and Designer John Moore founded Outerknown in 2014. The pair has established a company focused on creating good-looking men’s fashion, while simultaneously placing a demand on sustainability and supply chain transparency.

Moore had collaborated with Slater at his former sponsor and was named American GQ Best New Menswear Designer for his surf lifestyle label M.Nii. Outerknown has also attracted a minority share investment from French conglomerate Kering, which is expanding its sports and lifestyle portfolio (that also includes Volcom) and will offer the brand operational support in areas such as logistics and e-commerce — as well as an executive team that includes Julie Gilhart, former fashion director of Barneys New York.

In April 2017, The World Surf League announced Outerknown as the new title sponsor of the Fiji Championship Tour contest. Outerknown has signed a threeyear deal with the WSL to sponsor both the men’s and women’s events.

Californian Courtney Conlogue won the inaugural OK Fiji Women’s Pro. The Brandroom’s Simon Krite said that when it came to sponsoring the women’s event, Outerknown didn't distinguish between the men and the women on the elite championship tour and said they regard all the surfers at the world tour event as ‘part of the tribe’. However, plans for an OK Women’s line might not be far away.

In an article for Business Fashion website, John Moore revealed plans to debut a womenswear, line for the US resort season and that it will be more closely aligned with high fashion trends.

“With women we are exploring many more categories, more of an emphasis on style and being relevant to what’s happening in fashion, whereas with men it’s extremely timeless,” Moore told the Business Fashion magazine.

“I am hesitant to define it as luxury.

I hope we can be more accessible than that. The sweet spot, is anywhere from US$70 to $400 — and we’ll have statement pieces, cashmere pieces, outerwear pieces that will go beyond that,” said Moore.

“There is a huge part of the surfing community that has evolved over the past few years and are looking for something like this. Men and women who have grown up with surf brands, but the key is that they’ve

grown up and their interests have evolved.

Everyone dreams of a coastal lifestyle — what that surfing lifestyle represents — but they don’t necessarily want to dress head to toe like a surfer,” added Moore.

According to Simon Krite, Outerknown initially has a ‘focused’ distribution in Australia and can be found at David Jones, The Iconic, Incu, Deus Ex Machina, Flannel Menswear and General Pants.

Notably the only independent surf store still on the company’s website is the Gold Coast’s Alfred’s Apartment and it recently dropped Outerknown.

“We are huge fans of the brand,” Danny Nielsen of Alfred's Apartment told ASB. “But unfortunately the price point didn't quite seem to work in store sitting alongside some of our other brands. In saying that, the brand was still in its early stages and I think it has started to gain a lot more traction here in Australia as the public begin to identify more with it, and their back story. There is every chance we will give it another go in the near future.”

Simon Krite said that The Brandroom have had ongoing discussions with select and targeted stores within surf distribution and says they are taking a long term view of the brand’s position in the market. The unofficial ‘launch’ into the surf market is scheduled for August and includes key pieces at competitive price points.

The temptations to compare Outerknown with Patagonia are obvious. Patagonia has a long history in supporting environmental causes, transparency in supply chain and is uncompromising in the quality of its products. Patagonia products are generally at the top end, highest price point in surfwear distribution in Australia. When Outerknown first launched the brand copped a fair bit of unfair criticism from surfers alarmed at its prices.

However, Slater says that level of sustainability comes at a price. "We created Outerknown to smash the formula. To lift the lid on the traditional supply chain and prove you can actually produce great looking menswear in a sustainable way."

Committed to their vision, Outerknown’s Evolution Flight Jacket is made from recycled fishing nets and nylon. The fully reversible bomber features a handy zipped sunglasses pocket on one side, and a navy crane print inspired by Japanese artist Katsushia Hokusai on the other. However, OK’s Evolution Flight Jacket has a RRP of $590.00, almost double the price of the next highest Patagonia’s Nano Puff Hoody at $289.

“We were we one of the first in Australia to offer the brand. But we were happy to give it a go, and see how things evolve after Fiji and look at it again,” said Danny Nielsen.

PATAGONIA AUSTRALIA SAYS HANG OUT WITH YOUR BUBS Patagonia Australia have taken a leaf out of parent company Patagonia Inc’s position on paid maternity leave. According to Dane O’Shanassy, Country Director Australia & New Zealand at Patagonia, as of May 1st, Patagonia will offer 16 weeks full pay for mums, 12 weeks for dads, on top of government benefits. Recently Patagonia Inc. CEO Rose Marcario helped celebrate the grand opening of the new childcare centre. The centre has 24 children, ranging in age from newborns to pre-schoolers, and a staff of six preschool teachers.

“When CEOs talk to me and say, ‘How can I get more women on my board? How can I get more women in management?’

I say start a childcare centre,” she said.

The centre recently expanded from a baby room to a preschool program by moving the company’s 8,000-square foot outlet store to downtown Reno to make more room for childcare.

“100 percent of our new moms return to work,” said Patagonia’s Vice-President for Human Resources Dean Carter. He said that is compared to the national average of about 45 percent.

Patagonia's childcare started in Ventura headquarters. He said the program would grow as the need grows and is modelled after the company’s 34-year-old onsite day care in Ventura, California. The childcare started in 1983 when Patagonia founder Malinda Chouinard brought in a trailer and a babysitter for a co-worker with a new baby.

The program grew and now has 150 children.

“This is an example of how a company can really believe in its core values, which is supporting working families and protecting the environment at the same time,” said U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. She attended the event, saying it was model for other companies.

“I can’t think of a bigger benefit to the atmosphere and culture of a company than by having a day-care centre here," she said.

FORMER UNIT CO-FOUNDER LAUNCHES BRAND CONSULTANCY AND PARADER BRAND. Former Unit Co-Founder Paul Everest has emerged from the shadows of Unit to launch Brand 360 and Parader Brand. Reflecting on the peak of Unit’s traction in the market, Everest said that at that time there had not really been a new player on the scene in terms of 'Large Action Sports Brand' in Australia since Rip Curl, so Unit was a new thing for retailers and for those that took the brand on. Everest refers to his time at Unit as his 'rookie year' in the industry, admitting that Unit was an amazing ride that allowed Everest to see the good and bad in human beings.

9/

INDUSTRY NEWS

“It (Unit) allowed me to see the world.

I learned many important life lessons that you can't teach,” said Everest.

“Having been through the journey of building an internationally-recognised brand from a garage, I intimately know the challenges involved. Through that incredible experience I learned from my many mistakes and successes, which now allows me to help others attempting to do the same thing with Evrst Brand 360 Program.” Slots in the program are sold out until August.

“The term I coined is 'VBP' (Virtual Business Partner) I limit it to three spots per month so that I can maintain a high level of service and communication,” Everest told ASB. “I remember listening to an Audiobook by my favourite business coach Brian Tracy in the very early days of Unit. He says 'write down your goal every single day.' I thought to myself what if I just make all my Internet passwords my goal? - Then I would be writing it at least 5 times per day. So in 2002 I made all my Internet passwords my yearly revenue goal, which was $20million. At that time I think we had $85 in the bank. Eight years later in 2011 (our peak year) our yearly sales hit exactly $19,997.040.20,” Everest told ASB. “This number was no coincidence. I still clearly remember the piercing chorus of 20+ tape guns sealing boxes all day long in the warehouse. It was an amazing moment!”

Reflecting on the time of the collapse Everest said that in 2012 due to the mining industry collapse Unit lost 40% of its sales in one year just as the company was expanding into the USA. “It was an un-recoverable position. We did have a large California-based buyer for Unit lined up in the last hour but the bank was too eager to deploy their vultures and hyenas,” Everest told ASB. “I always say, haters are a great way to know you are doing something right.”

Cofounder and brother Ian Everest works in Brisbane managing a wholesale fabric business. However, Paul Everest’s current focus is on creating a digital fulfilment apparel company in South East Asia.

Currently only in its second year the company is seeing consistent 15%growth per month.

“We use $250k Israeli-Made Kornit machines that produce a print quality equal to screen printing. No screen set-up fees, no minimum quantities, and no delays.

The new machines that are coming out next year can do up to 2500 tees per day,” said Everest.

Everest has partnered with a California based company that can produce a garment: printed, tagged, folded, bagged and sent within two hours of the order being placed.

“If an order comes from anywhere in South East Asia it is fulfilled from our Brisbane Factory. If it is an order from North or South America our California factory fulfils it.

Next year we will have a London-based factory for Europe.”

But Everest hasn't lost sight of where it all began. “We love working with surf stores because their short-run needs are perfect for us. Every surf store should be selling its own vertical brand. It’s an extra 10-15% sales that is low hanging fruit for the store and is also a great marketing tool in itself,” said Everest.

Everest recently launched his new brand, Parader, aimed at a different customer base than Unit. He says it’s growing quicker than Unit ever did. “I love designing t-shirts and building brands it feels great to be back in the game... a bit older and wiser now though.”

Check https://parader.co http://www.evrst.com.au

THE BRAND STABLE ACQUIRES 10/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

BWT ENTERPRISES BWT Enterprises has been acquired by The Brand Stable, the home to global accessory brands; Samantha Wills, Sunday Somewhere, Icon Brand, Chalmers Pyjamas and Happy Socks. BWT and its brands (Flexfit, Starter Black Label and Yea Nice) has experienced significant growth over the last 36 months. It became increasingly obvious 12 months ago that the business needed additional capital to reinvest and support that growth. Following a global search it was identified that the best fit for BWT’s brands was alongside those of The Brand Stable.

The BWT business will be acquired by one of The Brand Stable companies, the Colour of Shade. However, apart from the name retailers will not notice a significant change in the business with several key people moving across with the business including, National Sales Manager - Sean Andrews and General Manager, Taryn Torrie.

The Brand Stable’s General Manager, Dean Grimster said: “BWT is a great fit for the Brand Stable.

We supplied the business with the logistics expertise when they were in their start-up phase 4 years ago. It is pleasing to see what they have achieved in a brief period of time and to be able to support and be a part of the next chapter of the Flexfit, Starter and Yea Nice brands.”

The BWT delivery centre will move to the Brand Stable offices in Ballina and Sydney.

BWT founder Brent Tremain, has started a new chapter in Scottsdale Arizona as part owner and Director of Merchandise for the boutique headwear chain, Hatclub and will remain as a consultant during the transition.

team news INTERNATIONAL SURF POOLS SIGN BARNEY MILLER International Surf Pools announced that Barney Miller will become a brand ambassador.

“Barney is an inspirational athlete and surfer whose passion for life is infectious. Barney encompasses everything we want to see in the world and we look forward to having Barney and his amazing wife Kada Miller onboard for the journey,” International Surf Pools announced via Social Media.

WE ARE FEEL GOOD INK LIZZIE WELBORN We Are Feel Good Inc. welcomed the hottest young thing on the Australian Surf Life Saving scene as an ambassador. At just 18 years of age, Lizzie Welborn is young, driven and a talented professional Surf Iron Woman. At just 16, Lizzie qualified for her first professional series, making her one of the youngest competitors ever to qualify.

OCCY WADES INTO WAVE POOL RACE Former surfing world champion, Mark “Occy” Occhilupo, has announced he is behind Surf Lakes, the company which has developed Australia’s first surf technology and is currently building Australia’s first surf park. When complete, Surf Lakes will be the first surf park in the world capable of producing eight separate waves simultaneously. The waves will vary in size and length, allowing for beginners through to experts to surf at the same time. By using concentric waves and multiple point breaks, Surf Lakes is capable of producing more

waves per hour than Wavegarden’s Cove or Kelly Slater’s wave pool (2,400 vs 1,000 vs 15 respectively), while also offering a variety of waves from hollow barrels, to gentle beginner waves.

Occy has joined Surf Lakes as its Surf Industry Advisor, providing valuable input into wave design. He is also designing his own break, called “Occy’s Peak”, a barrelling left hander that will be 2.4 metres face height (eight feet) and run for about 60 metres.

The 1999 World Champion and former Pipeline Master said: “Being able to design the perfect wave, then catch it over and over again, is every surfer’s dream, which contrasts with the ocean where the perfect wave is rare.

“What’s even more exciting is that it provides fun for the entire family and I am looking forward to bringing mine to the Surf Lake and seeing the kids surf different waves at the same time,” said Occhilupo.

This is the first dedicated surf park to commence construction in Australia.

Initially it will be used as a demonstration site as the company intends to license its technology around the world to theme parks, resorts and property developers.

According to Surf Lakes founder and CEO, Aaron Trevis, the goal is to make surfing more accessible, bring it to the masses and to people who currently don’t have access to the ocean or waves.

“While surfing is a popular sport in Australia, 99.5 per cent of the world’s population have never surfed, which is why we believe there is a significant opportunity for the Surf Lakes technology,” Mr Trevis said.

“Surfing is a significant part of our culture and we believe Surf Lakes will provide many opportunities for surf schools, elite training or just for leisure, and with surfing now an Olympic sport, we believe it will be beneficial to national teams for training purposes or even the actual competition,” Mr Trevis said.

Completion is scheduled for late 2017 and when finished it will have the same water volume of approximately 20 Olympic swimming pools.

Its Board and a group of Australian investors back Surf Lakes. Surf Lakes is currently raising the final round of capital to complete construction and launch the product to the global market.

Axstra Capital is managing the capital raise - more information can be found at: www.surf-lakes.com.au

retail news THE 2017 SBIA SURF INDUSTRY AWARDS Thirty-one awards were up for grabs at the 2017 SBIA Awards held at the Crowne Plaza in Coogee, Sydney. Special guests and former World Champions Mark Occhilupo, Tom Carroll and Joel Parkinson were on hand to present the trophies to the top-performing member brands and retailers.

A key highlight of the night was the prestigious Service to the Industry Award that went to Rip Curl’s legendary John ‘Sparrow’ Pyburne, who has designed the company’s wetsuits since 1969. The ASB Sales Office of the Year also went to Rip Curl.

RVCA won Men’s Brand of the Year, while Billabong took out Ladies Brand of the Year and both the Men’s and Ladies Marketing Campaigns of the Year. Otis’ ‘Young Blood’ model won Sunglass of the Year for the second year running. Afends won the Breakout Brand Award, while Havaianas again won Footwear Brand of the Year.

Rip Curl was the big winner in the product awards, with its 4/3 Chest Zip Flashbomb once again winning Wetsuit of the Year, and its Mirage MF Focus 21 taking home Boardshort of the Year. The Rip Curl team was called to the stage once again after being awarded the Swimwear of the Year trophy.

11-time World Champion Kelly Slater’s company Slater Designs won Surfboard of the Year (for their Sci-Fi model) and Product Innovation Award for the reengineered Algae bloom traction pad.

Major retailer awards went to Saltwater Wine and Stormriders won National Retailer of the Year for an incredible third year running, while also taking out NSW Retailer of the Year. Sanbah (Merewether, NSW) won a new award for 2017, Breakout Retail of the Year, and also picked up the Core Board Store of the Year. Rounding out the Retail Awards were Beaches Apparel (SA), BeachBeat (QLD), Strapper Surf & Blunt Skateboarding in (VIC/TAS) and Hillzeez (WA).

The Surfrider Foundation presented Patagonia with the Environmental Award, while also auctioning off images from internationally-renowned photographer Ray Collins to raise funds for its environmental projects.

The 2017 Australian Surf Industry Awards were sponsored by Tyro (Retail Awards), Brandscope (Retail Awards), Davidsons Business Advisors (Environment Award), Australian Surf Business magazine (Service Awards), Coastalwatch and Surfing World (Brand Awards), POPAI (Marketing Awards), Stryker Media and Surfing Australia.

For full results see the complimentary ad in ASB and accompanying event photos and features.

MOB STORE CLOSES DOOR After two short years Blake and Lauren Johnston have closed the doors on Mob Store. MOB or Members Of the Board was the first new surf shop for 20 years in Cronulla.

