ISSUE #076. APRIL/MAY 2015. €5
FILIP GOOD, GOPRO MARKETING DIRECTOR EMEA 5 BENEFITS OF 4 SEASON ORDERING CYCLES SNOWBOARDING: NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
KO
R * I ND U
NEL BAC TREND REPORTS: LONGBOARDS, SUNGLASSES, SUP, SURFBOARDS.
ON
E OV
RY PERS ST
N T HE C
PLUS: BRAND PROFILES, BUYER SCIENCE & MUCH MORE
US Editor Harry Mitchell Thompson harry@boardsportsource.com Surf & French Editor Iker Aguirre iker@boardsportsource.com Snowboard Editor Rémi Forsans remi@boardsportsource.com Skate Editor Dirk Vogel dirk@boardsportsource.com German Editor Anna Langer Anna@boardsportsource.com SUP Editor Robert Etienne sup@boardsportsource.com Design & Art Direction Owen Tozer owen@boardsportsource.com Design Assistant Roddy Bow Web Media Manager Denis Houillé denis@boardsportsource.com Proofreaders Insa Muth, Marie-Laure Ducos, Sam Grant Contributors Stefan Dongus, Jokin Arroyo, Benoît Brecq, Gordon Way, Fabien Grisel, Franz Holler, William Maddinson, Tom Wilson-North, Robert Etienne, Anna Langer, Emma Humphreys, Sam Grant, David Bianic, Robbie Morgan. Advertising & Marketing clive@boardsportsource.com Accounts Manager accounts@boardsportsource.com To Subscribe www.boardsportsource.com subs@boardsportsource.com Publisher clive@boardsportsource.com Published by ESB 22 Friars Street, Sudbury Suffolk, CO10 2AA. UK
HELLO #76 The first draft of this editorial had to be discarded after a late-March trip to Tignes, where a solid 70cms of snow in as many hours made for some knee-deep tree powder shred. My original draft spoke of a winter we’d happily put behind us (unless of course you were lucky enough to spend some time in the Pyrenees, which somehow saw the fifth highest snowfall in the world - see French Market Intel), but with this substantial snowfall arriving just in time for Easter, it brought with it some holiday cheer for all. However, this late snow isn’t exclusive to this winter, with late snowfalls becoming the norm in recent seasons; offering retailers the perfect opportunity to shift product over the busy Easter period. At Source we often hear the same issues; retailers want better margins and exclusivity and brands want retailers to keep their head and hold off from sales. Maybe this year’s late snow can give both parties some well-deserved breathing room and confidence for next year. This past season’s tradeshow season provided cause for optimism with the emergence of new legitimate snowboard brands, as the article New Kids On The Block (p.48), explains ‘disposable society craves authenticity’. And it’s with this buoyancy we
stride forward into our April/May issue, and turn our attention to Spring with our 2015 Surfboard Trend Report; which looks at the advent of performance hybrids and how the distribution model is changing. Our SUP Trend Report (p.43) offers a comprehensive overview of this growing market as it enters its strongest selling period of the year. The Big Wig Interview speaks with GoPro’s EMEA Marketing Director, Filip Good to find out more about how the brand ticks in Europe. In brand profiles we look at newbies Templeton, SUPERbrand and REKD. Source’s Sunglasses Trend Report (p.29) sees a big step forward in performance technology, while our Longboard Trend Report (p.55) highlights a sector that with well educated sales staff, can produce decent extra revenue, and done incorrectly can leave your store with excess product and a bad rep. Finally, back due to popular demand, we have returned the hard working boardsports industry personnel to our front cover. Props to Rip Curl Marketing Manager Jean-Seb Estienne for this issue’s banger. Keep an eye out for our online gallery of all this issue’s entries. Always Sideways. Harry Mitchell Thompson Editor
CONTENT 08 NEWS
51 BOOSTING SURFBOARD SALES
11 TRADESHOW REVIEWS
53 BUYER SCIENCE: SIMONE UNTERRAINER
14 ON-SNOW DEMO REVIEWS
55 LONGBOARD MARKET TREND REPORT 2016
16 RETAILER PROFILE – RED SNAPPER
61 BRAND PROFILE: REKD
19 4 SEASON ORDERING CYCLES
63 BRAND PROFILE: TEMPLETON
22 SURFBOARDS TREND REPORT 2015
64 BRAND PROFILE: SUPERBRAND
27 SURVIVING FUTURE SHOCK
66 GREENROOMVOICE
29 SUNGLASSES 2015 TREND REPORT
68 NEW PRODUCTS
38 BIG WIG INTERVIEW: FILIP GOOD, GOPRO