“The end of an adventure. Thanks to everyone who showed us support over the past two years and a massive thanks to my best friend and wife (Lauren) for everything she has done. It's time to put 100% into CSA and coaching the next generation of groms,” Blake Johnston announced via social media.

MOB’s shop was located in the same building as what was possibly Cronulla's first surf shop, in 1965. The Johnston name is an integral part of Cronulla's surfing history with Blake's dad Wayne working in the industry in the 1970s.

However, Blake Johnston says there are still plans to continue a small ‘store’ at Cronulla Surfing Academy at Wanda Beach. CSA has over 30 demonstration boards to try before you buy with coaches available to offer an experienced view.

Johnston told ASB that highlights of the two years at MOB included the Cronulla Big Wave Awards and The Mob Store Charity Tag Team, which as part of Surf Retrospect last year raised $5000 for Headspace.

Johnston plans to continue those events at CSA. Other highlights include finding employment for his team of coaches including current WSL number 7, Connor O’Leary.

PRIMITIVE SURF CLOSES After 22 years and producing over 8000 surfboards, Primitive Surf in Brisbane is calling it a day. Craig Rees made the announcement via social media and through a heartfelt YouTube clip that’s been viewed 14,000 times. An emotional outpouring of support also followed with 508 likes and 279 comments and 86 shares. Rees told ASB that throughout the journey it’s been 99% good times but 1% bad times.

INDUSTRY NEWS

“Under instruction from the bank, a poor summer of waves and sales, we are shutting the doors,” said Rees.

“Surfing is an iconic and international sport with a bevy of surfing stars calling the Gold Coast home. It is a sport that is symbolic of the Gold Coast and very much a part of our culture,” the GOLDOC rep told ASB.

“When we started we had Town and Country as our number one board brand and Bad Boy and Bad Girl as our number one brands,” admitted Rees. “A lot has changed.”

However, GOLDOC has announced that Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) members will be involved in a range of initiatives supporting next year’s Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018).

“We’ve worked with some of the best companies in the world such as Quiksilver, Billabong, Rip Curl, O’Neill and Patagonia.

Special shout to all the reps we’ve dealt with over the years - they know who they are.”

GOLDOC Chairman, Peter Beattie AC said the announcement is a result of an ongoing and extensive community engagement program that has been implemented to support the planning and preparation for Festival 2018 - the arts and culture program and GC2018 ceremonies.

MT WOODGEE CLOSES BURLEIGH STORE Mt Woodgee Surfboards in Burleigh Heads announced it has closed after 35 years.

However, Mt Woodgee will still operate out of its Currumbin Store, where the company began 42 years ago.

THE ICONIC ’90S POP-UP STORE. The Iconic launched their first shoppable pop-up installation experience, The Iconic 90s Pop Up at Corner of Oxford and Crown Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney. The store celebrates the ’90s through music, video games and of course, shopping from a range of ’90s-inspired lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories. Participating brands include Adidas Originals, Nike, Fila, Ellesse, Champion Life, Champion, Le Coq, Puma, Wood Wood, Levis, Nautica, New Balance, CK and more.

Sydney event company Uncommon teamed up with The Iconic to advertise, promote and drive attendance to their three-day ’90s Pop Up store, utilising a combination of outdoor pole posters, chalk stencils and brand ambassadors. All services continued throughout the weekend for maximum exposure within a local 3-5km radius of the event location.

According to Steph Wong, National Sales Manager for Uncommon, 1,000 pole posters were printed and distributed over four days, allowing for top-up runs, 75 A2-sized stencil impressions were applied to the major pedestrian streets and thoroughfares neighbouring the store over three bursts. 16 brand ambassador staff hours were executed distributing over 7,500 event flyers + gift vouchers.

In Brief: City Beach opened a brand new store at Erina Fair Shopping Centre in NSW.

association news THE GIANT SHADOW OF MIDGET 1964 World Surfing Champion and Hall of Fame Inductee the legendary Bernard ‘Midget’ Farrelly (1944 - 2016) was posthumously awarded an AM (Member of the general division of the Order of Australia) for significant service to surfing as a competitor and industry pioneer.

Midget put Australia firmly on the surfing map when he won two major international surfing events in the early 1960s including the first World surfing titles in May 1964.

Fifty-three years later, the Australian National Maritime Museum has paid homage to Farrelly with a special exhibit featuring his trophies. The display features the carved timber trophy of a surfing warrior from the Makaha championships and the impressive silver-plated world globe trophy from the senior men’s title won at the 1964 Manly World Championships.

The display also features photos of Farrelly taken by Jack Eden, photographer for the popular Surfabout magazine in the 1960s.

The selection is part of a recent collection 12/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

Out of Hawaii – King of the Surf National Maritime Museum.

of 100 of Jack Eden’s surf culture photographs gifted to the museum

by Jack and Dawn Eden.

Kevin Sumption, director of the Australian National Maritime Museum said, “We are delighted that the museum can celebrate the life of one of our sporting greats, as well as a significant time in our surfing and maritime history, by presenting this display.

Our sincere thanks go to the Farrelly and Eden families for their generous gifts to the National Maritime Collection.”

A spokesperson for the Farrelly family said “We are pleased that by gifting the items to the museum and to the National Maritime Collection Bernard ‘Midget’ Farrelly’s memory and achievements will live on and be shared with future generations and the thousands of visitors who visit the museum each year.”

‘Out of Hawaii – King of the Surf ’ is now on display and is part of the museum’s free galleries. The Australian National Maritime Museum, in Darling Harbour, is open from 9.30am to 5pm daily.

Visit www.anmm.gov.au.

AUSTRALIA FINISHES 12TH AT 2017 ISA WORLD SURFING GAMES In a historic week of competition at the 2017 ISA World Surfing Games (WSG’s) in Biarritz, France, the last open WSGs in the pre- Tokyo 2020 Olympics cycle, host nation France has won the overall Teams title, the Aloha Cup as well as individual gold to Pauline Ado and silver to Joan Duru. The Australian team finished a disappointing overall 12th place. There would be no podium for any of its team members.

Olympic host Japan finished in 5th place and the result means Australia will have three short years to rebuild for Tokyo.

The 2017 edition of the WSGs will go down in the record books. Mexico's 18-year-old prodigy Jhony Corzo earned the Gold Medal in the Open Men's Division, the first-ever individual Medal for Team Mexico: it also propelled his team to their first Medal in history with the overall Copper.

Team Portugal earned the Team Silver Medal for an impressive third consecutive year. Team Spain finished their solid run in the event with the Bronze Medal.

ISA President Fernando Aguerre said: "Forty-seven nations came together from around the world to surf in this recordbreaking ISA World Surfing Games for a phenomenal week of surfing and team camaraderie. We are watching the sport grow before our eyes, with excellent surfers coming from all five continents and many new nations joining the international surfing family. In three years' time, we will look back on this moment and remember which Olympians in Tokyo 2020 competed in this edition of the event."

SURFRIDER FOUNDATION BAN THE BAG It's been a busy month for Surfrider Foundation, as the organisation works to #BantheBag across Australia, and fights against inappropriate development at South Straddie and Bells Beach amongst its other ongoing environmental efforts. The organsiation has launched its annual taxdeductible fundraiser appeal to all Australian like-minded businesses.

“The end of the financial year is an important time for our fundraising efforts and will help us to launch our new campaigns and continue to be a strong voice for Australia's coastline,” said Alyssa Moore, Operations Manager for Surfrider Foundation.

SURFING NOT (YET) ON THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES AGENDA. With less than three years until the very first Olympic surfing champion will be crowned, organisers for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast have no clear intention to include surfing, despite the mascot for the Games being a surfing Koala and 3 times World Surfing Champion, Mick Fanning donating items for fundraising efforts.

According to a spokesperson for the 2018 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (GOLDOC), the sports program for the Tokyo 2020 Games is managed by the International Olympic Committee, which is separate to the Commonwealth Games Federation, which manages the sports program for the Commonwealth Games. As these organisations are separate, the sports programs often differ on the sports available at each Games.

However, despite surfing’s iconic status, the program for the 2018 Commonwealth Games does not feature surfing on the arts and cultural events calendar. The honour has gone to Surf Lifesaving Queensland.

However, the spokesperson for GOLDOC told ASB that the arts and cultural program hasn’t been finalised and more information will be available later this year.

“We are keen to see surfing showcased during the Commonwealth Games in April 2018 with potential for it to be a part of the arts and culture festival,” said the GOLDOC spokesperson. ”It would be great to include an opportunity for visitors from across the Commonwealth to enjoy and experience a sport that Australians embrace and excel at on the world sporting stage. ”GOLDOC, World Surfing (WSL), Surfing Australia and the City have had preliminary discussions to determine what the opportunities may be.

“Our iconic surf life savers will continue their work during GC2018 to keep everyone safe, however they will also play an important role in elements of Festival 2018 and ceremonies and in welcoming athletes, officials and visitors from 70 nations and territories of the Commonwealth.

“SLSQ is part of the fabric of our communities and I am delighted that they will be involved in GC2018 and that extensive member training has already been initiated to prepare for the increase in visitation to the region.”

Surf Life Saving Queensland CEO John Brennan OAM said the involvement of SLSQ members in opportunities with GC2018 was very exciting. “Being a part of one of the world’s greatest sporting events presents a unique opportunity for the organisation and will certainly reinforce the role we play in educating the public about beach safety.

“Surf life savers are synonymous with Queensland so to see our members be a part of GC2018 as it is showcased on the world stage will be a once in a lifetime and extremely memorable experience for us all,” Mr Brennan said.

GOLDOC CEO Mark Peters said that the GC2018 arts and culture team had has been working with Ceremonies Production Company, Jack Morton Worldwide, and the Festival 2018 Creative Lead, Circa Contemporary Circus for over 18 months conducting extensive community consultation with a variety of stakeholders.

“The consultation to date has involved well over two thousand individuals and organisations, from community and indigenous groups, to local and regional arts practitioners and creative organisations across Queensland,” said Mr Peters.

on the move SPY DISTRIBUTION TO SPORTRADE From July 1st, Sportrade will distribute SPY Optics. According to Highlite’s Managing Director Kevin Wadham, Sportrade have a long history in action sports, being one of Australia’s largest snow sports wholesalers.

Former Highlite Sales and Marketing Manager Aek Fisher will continue in that role for Sportrade.

After 40 years in the action sports, import-wholesaling business Kevin Wadham is retiring.

“The plan is for me to spend more time with family which has recently expanded to include two grandchildren, and of course more surfing and snowboarding,” Wadham told ASB. “I want to thank (ASB) for your support over many of those years. I have really enjoyed doing business with like-minded people who love and participate in action sports and I feel blessed to have worked in the sports industry.”

ANDREW CURRIE JOINS LUSH PRODUCTIONS

NSP: A SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE SURF INDUSTRY

Andrew Currie will be joining the team at Lush Productions in the new full time role of National Skate Marketing and Sales Manager. Curry is one of the most respected professional skateboarders in Australia and comes to us with a wealth of experience including being an accomplished magazine publisher, photographer, brand owner, skate team manager and event manager. Curry will start at Lush this month and will travel immediately to the USA for Agenda and then to Santa Cruz for formal introductions to the relative stakeholders across each brand of the Lush Productions stable of brands.

Committed to creating a socially responsible surf industry, NSP has released details of its third annual Sustainability Development report from their manufacturing partner Cobra International. The SD report is part of Cobra’s commitment to all stakeholders in disclosing the company’s key activities throughout the past year.

BILLABONG APPOINTS NORDSTROM EXEC AS CFO Billabong has appointed Jim Howell, a former-Nordstrom executive, as its chief financial officer, replacing Peter Myers who has served in the role since January 2013.

Howell has led the finance and treasury division at Nordstrom in the United States for the past ten years.

Howell oversaw significant cost management improvements, capital management and growth initiatives at Nordstrom and played a key role in the implementation of its omnichannel retailing strategy.

“Peter has played a pivotal role in steering Billabong through a complex and challenging period, including a significant streamlining of our portfolio of businesses and our operating structures. Following this period of restructuring, the focus is now even more concentrated on improving the operational performance of the business. In anticipation of this Peter and I have been planning for his succession for some time, and we believe the time is right to make a change to ensure that this next phase of Billabong’s transformation enjoys increasing operational oversight from the Group CFO,” said Billabong Chief Executive Officer, Neil Fiske.

GREG HEALY TO RETURN TO BOARDRIDERS IN AUSTRALIA. Boardriders, Inc announced that Nate Smith has been appointed President of the Americas region. Current Global President and Americas leader, Greg Healy, will return to Australia to lead the APAC region.

Pierre Agnes, Chief Executive Officer of Boardriders said: “We continue to make significant progress in our turnaround program, and the Company is in a fundamentally different place today than it was when Greg moved to the U.S. two years ago. Greg made a huge sacrifice to uproot his family from Australia and move during a time of turmoil for the Company.

His leadership was critical to stabilizing the business and returning it to growth. I cannot thank my trusted partner enough for his efforts over this period.”

"I’d like to thank the entire Americas team for their hard work and support. The future is exciting and I’m looking forward to returning to the APAC region and further building on our success," said Greg Healy.

In other news at Boardriders APAC, former Marketing Manager Jake Mannix is leaving the company

The company has long had a 'zero-discharge' waste management program for wastewater.

Each day the company treats and reuses 74,700 cubic meters of waste water: 40% is used to water green areas, including the company's Amata Spring Country Club golf course; 30% is used at on-site power generating facilities operated by the jointventure Amata B. Grimm Power Company; and 30% is recycled to be used as part of the regular water supply.

Fin for a Fin launches on crowdfunding site Indiegogo.

BRIXTON (NSW) TO NEXT LEVEL AGENCIES. Brixton announced that Next Level Agencies’ Justin McMahon will represent the brand in NSW. Sea Creature Agencies, who represented Brixton over the past five years, have decided to take a life change and explore other opportunities.

“Justin comes with 12 years of experience in the action sports and lifestyle industries.

Next Level Agencies will be looking after the area from Port Macquarie to Merimbula and the West of the state. He understands the ever-changing landscape we play in and will be upholding Brixton’s high service of excellence with passion,” said Brixton Brand Manager Mark Nelmes.

“We are excited to have Justin onboard; he has been a lover of the brand from the start, knows what we are about and is ready to continue moving the brand in a forward direction with you for years to come.”

Contact: Next Level Agencies Justin McMahon nxtlevelagencies@gmail.com or 0488 077 313

STEVE KAY BACK AT RIP CURL “Rip Curl is pleased to welcome back Stephen Kay who has been brought back in the position of General Manager of International. In this role Steve is responsible for overseeing our developing international markets, including both export and licensed regions, a role that was previously held by Mick Flynn,” said Rip Curl Group CEO Michael Daly.

CHANGES AGAIN AT SBIA BOARD The SBIA Board has welcomed Neil Ritchie of Alto Sports as the newest retailer representative and Jo Branch the Australasian Brand Manager of Quiksilver / Roxy / DC as the newest brand representative.

“The amount of knowledge and experience of the surf and boardsport industry that both Jo and Neil bring to the SBIA board is truly exciting,” said SBIA’s Executive Officer Dylan Beach.

“I will be bringing positivity to the table as I believe the surf and board sports industry has growth potential for those who are willing to change and improve what they are doing. We have bottlenecks in our company created by suppliers: they may look trivial but they are very time-consuming. I want to tackle these issues, as most retailers will be seeing the same problems. As a unified team, the suppliers will be able to see that small changes can make a big difference to all retailers. If we can reduce the bottlenecks we can spend more time running the business and making money,” said Neil Ritchie.

“I feel I can add value and I hope to make positive contribution, bring a point of view

not yet offered with the board discussions.