71 MARKET INTELLIGENCE
40 RIDE O’METER
78 EVENTS
43 SUP MARKET OVERVIEW 2015
81 ONE EYED MONSTER
48 SNOWBOARDING’S NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Boardsport SOURCE is published bi-monthly © ESB. All Rights Reserved
On the cover: Jean-Seb Estienne, Rip Curl Marketing Manager - pic: Guillaume Bachet/Rip Curl
www.boardsportsource.com
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission, except for permitted fair dealing under the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. Application for permission for use of copyright material including permission to reproduce extracts in other public works shall be made to the publishers. Full acknowledgement of author, publisher and source must be given. The views expressed in this publication are not those necessarily held by the Publisher. ISSN # 1478-4777 7
INDUSTRY NEWS
BRIGHT MOVES TO NEW LOCATION NEXT TO SEEK
ELECTRIC APPOINTS ETIENNE PINON AS EMEA HEAD OF SALES
Bright will have a new location for their summer tradeshow in Berlin. After three successful events at the old department store, Warenhaus Jandorf, Bright is moving next to fellow tradeshow, SEEK. Bright’s new home, the Arena Glashaus will provide the extra market booths and space requested by exhibitors. The physical size of the tradeshow is up from 3500sqm to 5000sqm and overlooks the river Spree.
Electric have appointed Etienne Pinon as Sales Manager for the EMEA region. Etienne most recently served as Head of Sales for Europe at Neff Headwear and prior to that worked at Podium where he was responsible for brands including Matix, DVS and Lakai. Pinon will be based out of the brand’s offices in Anglet, SW France.
ROXY TURNS 25
GST FACTORY, AUSTRIA TO CLOSE SUMMER 2015
Roxy is 25 this year, and to celebrate, the girl’s brand is paying tribute to their three most successful athletes: Lisa Andersen, Kelia Moniz and Stephanie Gilmore with a series of online videos and promotions.
The GST Snowboard Factory will be ceasing production as of July 31, 2015. The workforce of 85 personnel was told the news on February 25. High Austrian production costs amid the price erosion in the marketplace are partly to blame while the turnover from the factory fell from ¤12 million for 2014/2015’s orders to ¤7 million for 2015/2016’s orders.
COLOUR WEAR OPENS NEW HQ IN GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN Colour Wear have opened a new HQ just outside of Gothenburg, Sweden. The Swedish brand have gained traction quickly with their stylish outerwear and apparel that nods to its country of origin. They have transformed a 19th century factory building into a space capable of dealing with the requirements of one of Europe’s finest outerwear brands. The space spans across 500m², and has a kitchen, gym, showroom and office space.
SURFSTITCH TURN THINGS AROUND AND HAVE AMBITIOUS PLANS SurfStitch is looking to deliver its first profit in three years. Founders Lex Pederson and Justin Cameron recently bought back a majority share in the company from previous owners Billabong and also acquired Billabong’s American online retailer Swell, and Quiksilver’s European platform, Surfdome. The company is predicting a 30% increase in sales for the year, and expect EBITDA to swing from a loss of (A)$2.1 million to a profit of (A)$5.1 million. The company plans to move into new markets including: Asia, Canada, South America, Spain and Italy, with language and currency specific sites, using their systems already in place.
BLUE TOMATO TO EXPAND IN EUROPE Blue Tomato has plans to expand in Europe beyond its current Austrian/ Germany network. In the long run, the plan is to extend Blue Tomato’s coverage – both stores and online – beyond German-speaking countries (currently stores are divided 50/50 between Austria and Germany). Zumiez acquired the Austrian-based action sports retail chain Blue Tomato for ¤59.5 million in June 2012, and at the time of writing Blue Tomato has 19 stores in Europe. “So as we look out into the future with Blue Tomato, our vision remains the same, which is that we want to build in Europe, and I think we have the opportunity to build it, into a pan-European business,” said Rick Brooks, Executive Officer of Zumiez Inc.