I come with my own experience working in a wholesale business that includes tribranded working relationships, working across multiple sales channels, working with global vs regional inputs and having experienced significant structural shifts over the years, not dissimilar to many brands and businesses. I can also offer a fresh perspective on the women’s business specifically, which is a huge contributor to the overall success of the industry. I hope to proudly continue to represent a female voice,” said Jo Branch.

AND IN BRIEF, Hannah Maher is the new Group Brand / Marketing Strategist at Lush Productions.

environment news WORLD FIRST TO UNITE SURFERS AND SHARKS A new Australian initiative aiming to promote the coexistence of surfers and sharks is hitting Australian and international shores. Fin For A Fin is a speciallydesigned range of surfboard fins aiming to transform the eye for-an-eye mentality that sees the protection of humans at the cost of sharks’ lives through drum lines, nets and mass culling. By attaching the Fin For A Fin surf fin to their board, in the event of a shark attack the fin signals to authorities the surfer’s wishes not to kill the shark in retaliation. The concept has attracted worldwide interest, including from internationally-renowned photographer and surfer Mike Coots, who was attacked while surfing as an 18-year-old.

“Shark incidents can evoke vengeful responses from family, friends, communities and governments. As a surfer, I understand I’m entering a shark’s natural environment, and we need to coexist,” said Mike Coots.

“This fin is my way of voicing my stance.

And that is, if my life is taken, don’t take theirs,” he added.

Fin For A Fin marks the creation of a global community register allowing surfers who purchase a fin to record their wishes. This database gives them a powerful voice in the unfortunate event they can no longer speak for themselves, informing both the next of kin and authorities.

The project has launched on crowdfunding site Indiegogo. Partnering with Torquay brand Glide Fins, the premium custom fibreglass fin design is registered for sale at $160. Profits from the fins go toward protecting both sharks and surfers by funding shark alert network, Dorsal, and shark education and research charity, Tag For Life.

Corporate responsibility is at the heart of NSP’s ethos of Nature, Science and Passion as NSP chooses to only work with like-minded, socially responsible, ethical suppliers. Similarly NSP is committed to fulfilling its own goals of corporate responsibility, highlighted by better utilising sustainable resources.

This has led to the creation of NSP’s patent pending Cocomat Surf and SUP boards, manufactured at Cobra International from locally-sourced coconut husk waste.

NSP has taken this initiative one step further by partnering with the USA based coconut water and beverage brand Harmless Harvests. Using only locally sourced coconuts from Thai farmers certified by “Fair for Life: Social & Fair Trade,” NSP uses the remaining coconut husk waste from Harmless Harvest in the manufacturing of Cocomat boards, ensuring a fully sustainable product. NSP continues to add to this innovation with the development of other bio-based surfboards, and is on track to have 90% of its boards produced at Cobra International using Sicomin Green Poxy bio resins - an epoxy where much of the resin's molecular structure is derived from plant origins.

To achieve its goals for reducing environmental impact, a master plan was developed in 2010 with implementation targeted by 2019 to turn Thailand's industrial estates into 'eco industrial estates'.

With these initiatives, NSP joins Sustainable Surf. In recognition of NSPs commitment to making a significant contribution to sustainable surf manufacturing, over 90% of NSP’s boards will feature Sustainable Surf ’s Ecoboard logo.

marketing news VOLCOM LAUNCHES GLOBAL CAMPAIGN #THISFIRST Volcom launched its global campaign #ThisFirst in Australia and New Zealand.

The campaign aims to find the fifteen most inspiring applicants around the planet who will be paid to do what they love. However, only one lucky applicant from Australia and New Zealand will win $5000 and an all-expenses paid trip to The Volcom Garden in Austin Texas for the grand final party.

Volcom is using social channels in search of just fifteen people who are ready to make their passion their paycheque. Using the hashtag ‘#ThisFirst’ the campaign seeks to find the most inspired and dedicated applicants, who will be offered an opportunity to ditch their day job and focus on the one thing they wish they could do full time.

13/

INDUSTRY NEWS

“This is a really exciting campaign aimed at speaking to a new generation of consumer,” said Luke Bennett, Volcom Sales & Marketing Manager for AUS/NZ. According to Bennett, the primary focus for promotion is with non-endemic media including Pedestrian TV, ‘The Spin Off ’ in New Zealand as well as some of the larger educational websites visited by University students from all around the country.

Social influencers including peoplelike Bali-based Lauren Bullen who has around 1.7m followers on Instagram will herald the campaign.

“We’re working with some new social media influencers outside the ‘boardsports’ realm to help push the message out as well. These people have seriously massive followings so it will be really exciting to have them spruiking about the brand and campaign. All our endemic media partners will be supporting as well,” Bennett told ASB. #ThisFirst is Volcom’s largest global marketing push for the year and will culminate with a consumer-facing ‘brand vision’ edit which will illustrate what Volcom stands for today.

To apply, Volcom is throwing out the traditional job application and replacing it with a simple question, “What do you want to put first in your life?” Video or photo submissions can be uploaded to Instagram, Facebook, or http://vol.cm/thisfirst, with applications accepted through June 21. Over six weeks, their work will be promoted across the brand’s digital channels and featured at a wrap party in September at the Volcom Garden in Austin, Texas.

“We’re challenging everyone to think about what they want to put before their regular job, their responsibilities—whatever is holding them back from pursuing their passion,” said Ryan Immegart, Global Head of Marketing for Volcom. “By paying them to put #ThisFirst, we’re providing that extra push to focus on that one thing they love more than anything else.”

For the launch, Volcom have rolled out a massive multi-channel marketing campaign encouraging people to live #ThisFirst, including a launch video the brand produced with rapper Fat Tony, as a call-to-action for applications.

More information: http://www.volcom.com.au

media news

There was such a high demand that lines stretched out surf shop doors. The surfers of the day – Phil Edwards, Dewey Weber and Miki Dora – made the early issues a success, Severson said.

Severson sold “Surfer” in 1972 and moved with his wife and two daughters to Maui, where he resumed his passionate pursuit of photography and painting. In 2014, Severson released a book called “Surf.” In 2011 Severson was awarded the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the Surfer Poll.

He was inducted into San Clemente’s Sports Wall of Fame in 2015.

e-tail news SURFSTITCH UNDER SIEGE FROM FORMER SUITOR Former SurfStitch suitor and partner Crown Financial has turned up the heat on the beleaguered SurfStitch. Last month, Crown managing director Kim Sundell sent an open letter to SurfStitch questioning the board over whether the company was solvent, its decision to suspend its shares, the status of an investigation by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, class action legal claims against the group and the progress of restructuring, including asset sales. Crown has also called for an extraordinary general meeting to vote on the removal of SurfStitch chairman Sam Weiss.

Crown Financial, which has a more than a five per cent stake in Surf Stitch, has sent the company a notice of requisition to hold the shareholder meeting.

"As a substantial shareholder in SurfStitch, Crown is deeply concerned by the recent suspension of trading and the uncertainty of SurfStitch's ongoing viability," said Mr Sundell in an open letter to the SurfStitch board.

"Crown is also deeply concerned that SurfStitch has been and continues to be operated in a manner which is contrary to the best interests of the company and its shareholders," he said.

"SurfStitch is in a precarious position and disclosure to the market to date has been superficial at best."

Mr Sundell has been trying to convince the company to settle a legal action against Crown and its Coastalcoms division over a failed content deal that contributed to SurfStitch's massive loss last year.

SURFER MAGAZINE FOUNDER JOHN SEVERSON DIES AT 83

"The legal process is grinding on and we have only just got to discovery phase," Mr Sundell told The Australian Financial Review.

The surf world is mourning the father of modern surf media, John Severson, an influential filmmaker and Surfer magazine creator who died in his sleep on Friday, May 26. He was 83.

"We don't think they have any real defence and it is a waste of shareholders' money, something the directors don't seem to care about as none of them own any shares," he said.

Severson spent his early years in San Clemente and fell in love with the culture while spending his youth riding waves off Orange County’s coast. It was in Hawaii that Severson made his first film, called “Surf.”

He went on to make other films including “Surf Safari” and “Big Wednesday.” He started what he called “a little project called Surfer Magazine.”

News reports suggest that the class action claims will be settled, simply because that’s what history indicates. No securities class action has ever come to judgment. Almost two decades since Australia's first securities class action lawsuit – against insurer GIO for advising shareholders to knock back an AMP takeover offer that may have doubled returns – none of the more than fifty claims brought have made it to judgment.

He designed a 36-page magazine composed of surf photos, cartoons, sketches, and more to advertise the release of “Surf Fever” in 1960. He would call it “The Surfer,” becoming the “Surfer Quarterly” in 1961.

14/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

And the earlier it happens, the less a company pays.

SurfStitch's new board, led by chairman Sam Weiss and chief executive Mike Sonand, are trying to correct the mistakes of the past management and board, but have faced multiple allegations from their once suitor and partner.

In the claims and counterclaims filed in the District Court of Queensland last year, SurfStitch alleged that Mr Sundell's companies "were knowingly involved in, and knowingly assisted, certain alleged breaches of statutory and fiduciary duties

by Mr Justin Cameron, the former CEO of the SurfStitch Group."

The allegations were made as part of SurfStitch's defence of a $15 million claim brought by Mr Sundell over the collapse of the failed content agreements. As a result of that collapse, $20.3 million included as revenue in the first half of 2016 had tobe reversed in SurfStitch's full-year accounts, contributing to its $155 million bottom-line loss.

SurfStitch shares – issued at $1 in December 2014 – were trading at 6.8¢ before the shares were suspended last month while the board considered a restructure and the ramifications of a $100 million class action lawsuit, which threatens to dwarf its $18.9 million market capitalisation.

Mr Sundell also proposed a takeover offer for SurfStitch at 20¢ a share last October, but the highly conditional offer was rejected by the board.

"Since that proposal was rejected SurfStitch has issued four profit downgrades and the price of suspended shares is 0.068. Had the proposal been accepted, SurfStitch shareholders would be much better off than they are now," said Mr Sundell.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has also been investigating SurfStitch's original disclosures of the Coastalcoms content agreements and is understood to be reviewing court documents filed as part of SurfStitch's defence of the Coastalcoms claim.

Source: AFR

technology news LIVE HEATS GOES LIVE Former Sunshine Coast surfer Chris Friend and partners have launched a revolutionary way to manage scoring at any surfing competition called LiveHeats. Friend competed at a young age in North Shore Boardriders and was sponsored by Volcom throughout his career. Friend made the Australian Junior Team and surfed in three ISA World Junior Championships; gaining 2nd in the Under 18 World Titles in Portugal to WSL surfer, Brazilian Jadson Andre as well as making podium finishes in WSL events.

In 2012 Friend started a Bachelor of Commerce/Economics degree at Sydney University and wound up getting a graduate job in a management consulting firm.

However at a local Bondi Boardriders event he met a software engineer and keen surfer who was bemused by the chaotic way grassroots comps were run, mostly manually tabulated and results handwritten onto a whiteboard.

Soon after the pair developed and began trialling software to simplify the way the events were run and tested the beta version of Live Heats with local clubs.

“Fast forward to where we are today, and the system handles everything from online entry and payment, through to seed-listing, an automated heat draw builder, drag and drop scheduling, through to live scoring with scores visible on any device, automated progression, dynamic formats (including repechage and double banking), competitor dashboards, and automated leader boards,” said Friend.

“We now have over 25 board riders clubs in Australia and New Zealand using the tool to run their monthly comps, plus associations such as Surfing Victoria, Surfing Canada, SUP South Africa, Western Province Surfing, eThekwini Bodyboarding and Sol Surf Series in Nicaragua, who have used it for major events. We are in an exciting period of growth, approaching close to 10,000 monthly users around the world.”

Clubs pay a fee of $99 per competition day in their calendar. For associations and sponsored competitions, there are a few pricing options for a per day fee depending on the size and scale of the event.

“As we grow our user base of core surfers and their friends and family, we think there'll be other commercial opportunities to work with brands and local businesses who are keen to reach these potential customers and also contribute and align their brand to the development of the sport at all levels,” said Friend.

"I can honestly say this has changed the way we at Bondi Boardriders run and enjoy the day. Live Heats has made a huge impact in getting our young kids ready and more familiar with professional contests. Plus, our man-groms love checking out the live scores and past heat results," said Ian Wallace, President at Bondi Boardriders.

“Our software is now suited to all levels of events, be it super grassroots, through to international multi-day events. In the long term, our goal is to have our software powering top tier World Tour events across Surfing, Bodyboarding, SUP, and Longboarding,” said Friend.

More information https://www.liveheats.com

sponsorship news RIP CURL GROMSEARCH SET TO RAISE THE BAR FOR ANOTHER NATIONAL SERIES From September 23 Australian beaches will host the cream of the crop in junior surfing, as the 2017/18 Rip Curl GromSearch Series presented by Flight Centre gets underway.

The prestigious national series will feature five stops in the key surfing regions of Jan Juc (VIC), Maroubra (NSW), Trigg / Scarborough (WA), Yorke Peninsula (SA) and the Sunshine Coast (QLD).

Professional surfer and current WSL world number one Matt Wilkinson commented “I loved the GromSearch series as a kid.

Travelling to different places, meeting new crew and having a good time on your holidays is what every grom wants to do. Then throw in the chance to surf the National final to try and represent Australia… it’s unreal!"

With parallel Rip Curl GromSearch Series in over ten countries, it has become a crucial stepping-stone in the development of junior surfers. The list of previous GromSearch winners illustrates the prestigious history of the series, with World Surf League (WSL) competitors Gabriel Medina (Brazil), Tyler Wright (Australia), Owen Wright (Australia), Matt Wilkinson (Australia), Jordy Smith (South Africa), Kolohe Andino (USA) and Sally Fitzgibbons (Australia) among the list of former competitors and GromSearch International Final Champions.

Working in conjunction with Surfing Australia, the Rip Curl GromSearch includes divisions in 16-and-under, 14-and-under and 12-and-under, for both boys and girls.

The 2017 Rip Curl GromSearch Series is presented by Flight Centre.

! s n o i t a l u Congrat

OVERSEAS NEWS

u.s. news STATE OF SURF 2017 FIRST QUARTER REPORT & EVENT TransWorld Business released its first quarter of our 2017 State Of Surf (SOS) report. The 2017 report is the first of four that will be available in quarterly downloads this year, making it easier to digest key takeaways. To kick it off, SOS will focus on untapped existing opportunities within the youth market.

“It’s no secret that every aspirational surf brand and retailer is trying to reach the youth demographic. Today’s 13 to 25-yearolds are the ones shaping future trends, and they will be the leaders who step in to create the future of the surf community and run the businesses that drive it forward,” said Transworld Business' Kailee Bradstreet.

“This year, we've partnered with youth research agency Label Networks to create timely and relevant data so businesses can plug into the best practices, retail trends, and consumer habits of those who live, breathe and aspire to be a part of the surf and beach culture.”

Transworld hosted an event that ties into some of the data's key takeaways. The SOS launch event featured panel discussions, case studies, and a keynote presentation from Iva Pawling of Richer Poorer.

For more information or to register, visit www.grindtv.com/transworld-business/ state-of-surf-2017-first-quarter/

SURFSTITCH EXITS US BUSINESS SurfStitch is pulling the plug on its lossmaking US operations in an attempt to deliver on its promise to return to profit in 2018. While trading has been particularly poor in Britain, SurfStitch has decided to close its operations in North America to preserve cash.

According to a report in the AFR, SurfStitch’s North American business was losing money, despite major restructuring last year, while the Australasian and British businesses were close to break even.

After recently moving its Australian e-commerce business onto a new platform, SurfStitch now plans to run the North American business from Australia, transferring management of the SWELL e-commerce platform by January 2018.

"Although considerable progress has been made in arresting losses in North America, the region will continue to be unprofitable for the foreseeable future and so we have made the difficult decision to close our US operating infrastructure," said CEO Mike Sonand.

OPSVEDA POWERS TRANSFORMATION AT BOARDRIDERS OpsVeda, the SaaS provider of Operational Intelligence solutions, announced that Boardriders Inc., is live on the OpsVeda platform. The platform enables quick realization of the plans the company management has laid out for its turnaround.

OpsVeda clients use the real-time platform for early identification of operational opportunities and risks. This visibility allows them to capture a portion of the typical 10-20% of revenue and margins left on the table due to inefficiencies like out-of-stock, allocation challenges, fill-rate penalties or missed shipments.

16/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

"OpsVeda is a great partner. They are committed to our industry, and are bringing cutting edge capability with predictive visibility into sales operations and supply chain," said Nicolas Foulet, Global CIO, Head of e-Commerce and Digital Marketing at Boardriders Inc.

He organized several contests and put the 1976 Florida Pro on the world tour schedule.

Dick Catri coached aspiring pro surfers, including Kelly Slater and Todd Holland, lobbied for surf-designated areas, and competed in several events.

“It took 25 minutes before the first fire crew arrived. All we could do is watch this fire from a distance take the whole factory down along with surrounding buildings. It was so sad to see the tears of the owners and staff who have put 40+ years of their heart and souls into this business.

Boardriders plans to expand use of OpsVeda platform to its Europe and Asia Pacific operations. Deployment to additional processes like new product introduction, sourcing, manufacturing and retail management is also being evaluated.

LARGEST SURF PARK IN THE WORLD OPENS IN TEXAS FOR 2017 SEASON

“Fire is no joke, and I encourage everyone to take all fire preventions and drills seriously at your home, work place, and places of leisure.

This was just my 3rd trip to work here and I already considered Pukas Surf family and amongst the nicest people I've ever worked with. The Pukas Surf crew is tough as nails and they'll be back in the line-up soon, stronger than ever... Life is precious, and business is just only business.”

BETHANY HAMILTON IS THE WATERMAN OF THE YEAR 2017 The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) awarded Bethany Hamilton with the prestigious Waterman of the Year award for her inspirational work in the surfing community.

"And while those words are all fitting, Bethany is so much more than that to the surf industry because there are very few who epitomize what it means to be a surfer like she does. Bethany continues to be a role model for surfers everywhere, and we are excited to honour her as this year's Waterman of the Year," said Kelly Gibson, president of SIMA. SIMA will also honour Cyrill Gutsch (Parley For The Oceans) as Environmentalist of the Year, and Herbie Fletcher (Astrodeck) with the Lifetime Achievement Award. SIMA will also present the Special Recognition Award to the International Surfing Association (ISA) for making the Olympic dream a reality.

SIA AGREES TO SELL SNOW SHOW TO EMERALD EXPOSITIONS Emerald Expositions, the parent of Outdoor Retailer, Surf Expo and Interbike, has reached an agreement to acquire the Snow Show from SIA. The merger is positioned to lead to a combined winter trade show.

According to documents obtained by SGB Media, the purchase price for the proposed sale is $16.7 million. The price may be adjusted based on prepaid expenses and cash collected by SIA prior to the sale.

SIA wrote, “A combined show means a more effective platform for our members to do business and a greater return on their tradeshow investment. This also means one less winter tradeshow in an increasingly congested tradeshow landscape.”

Emerald Expositions, which went public earlier this year, operates more than 50 trade shows, including 31 of the top 250 trade shows in the country, as well as numerous other events. In the active-lifestyle space, its shows include Outdoor Retailer, Surf Expo, Interbike, Imprinted Sportswear Shows (ISS) Sports Licensing & Tailgate Show, Sports and Swim Collective and Active Collective Shows.

GODFATHER OF US EAST COAST SURFING DIES AT 79 Floridian surfer and surfboard shaper Dick Catri passed away at his home in Melbourne, Florida, at 79, due to heart complications.

Catri opened the Satellite Beach Surf Shop and later Shagg's Surf Shop on the Cocoa Beach Pier. Catri built a dream team for Hobie Surfboards and was inducted into the International Surfing Hall of Fame in 1966.

His surf business empire was growing and, by 1968, Dick Catri was already shaping and selling his own gear via Catri Surfboards.

In 1972, he was convicted of selling marijuana to an undercover agent and served 13 months in jail. But Catri learned from his mistake and resumed life as a passionate surfer.

North America's first surf park is gearing up for its first summer season. Austin's Nland surf park opened a 14-acre lagoon to the public late last year and now the artificial lagoon is ready to show off its new amenities for 2017, including three distinct wave difficulties for surfers, an updated shoreline and a boogie board section.

PATRICK SWAYZE’S ‘POINT BREAK’ SURFBOARD SOLD FOR $64,000 One Point Break fan might have just paid the ultimate price for a surfboard at auction, shelling out $64,000 for Bodhi’s Spyder surfboard from the late actor’s estate. That price is believed to be the highest price for a surfboard at an auction. The Dennis Jarvisdesigned board was featured in the 1991 cult classic’s night surfing scene. The auction featured two wetsuits the late actor used in the filming or training for the movie, as well as his skydiving gear, and another Spyder surfboard he learned to surf on. Swayze’s full wetsuit fetched a cool $9,375. His short suit, in which “Bodhi” was written in marker on the inside of the neck gasket, netted $8,960.

His training board, another Spyder designed

by Dennis Jarvis, pulled in $7,680, and his skydiving gear went for $4,480.

SKIP FRYE TAKES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Skip Frye was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the San Diego Surf Film Festival in May. Frye has literally changed the progression of surfboard design since the mid-1960s with the creation of the egg shape, as well as 50 years of foiling and refining fin shapes and sizes.

His commitment to moving forward and progressing surfboard and fin design is one of the longest in the history of surfing, and many shapes ridden today have their roots planted in old outlines pioneered by Frye decades ago.

european news PUKAS SURFBOARD FACTORY DESTROYED BY FIRE A large fire broke out at the Pukas Surfboard factory near San Sebastian in the Basque Country last month. Fire fighters battled the fire and managed to extinguish the blaze.

No Pukas staff were reported to be injured.

One of the last to leave the burning factory was Californian shaper Chris Christenson.

“I had just laid the last shape of my day down upstairs at the Pukas Surf factory in Spain and heard fire alarms through the loud noises of operating shaping machines, various stereos,” Christenson said via social media.

“I only had seconds to navigate out of the largest surfboard factory in Europe. Flames were running along the walls and floors rapidly igniting everything in their path, as I was one of the last to get out. It was a miracle that all 30+ of us made it out of the factory just before 100% of the building was engulfed in flames.

The cause of the fire is as yet unknown.

The Basque Country has recently experienced a heatwave with temperatures reaching 37 degrees Celsius.

“Good news is everyone is safe. The fire might have taken a big part of our work and hearts, but we are standing still and willing to grow. Pukas is surf and we will surf,” said Pukas Surf via Instagram.

nz news RAGLAN SURF CO LEGACY CONTINUES IN NEW LOCATION Legendary shaper and Hughes family patriarch Craig Hughes died in 2013 from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and after 25 years of making memories and a livelihood at the Raglan Surf Co Wainui Rd location, the business is moving down the street into a new location, under the direction of Luke and Nat Hughes and families. Luke Hughes says there has been a groundswell of community support, both emotionally and financially, to help secure the new premises.

Craig, an artist and surfboard shaper, was always passionate about ensuring the boards were shaped and finished locally and the current building was the original factory for Hughes surfboards.

Luke has now taken over the role of shaper while Nat runs the shop with help from other family members.

It's an emotional time for the Hughes family as it closes the door to the building where Craig Hughes built a reputation in New Zealand and across the world.

"You could rock up to any surfing town in New Zealand and see a Raglan Surf Co sticker on the back of a car,” Luke Hughes told local papers.

"People from the international surfing community would come in, when they were here for competitions and sit in the back of the factory and just talk. I didn't know who they were, I just thought they had big frizzy hair."

By moving and refreshing the company, Luke believes he is honouring his father, and his heritage. Both of Luke's grandfathers were surfers. His maternal grandfather was Wales' first surfer. His paternal grandfather was a physical education teacher who helped get surfing into the New Zealand curriculum.

In an emotional outpouring on Instagram Hughes wrote; “Finally now, after all the adversity, the pressure, the responsibility, the anxiety, the stress, the tiredness and the tears, can I realise and be proud to say, I achieved my goal… On Saturday, June 17th 2017, I, alongside my family and friends, opened the doors of the new @raglansurfco | #raglansurfco #legacy #since1992”

FEATURE ARTICLE / PHOTOS ADAM WISE

Surf Culture: Andrew ‘Froggy’ Froggatt

18/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

BONDI IS THE WHITE-HOT FOCAL POINT OF ON-TREND LEISURE SPENDING IN AUSTRALIA. IT GIVES ITS FAVOUR TO NEW CONCEPTS, AND WITHDRAWS IT AGAIN, FASTER THAN A FLICKERING FLUORO. BUT THE UNDERLYING MARKET CACHE OF THE PLACE – A HEADY MIX OF SUNSHINE AND URBAN-ORGANIC COOL, HAS DRAWN EVERYONE FROM BACKPACKERS TO BILLIONAIRES FOR DECADES. In a piece on the latest fashion queen to emerge from the fabled strip, Pip Edwards, the SMH recently called Bondi “home to hipsters, hospitality workers, millionaires, yogis and yummy mummies...the principality of pretty people appears to be in a perpetual state of training.” If active wear had a Vatican, it’d be Bondi.

The phases of the place moved slowly at first, from the Eora carving whales into the sandstone, to the white land speculators and the apartment boom of the 1920s (to this day, 70% of Bondi residents live in a flat) to the rise and slow decline of the Pavillion. It’s hard to picture now, but the streets of Bondi were home to struggling migrants and the working classes for much of the twentieth century. But at some indeterminate point, perhaps around the time they strung up the net for the Sydney 2000 Beach Volleyball, Bondi Beach took a permanent turn towards hip.

Bondi Junction, wedged between Centennial Park and the sea, has become a focus of much of this commercial resurgence.

Andrew “Froggy” Froggatt is the owner of Surf Culture at Bondi Junction. He established the business fourteen years ago, but the interesting bit is that he lives on the northern beaches. It’s rare to see the northeners – who are known to be highly parochial about their own version of Hipster Heaven - venture to the south side unless there’s a great opportunity to be seized. And Froggy’s decision to open a board store in Bondi has proven to be a successful one indeed.

Not only were there hardly any board stores on the south side at the time, Westfield were about to reopen one of their best shopping centres in Sydney just down the road.

Froggy’s your classic real board store owner: good surfer, passionate about surfing, passionate about the surf industry and passionate about his business.

How did you get started in the surf industry?

When I was a grommet I used to help out at a shop in Manly called Manly Style and then I started working at Aloha. From there I worked at Beach Culture, two years at Volcom, back to Beach Culture and then I opened my own store in 2003.

How many boards do you carry?

Depending on the time of the year it’s between 650 and 800.

What brands do you carry?

Channel Islands, JS, Firewire, DHD, Lost, Chilli, Stacey… quite a few (laughs).

What’s your best selling brand?

I think the best selling brand is dependent on the model, so the last 12 months has been the DHD DX1 because it’s a userfriendly board; followed closely by the Kelly Slater Firewires which dominated over last summer. The Sci-Fi and the Omni, before that it was the Hypto Krypto but that’s slowed right down.

Most people have had one or two and are now looking for something new just like when a new iPhone comes out.

Are board sales still strong?

The Kelly Slater board was the best released board of all time where we sold out each delivery and you could repeat it. This year so far there isn’t a model yet to replace them but yes, board sales are still strong.

Is that a direct influence from the WSL webcast where they talk a lot about what the surfers are riding?

Yes in a way because of the hype with Kelly Slater buying Firewire and then Stuart Kennedy getting a 5th at the Quiky Pro on the Gold Coast in waves that everyone here can relate to, and he surfed it really well.

Do your customers come into your store asking for a particular brand or model?

They do come in asking for a Hypto or a Sci-Fi or a Black Box and lately a Kelly Slater Firewire. They are pretty educated because of all the content out there but they definitely still need some guidance because they look at all the images and the videos, but they still need to come back to reality with their own ability. Litreage is still a tricky one because guys who have been surfing all their lives can still just put a board under their arm and choose the right board whereas someone new to the sport relies on how many litres so we still need to provide guidance to our customers.

Who is your typical customer?

Because of the area it does vary with age and wealth demographics.

We probably target 25-40 year olds but surfing has got older and we have customers who are 55-60 and still rip. We have customers from all over the world: Hong Kong, Israel, Singapore and the US. They either look at our site online and come through the email channel or have bought from our store, liked our service and have got that much money they don’t mind spending $350 on freight because they were happy with the service we provided.

How many boards do you sell in a year?

(Laughs) Scary question, plenty!

Are trade-ins a big part of your business?

They used to be but with avenues such as E Bay and Gumtree it’s become less. Unless you trade in really low you’re wasting your time because all you’re doing is transferring your financial issue to another board. We only trade in the brands we sell and we are pretty selective. There definitely is a secondhand market and we sell plenty.

19/

“The Kelly Slater board was the best released board of all time where we sold out each delivery and you could repeat it” How do you advertise your store?

What challenges are you dealing with?

I’m fortunate in that my location is a big enough advertising opportunity where word of mouth and the actual position of my store covers it. Instagram is still a big thing, Facebook I feel has died off a little bit but a lot of it is you can’t beat good service. We rely a lot on giving good service and word of mouth. I probably only spend $5000 on advertising per year and only because someone puts something in front of me that looks interesting.

Supporting the local boardrider club helps a little bit where it brings in enough to cover the cost. Word of mouth is definitely the key to our success.

The challenges for a core board store are competing with other stores and having a race to the bottom. Every area has a bad apple and everyone needs to realise we are in this game together and the reason we are in it is to go surfing. I’m fortunate in that I get to spend a lot of time with other retailers on overseas trips and up the coast surf trips and we get to go surfing together and you do realise there is a bond in the core store market. It’s like this, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Everyone has their challenges but to sacrifice a surfboard just to undercut each other is a race to the bottom. We definitely need to address it and we need to be fair and not point the finger at one store.

Are deals still a big part of board buying?

Final comment?

It is a bit but you’re mostly only giving them a block of wax or a grip. I think it goes like this where the high performance customer is a deal based customer and the average guy is a full price paying customer.

I don’t think people jumping into the surfboard game is going to be the answer. I know people think the surfboard guys are doing really well but most of us are doing really well because we are owner-operators and we can run a tight ship, which is the key.

Adding surfboards to their clothing business isn’t going to solve their problems, they need to look at other avenues. I don’t think there are enough surfers out there for the number of core board stores there are and we need to just keep it nice and tight and that’s not to say we don’t need fresh operators - we just need them in the right spots. In Sydney it’s a bit overcrowded where we are all carrying the same brands so you have to rely on giving good service or the lowest price, unfortunately. No matter how loyal you think your customers are, they aren’t. I see my customers in other shops but that doesn’t mean they’re being disloyal, they are allowed to shop in other shops. I buy my coffee from different shops because I’m allowed to.

What is the split in your store between the high performance surfer and the average surfer then?

I would say 25-30% is the high performance guy, 40% is probably the intermediate surfer and the rest would be the entry level surfer. Where I make my money is the entry level then the intermediate then the high performance surfer. Entry level buy softboards, intermediate full price and the hard core guy is a deal breaker. If you concentrate on the hard core guy you make less profit.

In my area there are a lot of restrictions so not only do beginners buy softboards but also surfers from the other categories too.