SMITH AND OUTDOOR TECH ANNOUNCE HELMET AUDIO PARTNERSHIP Smith and Outdoor Tech have announced a partnership that will see the two brands collaborate on ‘drop-in audio systems’ for all smith adult helmets. The audio systems will be sold separately, and will easily install into the earpad liners for use with audio devices. 8
BILLABONG TURNS THE TIDE, ENDS FY2014 BACK AT PROFITABILITY The Australia-based boardsports mainstay – home of brands Billabong, Element, Plan B Skateboards, RVCA VonZipper and more – has been navigating choppy waters for the past four years. And the rest of the business has been paying close attention, as the publicly-traded company is a canary in the coalmine for the health of the entire industry. Now the tide has officially turned: On February 26, 2015, Billabong International Limited reported financial results for the six months ended Dec. 31 with the first net profits since 2011.
FOX HEAD APPOINTS PAUL. E HARRINGTON AS CEO
Fox Head have appointed former Easton-Bell Sports CEO Paul E. Harrington as their new CEO. The company entered into a recapitalization deal with Altamont Capital Partners in December 2014, and Scott Olivet served as Interim CEO. Harrington joined Altamont in 2013 and was sitting on the boards of fellow Altamont action sports brands DaKine and Mervin Manufacturing before taking on the new role of Fox Head CEO.
ARC’TERYX APPOINTS NEW EMEA CONSUMER AND CHANNEL MARKETER Technical outdoor clothing company Arc’teryx, has appointed Stéphane Tenailleau as their new EMEA Consumer and Channel Marketer. Tenailleau most recently oversaw the re-launch of French women’s lifestyle brand DDP, and previously worked at Billabong Europe for nine years.
GIRL SKATEBOARDS LATEST COMPANY TO PARTNER WITH ALTAMONT Girl Skatebooards has entered into a partnership with private equity firm Altamont Capital Partners. This news comes on the heels of Altamont’s recent partnerships with boardsports mainstays HUF and Brixton, as well as acquisitions of DaKine from Billabong, and Mervin Manufacturing from Quiksilver. No details of the deal have been announced yet, but in an interview with CEO Megan Baltimore told Source they were able to “restructure our balance sheet and now have more financial resources available to support our brands. That means more freedom in product development and more marketing support for our athletes and retailers.”
#76
RIP CURL SIGNS MAJOR PARTNERSHIP WITH SURF SNOWDONIA Surf Snowdonia in the UK, the world’s first artificial wave to open its doors to the public has announced a major partnership with Rip Curl. The facility, due to open in summer of this year will see its Academy kitted out in Rip Curl wetsuits and Rip Curl products will also be for sale in the on-site shop. The facility will generate waves of up to two metres in height, that will peel for up to 150 metres.
WSL OPEN SUPER FUNCTIONAL 10,000 SQUARE-FOOT HQ IN SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA To coincide with the start of the new season, and the re-branding of the ASP to WSL, the surfing body has opened a huge office space in Santa Monica. The HQ sprawls 10,000 square feet and has been designed by eco architect Kevin Cozen and features a fully pro sound stage, gym, locker rooms and space for 50 WSL employees to work.
CONTOUR CAMERA PARTNERS WITH ANTIX Contour and Antix signed a collab deal at ISPO that will see Contour use Antix’s auto-editing technology to make editing and sharing their awesome moments easier.
RIDE APPOINT CARSON SCHUBERT AS GLOBAL MARKETING MANAGER Ride have appointed Carson Schubert as their new global marketing manager. Schubert was previously brand and marketing manager at High Cascade Snowboard Camp. Carson will work alongside Sean Tedore, Ride’s global brand director, and Tanner McCarty, Ride’s marketing coordinator.