Even pro surfers who live here for a while realise how good the softboards go these days and the extra options you get to surf them with. Softboards hold their price better too and you usually get full retail. A PU board will have around 25-30% profit whereas a softboard has 40%.

20/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

Become a WSL MerchandiSe Partner

Official Athlete jerseys and WSL branded apparel now available for select retailers.

Explore our WSL merchandise line and order through our own online B2B system, WSLstore.com. Contact WSL Australia to setup a retailer/ wholesale login.

W SL AU STRALIA Au s @ ku d o s u r f .com +61 423 177 968

FEATURE ARTICLE / WORDS ASB

Rip Curl Take Out Coveted Sales ^ Customer Service of the Year Award AS THE COUNTRY'S BEST AND BRIGHTEST GATHERED FOR THE AUSTRALIAN SURF AND BOARDSHORTS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (SBIA)'S ANNUAL AWARDS TO CELEBRATE THE HIGH ACHIEVERS OF AUSTRALIA’S SURF INDUSTRY, ONE COMPANY FOUND THEMSELVES DOMINATING THE PODIUM. Of the thirty-one awards that were up for grabs on the night, Rip Curl walked away with seven.

Top of the pinnacle was ASB Magazine’s sponsored category, the Sales and Customer Service of the Year award that went to the Rip Curl Head Office (Torquay, VIC). Rip Curl’s 2017 SBIA Award wins also included Boardshort of the Year for the Mirage MF Focus 21” (the third consecutive win in this category), Swimwear Brand of the Year, Wetsuit of the Year for the Flashbomb Chest Zip (also the third consecutive category win), NSW Account Manager of the Year for Rip Curl’s Jodie Watson and WA Account Manager of the Year for Rip Curl’s Kerry Whitford. The evening was also made all the more memorable when the tributes started flowing for a man who’s been with Rip Curl since the beginning, John “Sparrow” Pyburne. Sparrow has been the man behind Rip Curl wetsuits since the company first started cutting neoprene back at the Old Bakery circa 1970, and he’s still there to this day. This year he was given the prestigious SBIA Service to the Industry Award, commemorating 45 years of wetsuit innovation at Rip Curl.

22/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

According to Rip Curl Australia and NZ Sales Manager Adam Leslie, the awards haul was made all the more sweeter when they realised they’d taken out the ASB Sales and Customer Service of the Year Award.

“It was a pleasant surprise for all of us present at the awards night, and really, for everyone involved in the company. To accept the award on behalf of our Customer Service Team of Nic, Gary, Paul, Kelly, Sam, Lou, Bek, Liz, Tracey, Sam, Nick, our technician team and all of those that have come before them was an absolute honour. To have our team at Head Office recognised for what can be a tireless and thankless job is very satisfying. I read quite a funny story on Beachgrit about winning this award. It was insinuating that because we also won the Wetsuit of the Year Award and the Boardshort of the Year Award, customer service mustn’t be a very hard job. If only it was that easy, we wouldn’t need a team of dedicated, hard-working staff, would we?“ Leslie joked.

Leslie said the award validates Rip Curl’s emphasis on ensuring the customer is everything. “The customer is one of our core brand values. And whether it is our wholesale customer or a person that walks into a shop to buy our products, we have an intense focus on exceeding all of their expectations. For anyone that has worked in customer service or sales, you’ll know… the job has challenges. Quite often people try to take advantage of situations, of product warranties, of good will – but if you remain focused on trying to exceed their expectations, on finding a result that is fair and reasonable and within guidelines, you’ll end up with a positive outcome for the customer.”

Leslie said customer service was a big part of their team roles, especially as they service both accounts and the public. “We have such a massive range of products for our team to be knowledgeable across, including a broad range technical of products that take time to learn and understand – and on top of this we still operate repair centers here at HQ for all of our wetsuit and watch repairs. Having the repair centres definitely adds complexity to our customer service team roles, but it’s a great service to be able to offer our customers. We actually operate the largest Swiss Standard Watch Service Centre in the Southern Hemisphere.”

“The service from our sales force is also as important as ever. For Kerry (a multiple WA Rep of the Year winner) and Jodie to take out the 2016 gongs in WA and NSW, respectively, along with Travis Ochota placing Runner Up in SA, is a huge success. It’s testimony to the focus our company puts on the customer.”

Leslie also admitted there are real challenges being faced on this side of the business. “It is no secret that we have seen a significant reduction in the amount of accounts in the surf industry over the last 10 years, and we have seen our sales team and customer service teams reduce with this. It calls for these teams to evolve and develop with the needs of the market into the future.”

“The surf retail industry has changed a lot in the last 30 years,” admits Brian Singer

“It’s important to Rip Curl, that we maintain that original feeling of those early days through great customer service. Gary Crothall (Customer Service Manager) is perhaps Rip Curl’s longest serving employee and every day he’s upholding that culture of customer service that was forged on the road all those years ago.”

Rip Curl Co-Founder Brian Singer “It’s important to Rip Curl that we maintain that original feeling of those early days through great customer service. Gary Crothall (Customer Service Manager) is perhaps Rip Curl’s longest serving employee and every day he’s upholding that culture of customer service that was forged on the road, all those years ago. And it continues today with our fantastic Customer Service team here in Torquay,” concluded Singer.

As testament to how well they’ve done on this front, once the awards were announced further recognition for the sales team’s performance started pouring in. One of those singing praises was NSW’s Aquatique, which has had a professional working relationship with Rip Curl for almost three decades. Ness and the team from Aquatique were quick to congratulate Jodie Watson on her award. “Over the years we have had wonderful service from all of Rip Curl reps who have serviced the South Coast of NSW. Through this service we have had the pleasure of working with the lovely Jodie Watson, who began to service our account after our previous fabulous rep left to start her family and Rip Curl NSW had a bit of a reshuffle. We have been working with Jodie now for 2 years now, and knowing that Jodie had a solid history with Rip Curl for 15 years prior we knew we were on a good thing. Jodie really took the time to get to know Aquatique, as people and as a business.

Jodie’s knowledge and attention to detail is outstanding and she continues to make every effort to understand our business and what works for Aquatique. As we all know all account areas are different and it is important that reps are mindful of this as they sell, which Jodie does very well. Jodie’s strong industry awareness combined with her genuine approach to her role makes Jodie the great rep that she is.”

When asked whether an emphasis on customer service wins business when it comes to modern retail, Leslie wholeheartedly agreed. “It’s pretty simple, right? Without the customer there is no business. In knowing that, we have to have a “drop everything” attitude when it comes to servicing our customers – on both wholesale and retail fronts. On the shop floor, you can’t have staff with heads in stock boxes while customers are in the store – they need to be engaging and establishing customers’ needs.

Customers walk into surf stores because, subliminally, they like the smell of wax, the feel of wetsuits, the seduction of surfboards – they want to be associated with, or participate in, what is such an amazing sport and lifestyle.

They want see, touch and try on a great range of products and they want to be serviced by friendly, professional and knowledgeable people.

There are obviously people that enjoy shopping online, and even more people that do their

research this way – those people already know the product they are going to buy, but they come into a shop because they want the personal interaction that comes with spending money in a store.”

Leslie pointed out that this is where having a reputation for good post sales service reenforces the brand’s strength. “People also feel comfortable knowing that if there is an issue with the product they purchased, they can bring it back and have that same friendly and professional experience. If you can do these things well and do them consistently, along with ensuring that the look and feel of your shop offers an enjoyable and aspirational experience, you will be able to build customer loyalty. These strategies should be no surprise to those with bricks and mortar stores that are competing with the online channel. Moving forward, the real challenge for retail will be figuring out an effective, efficient and engaging way to integrate technology into the in-store shopping experience,” Leslie said.

The trophy haul at the SBIA Awards has given Rip Curl a multitude of good reasons to pat themselves on the back. Group & Regional CEO, Michael Daly, acknowledged the Customer Service Team’s achievements with a surprise morning tea. “We have a few other tricks up our sleeve to thank and help celebrate the company’s outstanding performance, and those will come out over the next couple of months – not only for our 3x winning Mick Fanning Boardshort, 3x winning Flashbomb Wetsuit and Swimwear Brand of the Year, but also for Jodie, Kerry and our HQ Customer Service team and their respective awards,” Leslie said.

“In the early days at Rip Curl, I used to love being on the road and the interaction with our customers. They were really important in establishing our relationship with independent retailers, and they are just as meaningful today.”

Rip Curl Founder Brian Singer.

23/

2017 LADIE S BRAND OF T HE YE AR 2017 L A D IES MARKE T ING CAMPAIGN O F T HE YE AR

T H R O W B A C K S O N E P I E C E AVA I L A B L E O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7

ASB MULTI MEDIA METER 2017

THE PRINT MEDIA METER SHOULD BE USED AS A GUIDE ONLY TO SURFERS’ AND BRANDS’ IMPRESSIONS IN THE FOLLOWING MAGAZINES OVER THE SAMPLE PERIOD OF JANUARY THROUGH UNTIL DECEMBER (2017) MAGAZINE COVER DATES. TRACKS MAGAZINE AUSTRALIA’S SURFING LIFE MAGAZINE SURFING WORLD MAGAZINE STAB MAGAZINE

PRINT MEDIA METER

The Pointscore Legend

Surfers Cumulative advertising and editorial impressions using the point score legend opposite.

Advertising & Editorial Ratios Magazines are ranked in order of highest editorial content percentage.

Cover Poster (pull-out) Three-page action gatefold Double page spread Full-page plus column Full-page Half-page Quarter-page Less than Quarter-page

ADVERTISING

MAGAZINES

Brands First past the post. To qualify company logos must be clearly legible to the average person. Corporate advertising bearing more than one company logo earns one impression. Brands accrue one point for every legible impression including all editorial and advertising.

BRANDS

20 points 20 points 15 points 10 points 7 points 5 points 2 points 1.25 points 1 point

ATHLETE

AD

ATHLETE

TOTAL

BRAND

TOTAL

ASB#78

ISSUE PAGES %AD

%ED

1

63.00 277.75 340.75

1

Mick Fanning

63.00

1

Rip Curl

74.00

114

77.05

0.00

2

Monty Tait

50.00

2

Billabong

50.00

Surfing Life (Technique)

Quiksilver

37.00

Tracks

560

132

21.97

78.03

SW

386

126

19.84

80.16

Mick Fanning

2 Craig Anderson

ED

TOTAL

242.50 242.50

21.05

78.95

3 John John Florence 11.00 209.50 220.50

3

Sean Mawson

34.00

3

4 Kelly Slater

4

Albee Layer

32.00

4

Hurley

35.00

5

Channel Island Surfboards

32.00

SW

387

116

22.41

77.59

6

Globe

29.00

STAB

89

178

11.80

88.20

7

O’Neill

28.00

8

Volcom

25.00

9

Red Bull

24.00

10

Monster Energy Drink

22.00

5

Mikey Wright

0.00

174.50 174.50

20.00 122.50 142.50

5

Julian Wilson

30.00

6 Jordy Smith

12.00 130.00 142.00

5

Gabriel Medina

30.00

7

Noa Deane

10.00 128.00 138.00

6

Jack Freestone

26.00

8

Chris 'Chippa' Wilson

2.00

7

Dion Agius

22.00

8

Mikey Wright

20.00

8

Bruce Irons

20.00

11

Reef

21.00

8

Josh Kerr

20.00

12

DHD Surfboards

15.00

8

Soli Bailey

20.00

12

Oakley

15.00

8

Nick Squires

20.00

13

Firewire

14.00

9

Creed McTaggart

18.00

14

Carve

13.00

10

Joel Parkinson

17.00

14

Electric

13.00

11

Jay Davies

15.00

15

Corona

12.00

11

Russell Bierke

15.00

15

Creatures Of Leisure

12.00

11

Matt Banting

15.00

16

RVCA

11.00

17

Ocean & Earth

10.00

17

Vans

10.00

18

XCEL

9.00

131.00 133.00

9 Ozzie Wright

0.00

131.75 131.75

10 Owen Wright

10.00 109.00 119.00

11 Dion Agius

22.00 91.25

12 Bruce Irons

20.00 83.00 103.00

13 Imogen Caldwell

0.00

90.00 90.00

14 Tyler Wright

5.00

84.00 89.00

15 Dane Reynolds

0.00

82.00 82.00

16 Julian Wilson

30.00 50.50 80.50

17 Taj Burrow

0.00

72.50

18 Laird Hamilton

0.00

62.00 62.00

19 Scott Dennis

0.00

61.00

61.00

20 Steph Gilmore

2.00

58.25

60.25

21 Creed McTaggart

18.00 41.00

59.00

19

DaKine

8.00

22 Dave Rastovich

12.00 46.00 58.00

19

Pyzel

8.00

19

Tomo Surfboards

8.00

113.25

72.50

23 Pama Davies

0.00

54.25

24 Ethan Ewing

1.00

53.00 54.00

25 Monty Tait

50.00 0.00

26 Filipe Toledo

5.00

27 Jay Davies

15.00 32.00 47.00

27 Gabriel Medina

30.00 17.00

28 Tyler Warren

1.00

45.00 46.00

29 Ry Craike

0.00

45.75

45.00 45.00

50.00

44.00 49.00 47.00 45.75

30 Harry Bryant

0.00

32.00 11.00

32 Stuart Kennedy

10.00 29.00 39.00

33 Josh Kerr

20.00 17.00

34 Russell Bierke

0.00

Jordy Smith

12.00

12

Dave Rastovich

12.00

12

Asher Pacey

12.00

EDITORIAL

54.25

31 Albee Layer

34 Victoria Vergara

12

43.00 37.00

36.00 36.00

15.00 21.00 36.00

34 Soli Bailey

20.00 16.00

36.00

35 Bryce Young

2.00

35 Sean Mawson

34.00 0.00

36 Heath Joske

10.00 23.25 33.25

37 Otis Carey

0.00

33.00 33.00

37 Jack Robinson

1.00

32.00 33.00

37 Joel Parkinson

17.00 16.00

32.00 34.00 34.00

33.00

37 Kai Hing

0.00

37 Connor Coffin

10.00 20.00 30.00

30.00 30.00

37 Matt Wilkinson

10.00 20.00 30.00

26/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

20 Slater Designs

7.00

ATHLETE

TOTAL

20 Spy

7.00

1

Mick Fanning

277.75

21

Brixton

6.00

2

Craig Anderson

242.50

22

Epokhe

6.00

3

John John Florence

209.50

22

Haydenshapes Surfboards

6.00

174.50

22

JS Industries

6.00

23

Futures Fins

5.00

23

Huf

5.00

23

Jeep

5.00

23

Nike

5.00

23

Nikon

5.00

23

Rockstar Energy Drink

5.00

23

Rusty

5.00

4

Kelly Slater

5

Ozzie Wright

131.75

6

Chris 'Chippa' Wilson

131.00

7

Jordy Smith

130.00

8

Noa Deane

128.00

9

Mikey Wright

122.50

10

Owen Wright

109.00

11

Dion Agius

91.25

23

Wave Tools

5.00

12

Imogen Caldwell

90.00

23

World Surfaris

5.00

13

Tyler Wright

84.00

24

DMS

4.00

14

Bruce Irons

83.00

24

Go Pro

4.00

15

Dane Reynolds

82.00

24

Nixon

4.00

72.50

24

Vissla

4.00

62.00

24

Von Zipper

4.00

16 17

Taj Burrow Laird Hamilton

18

Scott Dennis

61.00

19

Steph Gilmore

58.25

20 Pama Davies

54.25

21

Ethan Ewing

53.00

22

Julian Wilson

50.50

23

Dave Rastovich

46.00

24

Ry Craike

45.75

25

Tyler Warren

45.00

27

Harry Bryant

45.00

28

Filipe Toledo

44.00

LEADERS

MICK FANNING PRINT MEDIA METER #1

RIP CURL PRINT MEDIA BRAND #1

ASB MULTI MEDIA METER 2017

#SOCIAL_MEDIA_METER

If you believe there’s a surfer outside the WSL elite who deserves to be on our list e.g. Alana Blanchard (2.99m), then write to us. Using our print media meter top performers we’ve tallied surf brands or brands operating in surfwear distribution as the baseline for our social media list. Using the social media links from each brands Australian website homepage, we’ve combined their Facebook ‘likes’ as well as Instagram and Twitter ‘followers’ to determine our overall social media top performers. If there’s a brand that deserves to be on the list, write to us and let us know.

If the link to your social media site isn’t the right one or there’s an alternative social media page for your brand we should be monitoring, also let us know.

USING THE WSL TOP ATHLETES AS OUR BENCHMARK, WE’VE COMBINED BOTH THE MENS WSL #TOP34 AND WOMEN’S #TOP17 TO DETERMINE THEIR OVERALL SOCIAL MEDIA PROWESS. WHILST THIS LIST IS BY NO MEANS INDICATIVE OF ALL SURFERS' SOCIAL MEDIA PERFORMANCES, USING THE WSL AS THE PINNACLE OF THE SPORT'S ELITE, WE SEE THIS LIST AS A GUIDE ONLY.

WSL #SOCIAL_MEDIA_METER

#SOCIAL MEDIA METER (ALPHABETICAL ORDER) FIELDS HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW ARE GLOBAL CHANNELS. NB NO TOTAL OR RANK DUE TO THE MIX OF GLOBAL AND REGIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS. SHOULD BE USED AS A GUIDE ONLY. TABLE CORRECT AT JUNE. NOT HERE? CONTACT KEITH@AUSTRALIANSURF.BIZ AND FIND OUT HOW.

BRANDS #SOCIAL_MEDIA_METER

ATHLETE

ORIGIN

1

Gabriel Medina

BRA

243,000

1,292,442

4,200,000 5,735,442

TOTAL

2

Alana Blanchard

AUS

181000

2,093,086

1600000

3,874,086

3

Kelly Slater

USA

499,000

1,773,229

1,500,000

3,772,229

4

Mick Fanning

AUS

240,000

528,748

827,000

1,595,748

5

Jordy Smith

ZAF

786,000

314,120

352,000

1,452,120

6

Coco Ho

HAW

85700

767,082

499000

1,351,782

7

Sally Fitzgibbons

AUS

165000

713,617

438000

1,316,617

8

John John Florence

HAW

62,800

524,327

604,000

9

Julian Wilson

AUS

117,000

424,327

10

Alessa Quizon

HAW

5879

712,912

11

Stephanie Gilmore

AUS

104,000

12

Filipe Toledo

BRA

13

Laura Enever

14

Adriano De Souza

15

BRAND

488,000

1,872,390

Billabong

163,000

4,379,631

208,000

Quiksilver

1,500,000

4,049,252

311,000

Hurley

1,400,000

4,537,041

245,000

Channel Island Surfboards

230,000

66,767

25,400

Globe

129,000

311,548

47,000

O’Neill

25,800

1,133,659

87,200

1,191,127

Volcom

55,000

4,022,972

304,000

607,000

1,148,327

Reef

12,500

1,593,900

79,200

243000

961,791

DHD Surfboards

99,400

23,401

4007

475,217

382000

961,217

Oakley

37,900

4,958,871

11,800

42,600

414,696

497,000

954,296

Firewire

85,500

45,820

13,300

AUS

43200

348,970

359000

751,170

Carve

21,400

4,455

BRA

49,100

401,761

292,000

742,861

Electric

107,000

192,285

25,500

Taj Burrow

AUS

101,000

255,112

261,000

617,112

Creatures Of Leisure

45,100

10,560

2509

16

Miguel Pupo

BRA

29900

220,989

252000

502,889

RVCA

37,900

452,408

70,700

17

Sage Erickson

USA

29300

237,969

228000

495,269

Ocean & Earth

13,300

25,246

172

18

Owen Wright

AUS

29,900

210,270

255,000

495,170

Vans

91,000

17,136,050

1,170,000

19

Joel Parkinson

AUS

120,000

60,126

313,000

493,126

XCEL

23,500

21,233

3003

20

Lakey Peterson

USA

39900

115,058

266000

420,958

DaKine

98,200

183,725

23,300

21

Bianca Buitendag

ZAF

7281

326,883

80700

414,864

Pyzel

80,200

9,054

245

22

Carissa Moore

HAW

36100

131,228

217000

384,328

Tomo Surfboards

44,600

4800

23

Kolohe Andino

USA

34,600

114,408

230,000

379,008

Slater Designs

85,500

45,820

13,300

24

Jeremy Flores

FRA

57400

162,246

144000

363,646

Spy Optic

3370

14,439

26,700

25

Courtney Conlogue

USA

12800

225,334

121000

359,134

Brixton

188,000

92,126

9515

26

Josh Kerr

AUS

56,000

26,039

224,000

306,039

Epokhe

53,700

16,500

226 2271

LEADERS

GABRIEL MEDINA

STAB MAGAZINE

#SOCIAL_MEDIA_METER #1

SOCIAL MEDIA BRAND #1

Rip Curl

65,700

Haydenshapes Surfboards

76,000

27,288

JS Industries

101,000

24,493

589

Futures Fins

100,000

29,641

9783

Huf

1,000,000

491,064

147,000

Nike

73,000,000

28,381,107

7,005,000

Nikon

222,000

12,640,853

23,000,000

Rusty

53,400

106,416

907

Wave Tools

6839

5,189

5

World Surfaris

17,300

18,411

517 848

DMS

7748

19,606

Go Pro

12,700

10,379,177

2,260,000

Nixon

13,300

1,214,565

55,900

Vissla

151,000

65,834

3031

Von Zipper

12,900

192,260

23,000

MAGAZINES #SOCIAL_MEDIA_METER MAGAZINE

1

STAB

1,075,256

708,000

32400

2

SW

351,956

128,000

1357

3

Tracks

257,984

101,000

32,000

4

Surfing Life

131,473

143000

76200

27/

fresh

RIP CURL HOT SHOT ONE PIECE Code: GSIYB3 Colourway: Purple RRP: $89.99 Available: October Description: This fun and fresh onepiece is the ultimate summer bikini, in the surf or by the pool. Offers light support, cheeky coverage and unique back-strap detailing.

VOLCOM SPLOTTZ HALF STONEY Code: A0841704 Colourway: Multi RRP: $75.00 Available: November Description: 17” outseam 4 - way stretch elastic back boardshort.

CATCH SURF ODYSEA STUMP LIMITED Code: ODY50T-ND Colourway: White 17 RRP: $444.95 Available: Now Description: 5’0” Odysea StumpTri – Noa Deane 28/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

VOLCOM 3ZEE HALF STONEY Code: A0831706 Colourway: Black RRP: $75.00 Available: November Description: 17” outseam 4 - way stretch elastic back boardshort.

BILLABONG RETRO ACID X Code: 9572443 Colourway: Vintage Black RRP: $79.99 Available: November Description: Welcoming the Retro Acid X to the Re-Issue Collection.

Utilising PX3 recycled stretch fabric in our 18’ performane fit boardshort.

Retro is back!

PATAGONIA MEN'S STRETCH PLANING BOARD SHORTS - 20" Code: 86611 Colourway: MDVR RRP: $99.95 Available: September Description: A performance-focused version of our tried-and-true Wavefarer® Board Shorts design, the light and fast-drying Stretch Planing Board Shorts offer a slimmer, more modern profile with minimal drag, 50+ UPF sun protection and highly functional 2-way mechanical stretch.

Fair Trade Certified™ sewing.

ROXY SOFTLY LOVE PRT REVO FIXED TRI & BRASILIAN Code: ERJX303572 & ERJX403506 Colourway: KVJ7 RRP: $45.99 & $32.99 Available: October Description: ROXY brings you yet another vibrant print in an ever so sizzling cut, inspired by wild mexican roses.

PATAGONIA MEN'S R1® LITE YULEX® FRONT-ZIP LONG-SLEEVED TOP Code: 88462 Colourway: Black RRP: $219.95 Available: September Description: A high-performance, neoprene-free wetsuit top made of 85% Yulex® natural rubber/15% synthetic rubber by polymer content, with 100% recycled polyester lining; the natural rubber is derived from sources that are Forest Stewardship Council® certified by the Rainforest Alliance. Suggested water temperatures:18–23° C.

BILLABONG TRIBONG X Code: 9572414 Colourway: Stealth RRP: $79.99 Available: October Description: Fresh from the new Sundays Collection, Tribong X utilises PX3 recycled stretch fabric. This 19' performance fit boardshort also features micro water repel technology, tri panel cut and sew, back patch pocket and a pop inseam binding.

RIP CURL MIRAGE MF REACT ULT Code: CBOPU7 Colourway: Blue RRP: $119.99 Available: November Description: Mick Fanning’s new signature short has just dropped, and it’s the ultimate in surf wear. Featuring our unique Surf Grip technology, welded critical seams, side taping and heat transfer graphics.

BRIXTON PROSPECT SERVICE SHORT Code: 04073 Colourway: Olive RRP: $99.95 Available: Now Description: A standard-fit AllTerrain service short with a straight leg made in a 4.5-oz. nylon ripstop with two-way stretch and water repellent coating. It features a rubber buckle button, drawcord adjustable waistband, mesh pocket bags, zipper pockets, a reversible stow pocket, and a 19” length. These shorts also include a custom dry-bag and knot tying book

BRIXTON TRANSPORT CARGO SHORT Code: 04072 Colourway: Copper RRP: $99.95 Available: Now Description: A standard-fit All-Terrain cargo short with a straight leg made in a 4.5-oz. nylon ripstop with two-way stretch and a water-repellent coating.

It features a rubber buckle button, drawcord-adjustable waistband, mesh pocket bags, zipper pockets, reversible stow pocket, and a 19” length. These shorts also include a custom dry-bag and knot tying book.

review

CATCH SURF BEATER PRO Code: BO54PRO-JW Colourway: Neon Green 17 RRP: $379.95 Available: Now Description: Original 54” Pro – Julian Wilson

ROXY KEEP THE TEMPO Code: ERJWD03182 Colourway: BTK8 RRP: $109.99 Available: November Description: Be flaring this summer with this feminine indigo and white floral print dress by ROXY.

TRACKS NEW LOOK Tracks issue 560 hit the stands last month, and parent co Next Media have reshaped it to give it a little more style and pop. The cover offers a thicker, more tactile feeling while the wider format gives those transcendent images more impact. The iconic ‘Tracks’ masthead has been tweaked to create a crisper, more contemporary feel, while astute fans will notice that the fonts and headers have been adjusted.

According to a release, evolution has always been an integral part of surfing – from boards to photography and fashion; to style, performance levels and personalities - surfing culture is in a state of permanent flux.

“Tracks has always strived to both influence and reflect those volatile movements which give surfing its colour and dynamism. Like someone selecting the perfect board for particular conditions our aim is to create the right magazine for the times.”

Once you delve inside you’ll also find a selection of new regulars and a re-working of some of the more traditional editorial staples.

The current redesign represents another major evolutionary step for a magazine that has been on stands for almost 50 years. However, despite the aesthetic changes and the editorial adjustments the ultimate aim for Tracks remains the same – to produce a mag that provides an entertaining and authoritative take on surfing.

WSL MATT WILKINSON (AUS) JERSEY Colourway: AUS RRP: $60.00 Available: Now Description: A full colour sublimated athlete jersey, made from premium moisture wicking and anti-microbial athletic poly jersey fabric.

GLOBE DION ECLIPSE BOARDSHORT Code: GB01728015 Colourway: Black RRP: $79.99 Available: November Description: The Eclipse Boardshort has been crafted in Dion’s signature +/+ styling. Designed to appear low-fi, with built in key performance details that every surfer needs. Quick Dry, Multi Stretch, UV+50 Portent, Recycled Fabric.

GLOBE SPROUT Code: GBSPROUT Colourway: Black/Hemp RRP: $79.99 Available: November Description: Versatile vulcanised skate shoe with double wrap foxing tape, Nitrolite footbed, Globe’s Super-V outsole

WSL JOHN JOHN FLORENCE (HAW) JERSEY Colourway: HAW RRP: $60.00 Available: Now Description: A full colour sublimated athlete jersey, made from premium moisture wicking and anti-microbial athletic poly jersey fabric.

29/

buyers’ guide Guys' Tees & Shirts Summer 2017

RIP CURL NORTHERN SHIRT Code: CSHJH1 Colourway: Tobacco Brown RRP: $69.99 Available: November

REEF PREMIUM Code: TSS701 Colourway: Black RRP: $49.99 Available: November

VOLCOM LODOWN TEE Code: A4341771 Colourway: Blue RRP: $50.00 Available: November

RIP CURL LINEAR SURFLITE S/SL Code: WLY7CM Colourway: White RRP: $49.99 Available: October

OAKLEY IVAR TEE Code: 457101AU Colourway: 201-Charcoal RRP: $49.95 Available: October

VISSLA NO TRUST Code: M422ENOT Colourway: PHA RRP: $45.99 Available: October

BILLABONG SUNDAYS PARADISE SS SHIRT Code: 9572207 Colourway: Charcoal RRP: $69.99 Available: October

VISSLA MOTU Code: M518EMOT Colourway: BON RRP: $89.99 Available: October

RVCA DAHLIA SHIRT Code: R172183 Colourway: Navy RRP: $79.99 Available: November

WSL GROUNDSWELL Colourway: Navy RRP: $40.00 Available: Now

BILLABONG RETRO ROSE TEE Code: 9572020 Colourway: White RRP: $49.99 Available: November

TCSS (THE CRITICAL SLIDE SOCIETY) HAPPY TRAILS SS SHIRT Code: SWS1702 Colourway: Phantom RRP: $79.99 Available: October

RVCA A SHADY PLACE TEE Code: R172055 Colourway: Black RRP: $55.99 Available: November

O'NEILL BAJA TEE Code: 4411102 Colourway: Tyre Black RRP: $44.99 Available: October

PATAGONIA BACK STEP PULLOVER SHIRT Code: 53165 Colourway: FSBS RRP: $99.95 Available: September

30/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

Stretch Planing Board Shorts

buyers’ guide Guys' Tees & Shirts Summer 2017

PATAGONIA GOIN' LEFT TEE Code: 39057 Colourway: TRUT RRP: $59.95 Available: September

TCSS (THE CRITICAL SLIDE SOCIETY) STANDARD TEE Code: SWT1701 Colourway: Blue Mirage RRP: $49.99 Available: October

JETPILOT ROLLED TEE Code: S17649 Colourway: Black RRP: $44.99 Available: September

GLOBE BOX TEE Code: GB01730002 Colourway: Chilli RRP: $39.99 Available: October

CARVE THE SAILOR TEE Code: CV01793 Colourway: Light Grey Marle RRP: $29.99 Available: August

O'NEILL RAYS Code: 4411204 Colourway: Washed Blue RRP: $69.99 Available: November

JETPILOT AUTHENTIC TEE Code: S17627 Colourway: Navy RRP: $44.99 Available: September

REEF KONATOWN Code: A35YM Colourway: Natural RRP: $79.99 Available: October

VOLCOM PUPPET TEE Code: A5041770 Colourway: White RRP: $50.00 Available: January

CARVE GUN TEE Code: CV01792 Colourway: Navy/Mint Marle RRP: $29.99 Available: August

GLOBE TROPICOOL SS SHIRT Code: GB01724006 Colourway: Vintage Black RRP: $69.99 Available: November

PROTEST HAYDOCK SHIRT Code: 1720071 Colourway: Black RRP: $89.00 Available: July

SANTA CRUZ SCREAMING HAM TEE Code: SC-MTD7650 Colourway: CHEDDAR RRP: $49.95 Available: October

LKI BRAND MENS TEE Code: L101A1245 Colourway: Black RRP: $39.99 Available: November

PROTEST RADLEY Code: 1721171 Colourway: Apple Green RRP: $75.00 Available: July

32/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

KEVIN COAKLEY CHARTER OXFORD WOVEN AND TOIL CHINO SHORT.