DVS HARDGOODS EUROPE LAUNCHED AT ISPO BY VENTURA INC. Ventura Inc launched the DVS European hardgoods line at ISPO in February on the DVS shoes stall. The hardgoods line includes: skateboards, helmets, protective equipment, beanies, caps, belts and backpacks. At ISPO Ventura Inc appointed a number of distributors for particular countries and territories, some of which already handle the DVS shoe distribution.
NEFF TO GO DIRECT IN ITALY THROUGH FRESCO DISTRIBUTION Neff have gone direct in Italy, with Fresco Sales Agency taking on the brand. Neff join DVS, Lakai, Makia, Colour Wear, Diamond and DGK on the Fresco books.
PENNY SKATEBOARDS NOW AVAILABLE TO BUY DIRECT IN GERMANY & AUSTRIA THROUGH ABSOLUTE BOARD CO. Absolute Board Co., the owner of: Penny Skateboards, Z Flex, Seven and Uppercut Deluxe has appointed Steve Richter to lead the development of The Absolute Board Co. Sales Team across Germany and Austria. They will now sell direct to stores across the two countries.
TKC SALES MANAGEMENT TEAM ACQUIRES COMPANY FROM PRIVATE SHAREHOLDERS The management team from UK-based TKC Sales has agreed a deal to acquire the company from its private shareholders. The management team, comprising of MD Matt Woodruffe and Finance Director, Paul Wearmouth have financial backing from Lloyds Bank and the deal sees the previous owners leave the company after 25 years. Woodruffe and his team doubled sales in the previous 10 years, and are positioning themselves for further strategic growth. TKC Sales represents Nordica, Tecnica, Mi-Pac, Element and many more brands it sells to over 1,600 key accounts in the UK.
21SPORTSGROUP TO ACQUIRE PLANET-SPORTS Despite Puccini, former parent company of Planet-Sports filing for liquidation, 21sportsgroup have managed to come to an agreement whereby they will acquire Planet-Sports. After Puccini went into liquidation, the liquidation administrator and the 21group quickly came to a new understanding. 21sportsgroup had already applied for the change of ownership with the registering of companies before the breakdown of the agreement with Puccini. Jörg Mayer, Founder and CEO of 21sportsgroup is looking to cater for a broader customer base: “Despite the economic troubles of the holding company Puccini, PlanetSports has a great standing in the actions sports landscape and is with good reason the prefered supplier to numerous customers!”
CAPITA TO OPEN SNOWBOARD FACTORY IN AUSTRIA CAPiTA have just released plans to open The Mothership, the most progressive snowboard factory in the world, in the autumn of this year. In 2013 CAPiTA acquired the ELAN factory, the biggest snowboard factory in the world - but according to CAPiTA President, Blue Montgomery, the company’s plan was never to run such a large-scale business. Instead, The Mothership will have zero CO2 emissions, and be a 100 per cent hydro and solar powered factory. The facility in Feistritz a.d. Gail, Austria will span 53,000 square feet, with a 3/4 mile (1.2 km) long testing slope on-site. All current staff will keep their jobs.
MERVIN APPOINT MARIAN KAEDING EUROPEAN GM Mervin Manufacturing have appointed former Burton European Marketing Director, Marian Kaeding to run their European operation out of their new Munich-based HQ. The company opened its Munich office in Autumn of last year. Kaeding, working in close collaboration with the team in the company’s global headquarters in Seattle, Washington, will oversee all aspects of Mervin’s day-today European operations.
37.5™ APPOINTS NEW GENERAL MANAGER, EUROPE 37.5 have appointed textile performance veteran Edouard Liffran as their new European General Manager. Liffran has over 20 years experience in the textile industry, most recently running his own company; Sourciva as well as working in sales and development for a number of brands. 9
tradeshow review
TRADE SHOW REVIEW
ISPO, JANUARY 26 - 29, MUNICH, GERMANY ISPO Munich 2015 got underway with the white stuff on the ground providing a much-needed positive boost following this winter’s slow start. This year ISPO Munich was fully booked early on with 2,585 exhibitors taking a total of 104,940 square meters of space, with a considerable increase in exhibitors from the health and fitness segment as well as the outdoor segment, which saw more than 40 new exhibitors. Visitor numbers were similar to last year at 80,000 with growth from China, Turkey, Spain, Great Britain and the USA. The show continues to be by far the biggest winter sports trade show in Europe and offers an international flavour that no other show can equal. Boardsports continued to dominate halls A1, A2 and A3, with themed platforms bringing a sharper focus to what is on offer and enabling ISPO to help develop new market areas for brands.
ISPO, with lots of noise, lots of beer and lots of longboarding with lots of business. Combined with the Volcom ramp this was good old style boardsports mayhem. ISPO has really expanded in skate hardgoods over the last few years and The Onehundred presented by Sneakerfreaker showed a timeline of sneakers from the beginning to the latest trends. This was a taster of what to expect at next year’s show as ISPO looks to attract more skate shoe brands following on from the growth of the number of skate hardgoods exhibitors. Further along the hall, the launch of ISPO’s Cold Water Surfing platform in collaboration with EuroSIMA, Blue Magazine, Carve Magazine and Surf Nordic Magazine was a great success with many hotly debated subjects at the seminars that took place each day. This platform provides an axis around which the surf companies at the show can congregate and also attracted a number of first time exhibitors including Finisterre, Fomento Donostia, GlassyPro, Holysports, and Xcel.
In A1, the traditional home of the snowboard hardgoods brands, the visitor numbers and atmosphere reflected the general mood in the industry with yet another tough season underway. A few brands were missing but those at the show said that it gave them more Within A3 the Freeski and SUP platforms were popular as was the time with the key buyers than in Camp de Base collective organized previous years. Representatives by the OSV. The Camp de Base is Boardsports continued to dominate halls A1, A2 of the missing brands were a themed environment providing a walking the show demonstrating great ambiance for business and and A3, with themed platforms bringing a sharper that whatever the state of the was a particularly busy lunchtime focus to what is on offer and enabling ISPO to help snowboard demand cycle, key destination. The second edition of develop new market areas for brands. brands see the need to exhibit or the ISPO Freeski Summit carried visit the show. Talking of cycles on from where it left off last year one can see just looking at the size of stands what is happening in and really established itself as a focal point for new brands. Likewise the different sectors of the sports market. Five years ago the stands the SUP area continued to give exposure to retailers of this growth used to get smaller as you walked form A1 and A6, whereas now it’s market. Elsewhere The ISPO Textrends forum continues to grow in the reverse, and in another five years time it will no doubt have all importance as marketing and product development personnel have changed again. That’s the market for you, and it demonstrates the realized the benefits of only having to go to one show to look at both advantages a diverse show, such as ISPO, has to offer by providing brands and suppliers. a stable background for brands in an ever-changing market. ISPO inspire continued to push the benefits of doing the right thing. ISPO award winners from action sports brands included the ISPO Eco Tailgate continued to create a buzz with its congregation of freeride product of the year for Picture Organic’s Hubber Helmet. Gold award brands and expert talks bringing a renewed vigour and the early winners YES for their 20/20 Powderhull, Billabong for its Apex boa evening booth parties brought the hall to a noisy conclusion each pack and also for their Furnace carbon wetsuit, Dragon for the NFX night. In its new location at the far end of A1, the redesigned ISPO goggle, NOW for their Carbon Ramie highback, Giro for the Contact Brand New village saw 50 newcomers from all over the globe goggle and POC for the Auric. exhibiting including the HEXO+ drone, the winner of the Accessories category. ISPO now presents a stronger boardsports offering than ever with its growing skate and surfing offering on top of its traditional strengths In A2 the outerwear and optical and skate brands continue to in the winter sports markets. See you at next year’s show, which is on dominate. The Longboard embassy, organized by 40inch Longboard from January 24 to 28, back to its usual weekday slot from Sunday to Magazine, hosted the largest collection of longboard brands ever Wednesday. assembled in Europe. This year this was one of the busiest areas at
11
trade show reviews
TRADE SHOW REVIEWS BRIGHT, JANUARY 19-21, BERLIN GERMANY This was the last edition of Bright to be held at the Warenhaus Jandorf, the old department store as plans to move next to fellow tradeshow SEEK have just been announced. The show attracted a wider mix of visitors as the Berlin fashion week regulars tried to make sense of the chasm created by the near collapse of BBB into a sideshow of around 50 brands. The number of visitors overall at Berlin fashion week had dropped and getting last minute flights or hotel rooms was not a problem. Bright’s share of the visitors grew, however, as there was a small growth in visitor numbers at the show compared to the previous season with Bright’s corridors busiest on the first two days. Bright remains the most important European platform for the European streetwear and sneaker business with the contingent of foreign visitors remaining at over 50%. The 300 exhibiting brands represent a well-balanced mix of the sneaker, streetwear and skateboarding products. The ground floor hosted many bold street fashion brands, the first floor showcased many long-term Bright