ANY WAY, EVERY DAY

buyers’ guide Girls' Tops & Dresses Summer 2017

BILLABONG LOTTIE DENIM DRESS Code: 6572479 Colourway: White RRP: $89.99 Available: November

RIP CURL HOT SHOT MUSCLE Code: CTEZY3 Colourway: White RRP: $49.99 Available: October

CARVE RACER TANK Code: CVL3272 Colourway: White RRP: $24.99 Available: August

RIP CURL TROPIC TRIBE TOP Code: GSHZZ3 Colourway: White RRP: $59.99 Available: November

BILLABONG SANTIAGO STRIPE WRAP TOP Code: 6572092 Colourway: Cool Wip RRP: $59.99 Available: October

RIP CURL YAMBA MIDI WRAP DRESS Code: GDRFM1 Colourway: Navy RRP: $79.99 Available: November

UNIT VENOM Code: 172210004 Colourway: Acid Black RRP: $45.99 Available: October

PATAGONIA MOUNT AIRY TANK TOP Code: 53590 Colourway: INBK RRP: $49.95 Available: September

BILLABONG| HEY BABY TEE Code: 6572003 Colourway: Off Black RRP: $39.99 Available: November

PROTEST MURIELLE Code: 1625072 Colourway: Seashell RRP: $79.00 Available: July

ROXY PRINCESS IN THE SEA Code: ERJWT03123 Colourway: WBT0 RRP: $55.99 Available: November

LKI BRAND LADIES TEE Code:L201A1052 Colourway: Army/Green RRP: $39.99 Available: November

RVCA BENJ DETRUIRE TEE Code: R272686A Colourway: White RRP: $49.99 Available: November

LKI BRAND LADIES TANK Code: L201A1047 Colourway: Navy/Acid RRP: $44.99 Available: November

WSL TIDES Colourway: Navy RRP: $40.00 Available: Now

34/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

ROXY VOLCANO SENSE HOLA BEACHACHAS Code: ERJZT04136 Colourway: KVJ0 RRP: $49.99 Available: October

CARVE OUR TIME TEE Code: CVL3256 Colourway: White RRP: $34.99 Available: August

RVCA KEYLINE TEE Code: R271685 Colourway: Olive Green RRP: $49.99 Available: October

PATAGONIA LIGHTWEIGHT RESPONSIBILI-TEE™ COVER-UP Code: 58350 Colourway: GEMG RRP: $69.95 Available: September

RVCA SASS SLIP Code: R272755 Colourway: Navy RRP: $89.99 Available: December

ROXY SWEETNESS SEAS Code: ERJWD03177 Colourway: KVJ6 RRP: $89.99 Available: November

LKI BRAND LADIES DRESS Code: L204B1007 Colourway: Melon/Red RRP: $59.99 Available: November

PROTEST SHIELD BLOUSE Code: 1650671 Colourway: Seashell RRP: $79.00 Available: July

SANTA CRUZ STRIP RIBBED BODYSUIT Code: SC-WDD7447 Colourway: Mustard RRP: $49.95 Available: November

PATAGONIA GLORYA TANK TOP Code: 54821 Colourway: DFTG RRP: $59.95 Available: September

JETPILOT X1 MUSCLE Code: S17018 Colourway: Pink RRP: $39.99 Available: September

VOLCOM TEXT ME TOP Code: B0541701 Colourway: Star White RRP: $55.00 Available: November

SANTA CRUZ BRU DOT TWIST BACK TOP Code: SC-WTD7435 Colourway: Acid Black RRP: $44.95 Available: October

VOLCOM SUNSTONE Code: B1341777 Colourway: Washed Blue RRP: $60.00 Available: November

AMUSE SOCIETY GRATEFUL Code: A4113EGR Colourway: CBL RRP: $49.99 Available: October

AMUSE SOCIETY STUNNER Code: A514ESTU Colourway: Rose RRP: $69.99 Available: October

JETPILOT TOMMYS GIRL TANK Code: S17020 Colourway: Blue RRP: $39.99 Available: September

PROTEST TRIDENT PLAYSUIT Code: 2620371 Colourway: Admiral RRP: $95.00 Available: July

VOLCOM MIX A LOT DRESS Code: B1341784 Colourway: Black Combo RRP: $80.00 Available: November

AMUSE SOCIETY LET’S KNOT Code: AD08ELET Colourway: Brick RRP: $89.99 Available: October 35/

buyers’ guide Watches

RIP CURL RIFLES AUTO-SET TITANIUM Code: A1140 Colourway: Titanium RRP: $699.99 Available: November

RIP CURL ALANA HORIZON SLIM Code: A3079G Colourway: Gold RRP: $279.99 Available: November

NIXON AMBASSADOR LEATHER Code: A1204-712-00 Colourway: All Black/Brown RRP: $399.99 Available: October

MAXUM MINI BULK Code: X1721G1 Colourway: BLACK RRP: $99.00 Available: August

NIXON MISSION SS Code: A1216-501-00 Colourway: Gold/Black RRP: $679.99 Available: October

UNIT BOLT Code: 172129001 Colourway: Black RRP: $399.99 Available: October

UNIT PROSPECT Code: 16122552 Colourway: Black/Gold RRP: $249.99 Available: October

VESTAL BRIG TIDE & TRAIN BY JORDY SMITH Code: BRG037 Colourway: Grey/White/Negative RRP: $229.95 Available: June

VESTAL HELM SURF & TRAIN Code: HLMDP28 Colourway: Grey/White/Negative RRP: $129.95 Available: June

CARVE ELEMENTS Code: CV10070 Colourway: Black/Red RRP: $99.99 Available: August

CARVE GLOBAL Code: CV10030 Colourway: Cyan RRP: $59.99 Available: August

MAXUM UTOPIA Code: X1771L2 Colourway: Rose Gold RRP: $179.00 Available: August

36/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

NO TRENDS NO FASHION JUST GOOD SURF BOARDS

“ Our main goal is to create designs that allow every surfer to have the most fun possible” Sharpeye founder, Marcio Zouvi

FEATURE ARTICLE / WORDS ASB MAGAZINE PHOTOS JACKSON O'BRIEN

RVCA

THE POWER OF TWIN CHEVRONS, THE PASSION OF TWO KEY PEOPLE & THE BALANCE OF OPPOSITES. RVCA’S UNIQUE, ART INFLUENCED, FASHION-FORWARD DESIGNS HAVE BEEN REWARDED AT THE 2017 SBIA SURFING INDUSTRY AWARDS. BYPASSING THE ‘BREAKTHROUGH BRAND OF THE YEAR’ HONOURS, RVCA WENT STRAIGHT TO THE TOP OF THE HEAP, WINNING THE MEN’S BRAND OF THE YEAR.

RVCA emerged from founder Pat Tenore’s garage in 2001, from an early team effort that included Conan Hayes. In 2006 the brand established a presence in Australia and was represented by former world tour surfer Nathan ‘Noodles’ Webster. Two years later, the brand won the 2008 SIMA (USA) Men’s Apparel Brand of the Year, and by July 2010 it had been acquired by Billabong for an undisclosed sum. RVCA now sits among Billabong’s ‘Big 3’ brands, being Billabong, RVCA & Element.

Last financial year, RVCA grew 40.5%, and now boasts 4.6 million social media followers, comprising 1.4 million brand followers and 3.2 million athlete & advocate followers. They have landmark stores & galleries located in San Francisco, Santa Monica, Byron Bay & Collingwood, along with future plans for stores in Bali, Tokyo and New York.

According to ActionWatch data RVCA’s presence doubled in core stores in Men’s Apparel and is now represented in 73% of stores (compared to just 37% in July 2014). In June 2017, RVCA’s Per Store Average $ Sales was $2161 over the same period last year.

This gives RVCA a market estimation of close to $20m across the ActionWatch Oz Panel and excludes company owned, chain and online sales.

38/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

What are some of the key hires in the last twelve months that have helped the brand?

Over the last three years RVCA has had the luxury of hiring many talented staff from within the industry and the wider Billabong & GSM group. This small, tight, hardworking and passionate RVCA family has been a big part of the brand’s success. We’re nimble, authentic, think about the different types consumers, act closer to market and most importantly live and breathe the brand on a daily basis.

Founder Pat Tenore attributes RVCA’s success to product, marketing and distribution all working together. Is the same true here in Australia?

Absolutely. Our ability to tie in consumerrelevant product with a GTM (go-to-market) plan aligned with our channel distribution strategy has been key to RVCA’s recent success in Australia.

In 2016 the ActionWatch Oz same-store retail panel enjoyed a 49% year-over-year sales increase with RVCA men’s apparel – this was the highest sales increase of the top-20 brands in the category and provided RVCA with the largest market share gain. Can you pinpoint any one change, or strategy, since 2016 that could explain this result?

SCOTT PAYNE Scott Payne’s the Brand Manager at RVCA. He’s previously been Product Development Manager at Billabong, learning the ropes under the guidance of one of the great product line managers in Mike Savage. In addition, Scott worked for ‘youth against establishment’, holding down the Merchandising Manager position at Volcom. Scott’s desk is on the ground floor of the sprawling Billabong head office at Burleigh Heads: he’s comfortable on the ground floor in big business. He grew up on the shop floor of the family surf shop Kokomo Surf Skate and Snow and he has the perfect balance of opposites: youth and experience. But don't be fooled by Scotty’s laidback style and disarming smile. If the walls have ears at Burleigh, Scotty has the skill set to run the whole building.

Congratulations on the SBIA MEN’S BRAND OF THE YEAR honours - you must be stoked.

Are there any shout outs?

We are super stoked and privileged to receive the award. It’s been a busy few years and this highlights the connection we have with the action sports and lifestyle youth of today.

Our creative content and brand messages are authentic and resonate with our target customers. A big shout out goes to the retailers who have supported RVCA since its inception

into the Australian marketplace, plus to the more recent ones who have presented the brand in a premium and creative manner to allow a new customer connection with the brand.

Lastly to our community of RVCA advocates, they are an integral part of the brand and provide so much direction and creativity for the brand.

When did you join RVCA? I joined early 2014 after product leadership roles in both Billabong and Volcom since 2001.

Before that, I learnt the ropes in buying and working on the retail floor of my parents’ surf shop in Sydney in the late 1990’s. My dad Chris had a mid life crisis and started a Brothers Neilsen franchise store in Broadway, Sydney in 1997. In 1999, he ended the franchise and changed it to Kokomo Surf Skate and Snow before selling it in 2001. It was a killer store and I learnt everything involved in running a family owned retail store including buying, inventory management, sales and customer service and most of all it was so damn fun. My brothers and I thought we were so cool at the time! Buying all these rad brands products and getting spoilt with promo by so many reps while both doing our HSC and studying business at UTS. Got to give a shout out to my dad for introducing us to such an amazing industry! Kokomo is where I met JC (former Volcom GM, John Clapham) from Volcom who got me a job as soon as dad sold the store. The store is now a General Pants store.

It comes back to our overall segmentation strategy and merchant lead processes. This ensures that our product assortment and merchandising is tailored to the end consumer via an integrated GTM plan. Each segmented product line and brand story is tailored to the retailer, whether they be a mall-based operator, a surf independent, womenswear boutique or a core skate store. Our Artist Network program has also been the key differentiator for the brand in a busy marketplace and provided the backbone to this growth. Steve Fontes (Design Manager) has played a key part working with our artists, advocates and design team on developing cohesive ANP product collections across all our successful channels in Australia.

RVCA more than doubled its women’s apparel sales compared to 2015, which again was the highest percentage sales increase of the top-20 brands. Is your women’s business a focal point for the brand going forward?

Women’s is a big focus and our biggest opportunity globally. Locally here in Australia, our Women’s Designer Serena Francis has been influential in designing an assortment that is tailored to the end consumer while talking to the key brand ANP stories. Her ability to understand the different nuances of customers who shop via our different distribution channels has been a big part of the women’s growth in Australia.

39/

How do you approach a category like Women’s loungewear? The women’s business has come on fast, growing over 30 percent YOY. What’s next for RVCA women’s?

The Sunday Collection was a category opportunity we saw in the market place globally and executed well with selected accounts, and our own DTC (direct-to-consumer) channels.

For women’s there are key categories such as swim we need to be relevant in for key periods and we are looking to branch out VA Sports with women’s specific product given the success we’ve had with men’s VA Sport.

RVCA is ranked 6th on our ActionWatch Oz panel for Denim and ahead of brands such as Res, Mavi, Levi’s, Wrangler and Quiksilver.

Is denim a specific focus and what can retailers expect?

A cohesive and consistent line of fits, washes and style names is what’s coming in Season 1, 2018. The consumer is loyal to bottoms brands and this is something we have worked on from a merchant point of view. Also pants are a strong growth category for RVCA and they are really resonating with our key skate retailers at the moment. RVCAs overall advocate alignment in this category is also very important in connecting with the right customer.

Pat Tenore is strong on distribution. Online plays an important part of the brand. How do you determine whether an online platform is the right ‘fit’ for RVCA? It’s no different from B&M distribution. With channel segmentation, we need to make sure we are reaching different customers that tie back into key sub-cultures of the brand and maintain a full-priced premium service.

40/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

What synergies does Billabong bring to RVCA? Do you operate autonomously?

The Billabong group bring many synergies including logistics, HR, financial services and most of all the market and retail intelligence of SDS. We operate completely separate in terms of brand, product and marketing which is very important for brand integrity.

Can you talk about some of the more successful B&M collaborations and build-outs?

Late last year we rolled our first branded fixture program into more than 50 independent doors across ANZ to great success. It allowed for us to have controllable floor space in key independent accounts, and also support these accounts with tailored go-to-market execution to tell relevant product and brand stories for each doorway.

Skate hardgood sales growth was poor in the U.S. in 2016 (sales down 11%). Skate hardgood sales growth in Australia has become negative in 2017 (down 6%). Is skate starting to work for you here?

This is another opportunity area for RVCA in Australia with strategic skate distribution, and some exciting collaborations in the pipeline with Toy Machine and also Andrew Reynolds.

RVCA is in strong in skate in the USA at the moment, we will get some strong results here over the course of the next year. We recently had the RVCA Australia Skate Tour with global and regional skate advocates that were an epic success.

Which retailers are having a good time with RVCA? Any shout outs to them?

Over the course of RVCA being in Australia, we have had retailers who have supported us from day one and we’ve been able to work with to make sure the brand is working for them. Over the last three years there has been a big uptake of independent retailers bringing RVCA into their mix, and have done an amazing job of showcasing the brand and connecting the brand messages to the end customer.

RVCA are in ninth position in wetsuit jackets on our ActionWatch Oz panel and ahead of O’Neill, Peak and Dakine in this category. Are there plans to expand the wetsuit category?

No. There are so many brands who are doing great things in this space, and rather than compete in a highly competitive space we will be focusing on other opportunity areas for the brand such as Trunks, Women’s, Skate and RVCA Sport.

What opportunities exist for distribution into the MMA channel for your RVCA Sports Division?

This is a really interesting space for the brand, and no different to any other subculture, it will be about finding the right channels to distribute the product line that will allow for brand, product health and the right consumer connection. We’ve had some great success this year with RVCA Sport via our DTC channels; it’s now looking at how this worked and expanding on it.

What is currently on Pat Tenore’s ‘wall of inspiration’ at Costa Mesa?