regulars and on the second floor, in use for the winter for the first time, were brands such as Carhartt, The Hundreds and Undefeated. The 4th edition of the Bright European Skate Awards in collaboration with Vans, Nixon, Budweiser and Red Bull was held at a different House of Vans venue form last year. Definitely a bigger and better evening for all involved. Among the award winners were: Madars Apse for Kingpin European Skateboarder of the year. Polar Skate Co. picked up brand of the year for the second year in a row and Belgian Skateshop Lockwood were crowned Shop of the year. As mentioned before, Bright is moving next to fellow tradeshow, SEEK. Bright’s new home, the Arena Glashaus Am Flutgraben 12435 overlooks the river Spree and will provide an extra 1500 sqm of space. This summer’s dates are July 8—10, 2015 www.brighttradeshow.com
JACKET REQUIRED, FEBRUARY 4-5, 2015, LONDON, UK The UK menswear tradeshow, showcasing premium menswear casuals at The Old Truman Brewery was busier then last time with a steady stream of UK and international buyers working their way through the two floors of the tradeshow. Brands commented that UK buyers are looking closer to home for sourcing, and the show is benefitting from the overall strength of the UK economy and the damaged credibility of Berlin fashion week following the demise of BBB. International buyers were there as the London scene continues to be one of the major drivers in the European streetwear market. Amongst the 225 brands at the show there was a wider a spectrum of streetwear, footwear and accessories
than in previous years. Addict, Deus Ex Machina, Dickies, Element, Globe, Herschel Supply Co, Lightning Bolt, MakeMake, Mipac, Navitas, Nixon, Poler Stuff, Raen Optics, RVCA, Santa Cruz, Stance, Uppercut Deluxe, Volcom and WESC were all at the show. The show continues to be very much a rack show with brand image all about the product and nothing else. But if you’re looking to expand in the UK streetwear market then this is where you need to be. The summer edition of the show takes place from 29 - 30 July. www.jacket-required.com
SLIDE, JANUARY 27-29, TELFORD ,UK With the UK economy on the up, it was no surprise that this year’s Slide was the strongest show for many years. With Slide taking place before ISPO this year, it was also the first tradeshow in Europe to exhibit the snowsports industry’s products for the 15/16 winter, giving buyers plenty of time to make their selections whilst meeting order deadlines for production. Slide had record exhibitor figures with stats showing 56% of all visitors were interested in snowboarding products, no doubt boosted by the resurgence in the popularity of UK snowboarding following the Olympics. For Snowboarding brands, the UK market has been the star performer in Europe this year. The show was fully sold out even after a significant increase in floor space was added, so the Slide was bigger than in the last few years with over 250 brands exhibiting. New and returning exhibitors included Penguin Clothing, Marchon Eyewear, Peak Performance, Love Inc. Snowboarding, Thule, Sinner,
12
Columbia, O’Neill (both eyewear and apparel), Nutcase, Vans. This year’s Slide Award winners, judged by retailers and media over the first two days of the show were Atomic’s new super lightweight Backland ski touring boot in Hardgoods, The ‘Bountiful Jacket’ by Dare 2b in the software category and in the accessories category, the Scott Alpride Pro 12 airbag beat off competition from 16 other products. This remains the key event in the UK snow industry calendar and an easy decision for specialist retailers. Analysis of visitors show that an impressive 75% of visitors are key decision-makers. Slide this year really was a showcase of all that is good and healthy in British winter sports. With the ISPO show moving forward in the calendar it will be interesting to see where Slide’s dates move to for 2016. www.slideuk.co.uk
on snow demo
ON SNOW DEMOS PRO SHOP TEST, JANUARY 25-27 ANDALO (TRENTINO), ITALY Pro Shop Test’s fifth edition managed to bring in a wave of enthusiasm in this season of poor snow. The choice of Andalo as the new location, surrounded by the beauty of the Brenta Dolomites, was a success. The test village was located in the cable car parking lot and hosted 99 brands with 1,415 products who showed to 81 Stores and 233 store personnel. On the Saturday, the first Freeride Forum - a conference dedicated exclusively to professionals - had two seminars. The first, presented by Benedetto Sironi of Pointbreak, provided a wide and interesting overview of the European and Italian market, using data provided by Outdoor Sports Valley and Source magazine. The second covered freeride and security and was presented Günther Acherer of Panorama Diffusion and was followed by a practical test the next day.
On the Sunday evening ISPO provided the welcome aperitif for this year’s Snow Shop Awards. The ISPO Best Snowboard Shop award was won by the Morgan Air Eupilio shop, the winner for the Pointbreak Best Shop Activity went to the store Sportmarket Cornuda for the activity “Gite The Blast Snowboard Club.” The Source Lifetime Achievement was presented to Enzo Bargagna of Hoasy Surf Shop Livorno, the very first snowboard shop opened in Italy. The next edition of the Pro Shop Test will switch back to Bardonecchia, last year’s location and on the opening day of Tuesday will invite snowboard teachers, schools and snowboard rental operators. www.proshoptest.com
SHOPS 1ST TRY, JANUARY 25- 27 ALPBACHTAL – WILDSCHÖNAU, AUSTRIA Shops 1st Try moved to a new location after five years at Landeck. Even with snow falling on two days of the event it was easily accessible from all directions, just 75 minutes from Munich, 45 minutes from Innsbruck and 1hour 45 minutes from Salzburg. The exhibitor area was in a car park at the base of the cable car, making both set up and take down much quicker and easier this year. The first day was overcast, with some small showers of snow throughout the day to add to the previous day’s snowfall. Though the season had not been very blessed, conditions at the event were pretty good. At the end of day one’s testing, the first ever exhibition dinner was held at the 1600m2 Alpbach congress centre. Retailers were able to check out product displays, which were mounted on the walls while eating and drinking in a relaxed atmosphere. The buffet in the foyer was followed by the presentation of the Source/Shops 1st Try board design awards, which after two years of victory Goodboards came in second with Capita winning for the first time and Nitro coming in a close third. Then the
band SK Ambassadors featuring Holunder and Demograffics provided the evening’s entertainment. The sun came out for part of day two of the test and this was followed by a dinner at the Alphof hotel. Day three the weather closed in but business spirits were lifted as snow fell and more was forecasted. 50 brands exhibited with Slash by Gigi, Buddy Buddy, Now Bindings, 686 and Stepchild appearing for the first time. The event was attended by 139 shops, 89 of them independents with a total of 337 retail guests and 182 brand representatives. Over the three days 1535 boards, 909 bindings, 485 boots and 188 accessories tests were made. Some interesting figures were collected by Shops 1st Try’s very own Candy product tracking system. The breakdown of board tests was as follows: 49% all mountain, 31% freestyle, 15% freeride, 5% jib, 1% touring and the profile of boards tested was 41% hybrid, 29% camber,13% reverse camber and 16% flat. www.shops-1st-try.com
SNOW AVANT PREMIERE, JANUARY 18-20, LA CLUSAZ, FRANCE The sun shone bright all day long on the first day of testing at the 14th edition of Snow Avant Premiere in La Clusaz. Stoke levels were high after two days of heavy snowfall left the terrain with a good knee high covering, providing testers with face shots a plenty and perfect conditions to try out FW15/16’s snowboard hardgood offerings. Thanks to this glorious sunshine and fresh snow, day one was a quiet one in the test area with most choosing the mountain over the tented area. As the skies turned grey and the ground white on day two and three, brands and retailers got down to business. The demo
was attended by 821 retailer staff from 328 shops, an increase of 3% compared to last year. There where 3534 product tests amongst the 50 brands represented. This was Signal’s first time at the demo whilst Stepchild and Arbor returned this year. 12.5% of visitors came from overseas with Switzerland, Great Britain, Belgium and Germany represented. This year for the first time brands could also exhibit their products inside a 450 metre-squared showroom tent enabling retailers to quickly see the highlights of every brand in a warm atmosphere. www.sportair.fr
With ISPO moving forward next year to the January 24, some of the on-snow demos will probably take place on the same dates, so brands please make sure you have planned for enough samples. 14
retailer profile
RED SNAPPER You’ll have noticed from Source’s recent articles on Cold Water Surf, and the CWS platform at ISPO, that it’s a trend people are really starting to take seriously. In this issue’s Retailer Profile, Source spoke with our good friends over at Nordic Surfers Mag to see which surf shop is doing it best in Scandinavia. Here’s Matthew Baxter, owner of Red Snapper in Malmö, Sweden to give us an insight into the Scandi CWS retail scene. Please give us a brief history of Red Snapper. I started the store in 2005 here in Malmö, Sweden, but I’ve been surfing here since 1996, and I wanted to make it easier to get good suits, boots and gloves.