Pat’s office is a creative vortex! Currently there will be different ephemera from previous brand collaborations and collections, as well as art from a huge variety of RVCA artists.

It’s a pretty amazing space to look at. Plus grab a Purps (Tenore and Kelly Slater’s natural energy drink collaboration) from his fridge to revitalise yourself!

(ED NOTE) You get the impression the epic SBIA Men’s Brand Of The Year Trophy will sit pride of place when the company overhauls its offices and show rooms later this month.

From a product point of view, it has been a great space for us to trial different product and categories to gain meaningful insights.

Particularly on the women’s front where we have been able to showcase the product, and in turn have seen strong sell through especially through our directional fashion product, as well as some great numbers with our swim collection throughout the summer trade periods.

Byron being such a tourist destination, it has also been a great driver in brand awareness with customers walking in who might have seen the brand, but had no idea what it was but then leave understanding the creativity of the brand and what it represents.

The Collingwood Corner Gallery is not a retail space, rather a stand alone gallery that we use as a vehicle to talk to the Artist Network Program, and continue its vision of having a platform to support artists to showcase their creative endeavors.

We’ve had some amazing exhibitions in this space, from both established artists but also up and coming artists from Australia and abroad.

DANIAAL TREZISE DT is the Marketing Manager and started with RVCA in January 2015 after a successful 12year stint at Ozmosis as National Marketing Manager. According to Scott Payne, DT’s strong experience in engaging the customer through retail, events, social media and digital landscapes has been a solid asset to RVCA’s strategy over the last few years. Daniaal is polite, courteous and a connoisseur of good coffee. He is after all a Melbourne lad, through and through. DT’s equally capable of rapping with shop groms, team riders and the warehouse crew as he is talking with the CEO. If Scotty is the architect at RVCA, DT is the Chief Engineer and the pair form a unique and powerful balance of opposites.

The name itself is a curiosity. How many times do you still get asked how to pronounce RVCA? How to pronounce RVCA is something I get weekly, or what is RVCA an acronym for. It’s always a good segue and talking piece though to explain The Balance Of Opposites and how diverse and creative RVCA is with authentic roots in Art, Surf, Skate and MMA. Can you tell us about the power of the twin chevrons VA and how they symbolise ’the balance of opposites’?

The power of the chevrons is its ability to simply explain the diversity of RVCA. We are the only brand in the market that has legitimate history and authenticity in Art, Surf, Skate, and MMA. From day one at RVCA, the brand has sponsored & supported advocates in every one of those subcultures. But it works because the common denominator across the board is creativity, and every advocate that RVCA supports has this aspect.

It’s pretty amazing to have a brand that includes advocates who are the best at what they do in the world from artists like Barry McGee & Kelsey Brookes; a diverse surf team that includes Alex Knost, Christian Fletcher, Jay

Davies and Makua Rothman (Big Wave World Champion); an equally diverse skate team with Andrew Reynolds, Greyson Fletcher, Curren Caples and Kevin ‘Spanky’ Long; and finally we loop in MMA where we have multiple Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) World Champions with Marcus Buchecha and the Mendes brothers, plus one of the UFC and BJJ all time greats in BJ Penn. When you look at all those names, their respective backgrounds and the fact that they all sit under the banner of one brand – it’s a testament to Pat’s vision of creating a diverse community of advocates that bucked the trend of just operating in core action sports.

Can you tell us more about RVCA Platform?

How do RVCA approach collaborations?

RVCA Platform was another avenue to really talk to our key pillar of RVCA, The Artist Network Program. Via Platform, each month we produce a limited amount of t-shirts that showcase the work of one artist, and also do so in limited numbers to have that level of exclusivity with the product.

Collaborations come about in many different ways, whether it is from Pat, our Creative team in Costa Mesa, or regionally with artists & advocates who work closely with the brand.

Once again, it stems from the creative advocates involved with the brand who have a like-minded ethos.

You've opened two stores in Collingwood and Byron respectively. Why these locations and what do they bring to RVCA? Byron Bay was our first RVCA retail concept space in Australia, and it made a lot of sense for us to showcase the brand in a town that has embedded in surf culture, but also supports the arts and is full of creatives.

It was key in opening at Byron that we had an aspect that would allow us to engage with the local community also, hence the Back Gallery space that we have which we have different exhibitions and incorporate local art group shows like ‘Now I See What You’re Looking At 2’ as well as working with the unofficial Mayor of Byron, Paul McNeil with his exhibition ‘Still Goofy’.

Last year one of our most successful shows was curated by a local ANP artist from Melbourne, Melissa Grisancich who created ‘Spring-Time’ an all women’s group show that featured nearly 20 female artists. It was such a success, we are annualising the event and looking to expand it to include different artists workshops and talks this September over the course of the month.

The Artist Network Program was founded on being a platform that gave back to artists and allowed a place for them to voice their creative growth – and the RVCA Corner Gallery has been a vital part of the brand being able to continue that here in Australia.

Can you talk about some of the more successful B&M collaborations and build outs?

Future plans?

Another successful B&M collaboration was our alignment with Full Metal Jiu Jitsu a BJJ Academy in Burleigh Heads, where we have worked closely with the Founder, Juggs (who received his black belt from RVCA Advocates the Mendes Brother) on branding the academy and wholesaling our VA Sports product and creating collaboration product for a channel that makes sense for the product.

What are some of the current, existing RVCA Sport outlets?

Our RVCA Sport product distribution is extremely tight with our own DTC, and selected surf stores that we have controllable floor space to talk to the product and brand message.

Currently our biggest driver for RVCA Sport is through our eCom channel where we can control the product assortment, messaging and price.

We’re incredibly mindful of what future distribution looks for RVCA Sports, as it has to reach a relatable audience, and also offer a full priced premium service. It’s not something we want to rush for a quick buck, as this range has so much equity from all the work Pat has put into it over the years and it’s vital we keep that as we move forward.

41/

ActionWatch INSIGHTS ActionWatch Insights is only a snapshot of top line results from our ActionWatch Oz Retail panel.

For comprehensive brand, style and category reports contact keith@actionwatch.com

INSIGHT DATA MEN/BOYS YEAR-OVER-YEAR SALES GROWTH

WOMEN/GIRLS YEAR-OVER-YEAR SALES GROWTH

YEAR-OVER-YEAR SALES GROWTH

YEAR-OVER-YEAR SALES GROWTH Other Shirts* Polo Shirts Tanks/Sleeveless S/ST Shirts Wovens

-20%

20%

S/ST Shirts Dresses Other Shirts* Tanks/Sleeveless

15%

10%

-15%

5% -10% 0% -5% -5% -0%

-10%

-5%

-15%

-10%

-20%

The class of shirts we call "other shirts" grew in sales by 21% in the first part of this year compared to the same period last year. However, the largest male shirt class--S/S T-Shirts--experienced a sales decline of 8%.

Sales of women's sleeveless tops declined by 15% in the first part of this year, but S/S tees, dresses and "other shirts" each had solid sales growth.

MEN/BOYS AVERAGE SALES PER STORE

WOMEN/GIRLS SALES PER STORE

JUNE 2016 THROUGH MAY 2017

JUNE 2016 THROUGH MAY 2017

$120,000

$10,000

S/ST Shirts Wovens Tanks/Sleeveless Polo Shirts Other Shirts*

$30,000

$25,000

$80,000

$20,000

$60,000

$15,000

$40,000

$10,000

$20,000

$5,000

$0

$0

Sales of women's sleeveless tops declined by 15% in the first part of this year, but S/S tees, dresses and "other shirts" each had solid sales growth.

42/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine  issue #78

Dresses Tanks/Sleeveless S/ST Shirts Other Shirts*

MENS S/S T-SHIRTS

WOMENS DRESSES

PERCENT OF UNITS SOLD

PERCENT OF UNITS SOLD 2017 2016

$50-$60

2017 2016

›$200 $175-$200

$50-$60

$150-$175 $125-$150

$50-$60

$100-$125

$50-$60

$75-$100 $50-$75

$50-$60

$25-$50

‹$10

‹$25

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

0%

30%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

The class of shirts we call "other shirts" grew in sales by 21% in the first part of this year compared to the same period last year. However, the largest male shirt class--S/S T-Shirts--experienced a sales decline of 8%.

WATCHES

WATCHES

PERCENT OF UNITS SOLD

AVERAGE SALES PER STORE 2017 2016

›$500

$8000 $7000

$450-$500 $400-$450

$6000

$350-$400 $5000 $300-$350 $250-$300

$4000

$200-$250

$3000

$150-$200

$2000

$100-$150 $1000

$50-$100 ‹$50

$0 0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

The class of shirts we call "other shirts" grew in sales by 21% in the first part of this year compared to the same period last year. However, the largest male shirt class--S/S T-Shirts--experienced a sales decline of 8%.

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

2016

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

2017

Watch sales were quite consistent during the shown time period except in the November through January time period. December watch sales spiked to over three times the normal monthly rate.

WATCHES SALES STATS

TOP-9 WATCH STYLES

WATCHES GENDER MIX

JUNE 2016 THROUGH MAY 2017

JUNE 2016 THROUGH MAY 2017

JUNE 2016 THROUGH MAY 2017

Avg $ Sales per Store

$27,949

WATCH

AVG

Avg Margin

48%

Nixon - 51-30 Chrono

$584

Avg Inventory per Store

114

Nixon - Corporal ss

$281

Avg Unit Sales per Store

139

Nixon - Kensington

$216

Inventory Turn Rate

124%

Nixon - Sentry Chrono

$419

Nixon - Sentry Leather

$217

Nixon - Sentry SS

$322

Rip curl - Circa Leather

$186

Rip curl - Rifles Tide

$253

Rip curl - Search GPS

$418

The average store on the panel earned almost $28,000 in revenue from watch sales in the latest 12-month period available at time of print. The average store had 114 units on hand and sold 139 units during the year, producing a relatively low inventory turn rate (compared to other accessory classes).

Men Women

43/

FEATURE ARTICLE / WORDS BRIAN WALKER

TALKING SHOP – THE RETAIL DOCTOR

The State of Play in Digital Retail Today

IT HAS BEEN A PRETTY CHALLENGING PERIOD RECENTLY FOR MANY OF OUR NATION’S RETAIL CEOS, WITH CONSUMER SPENDING WEATHERING SOME TOUGHER TIMES. And yet the speed of change in consumer behaviour continues to accelerate with demands for more mobility of retail offer, construction of retail “ecosystems” and increasing returns on trading. Capital is increasing and whilst there are many opportunities there are however some corresponding pressure points.

Digital branding expenditure and deployment within a retailer’s brand portfolio is an interesting weathervane to understand how, if in fact at all, we are matching consumer demand for increased innovative digital reach amongst our retail community, or merely digitalising older methods of reaching our audience.

To understand these questions and more (as part of a larger study), our consumer insights team went out to a large cross section of Australian retail CEOs, CMOs and Shopping Centre owners.

Here are a few high level summary points; Digital marketing spend dynamics // Digital marketing spends have significantly increased across all categories over last 12 months and this trend is expected to continue. // The average spend increase across all categories was in the order of ~20-25% over prior year. // The most significant increase is noticed in the fashion, shoes & accessories category. // Shopping centres & malls increased their digital marketing spends by an average 20-30%. // This dynamic is “moving the money around the pie rather than increasing the size of the pie”, according to most retailers, however according to the BDO trend spend report, Australian retailers increased their overall marketing spends (digital and non-digital) by a significant 35% over the past year. So we see that overall branding and marketing expenditure didn’t generally increase over prior year however the composition of budget did change.

44/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine issue #78

(Paradoxically, with some notable exceptions, investment in retail “ecosystem” (Omnichannel) strategy planning remained static to last year, somewhat revealing the highly tactical nature taken to leading and managing change within broader differentiation opportunities).

We also observed the following within current practices in digital:

So we see a changing and more promiscuous customer, more noise within the marketplace, and retailers in the relatively early stages of building a true “retail ecosystem” and as we look at digital planning and expenditure as a symbol of this journey, we see a longer road for many retailers with only a short runway to master the digital changes afoot.

Current practices in digital // All respondents stated that investment in digital would be the major investment category to drive customer engagement and retention going forward. // Respondents are on growth journey of digital (adoption to early growth). // Retailers increasingly focus on data and insights to generate ROI. // Some retailers show relative inexperience in terms of capability to consolidate, interpret and action the data available. // Dilemma between capital investment (e.g. IT systems) and operational expense continued to derail strategic intent. // Willingness to learn, test and measure relative to perception of risk and cost was mixed, that is the appetite to innovate in this space and take risks. // EDMs are currently the most widely used digital activity - 14 out of 16 (88%) retailers use EDMs as an example, here we see that the old practice of reliance on EDMs still high, with the method of application evolving, rather than attempting newer ways to reach current and future customers. // Achieving a single view of the customer is a top of mind priority for the majority of retailers but most of them are in the early stages of development or initial assessment.

Happy ‘Surf ’ Fit for Retailing.

Brian Walker is Founder and CEO of Retail Doctor Group and can be contacted on (02) 9460 2882 or brian@retaildoctor.com.au.

42 42 42 BOWRA S

42 Bowra St – Nambucca Heads NSW

www.coastalcurves.com.au ccsurf@westnet.com.au

ph/fax: (02) 65686902 mob: 0401091349

BUSINESS FOR SALE mid north coast

Established 1988 – current owners 21 yrsbeach lifestyle * good figures * all major brands * affordable rent * option to buy premises * lightspeed pos * good frontage and location in strip* beautiful estuary supports snorkel- Sup sales * skatepark in town * equidistant Syd-Bris International and domestic tourist market * Most ambient climate in Australia *

from the creator of Unit www.parader.co .com.au

Stockist Enquiries: 0413 682 123

‘The Future of Apparel Printing is Digital’ - No Minimum Qty - No Set Up Fees - Screen Print Quality - Unlimited Colours

- Never Hold Stock Again - Fast Turnaround - Branded Neck Labels - Branded Swing Tickets

Founders face many challenges when starting a new brand. Evrst takes away most of those challenges by using the latest in digital technology.

Our $250k Kornit Machines produce an incredible print quality equal to screen printing. This allows new brands to offer a large array of designs without having to order bulk stock. Evrst dispatches garments with tracking codes direct to your customer within 2-5 days from the order being placed. ‘Print on Demand - at its Finest’ Evrst has 15 years experience in the apparel industry. There has never been a better time to start your own brand than right now.

Branded Swing Ticket

Branded Neck Tag

Kornit - Unmatched in Digital Printing Globally.

Produce Photographic Images on Tees/Hoodies.

45/

FACES

2017 SBIA AWARDS NIGHT COOGEE, SYDNEY

46/ Australasian Surf Business Magazine  issue #78

ONBOARD INDUSTRIES 4/76 Darley Street Mona Vale NSW PH: 612 9997 8266 E: info@onboardindustries.com.au

BRAND MANAGER Sydney, Coffs Harbour - Noosa Luke Thomas MOB: 0400 005 453 E: luke@onboardindustries.com.au

MILLS AGENCIES South Australia Will Mills MOB: 0420 279 455 E: will@millsagencies.com

ANTMAN AGENCY Western Australia Paul ‘Antman’ Paterson MOB: 0432 232 060 E: info@antmanagency.com.au

LARK AGENCIES Victoria - Tasmania Mark Nielsen MOB: 0409 383 320 E: mark@larkagencies.com.au

ROSS CURTIN AGENCIES New South Wales Ross Curtin MOB: 0418 281 217 E: ross@reef.net.au

ONBOARD BALI South East Asia MOB: +62 812 1079 7334 E: info@onboardindustries.com.au

FREERIDE New Zealand PH: 0011 64 9835 9275 E: Free.ride@xtra.co.nz