years ago and it sells really well. I have customers that I email when the gear arrives and they come in straight away to check it out. This summer I will be stocking Afends for the first time and I’m sure that’ll go well too. If the style’s cool and the quality’s top notch, the customers are into it.
Scandinavia is gaining a lot of traction as Cold Water Surfing becomes ‘trendy’. Why is this? I think Norway is, and deserves international recognition for its good waves and empty line-ups. Sweden has its days but they’re few and far between. We’re better known for our beautiful ladies, Ikea, and meatballs!
Please break down the difference between the requirements of a Scandinavian surfer to those elsewhere in Southern Europe. Obviously in the winter months we need thicker suits. An integrated hood is more or less a necessity. If your gear is not up to the task, you’ve got half an hour in the water and it’s over. I mean, once the foot or hand goes numb, it’s all downhill from there. When you travel an hour for surf, you want to be able to stay in the water for up to four hours. Plus, it could be a week before there’s waves again. It’s a bit like anywhere... With accurate weather forecasts, you can see the surf coming from almost a week away. That means you’ve got to start making plans; it’s usually only a short window and you want to make the most of it. Surfers here are skipping lectures and sneaking out of work - but that’s the same, the world over.
Which brands do you see are really contributing to Cold Water Surf in an effective way? I don’t want to fence sit, but they’re all pushing each other, which can only be a positive. Brands are only as good as their last suit, boot or glove. Personally, I use the O’Neill Pyro 6/4. I think the design’s excellent, as well as the flex. The boots I’m currently using are Xcel Drylock RT 7mm and I use Xcel Drylock 5mm three finger gloves. With those, you can withstand anything the Swedish winter throws at you. Having said that, I think Patagonia are on the right track with their environmentally conscious suits and high quality Japanese neoprene. Are new lines important to your product mix? As far as cold water wetsuits are concerned, I’d say no. Generally, the customers know what they want. If someone’s stoked on their suit, boots or glove, they let their mates know. For example, a lot of the time, customers will come in and say that their mate is over the moon with the Drylock 7mm Round Toe Boot - and that’s the only one they’re interested in, so it makes it hard for new brands to break in. I’ve heard Billabong are stepping up with a new suit and I’ll definitely be checking that out. Clothing-wise? For sure. Rhythm’s a good example. I took them on board two
What trends do you see upcoming in surfboards? Everyone’s riding a bit shorter, but upping the volume a bit. The weight of the rubber and the lack of salt in the water means the extra volume is only an advantage. When you’re only surfing three or four times a month, it’s important to have the right board - or boards. A good analogy would be: ‘When entering the race; better a Ferrari than a Trabant...’ What kind of advice can you give other independent retailers who are trying to compete against the big box megastores? Stick to quality gear and make sure the customer is stoked with his or her purchase. When I’m ordering t-shirts and boardshorts, I’m going over it like a CSI agent. Make sure the gear you’re purchasing isn’t going to turn up in a chain store near you - or anywhere else, for that matter.
RED SNAPPER, MALMÖ, SWEDEN 16
2 versus 4 seasons
5 BENEFITS OF 4 SEASON ORDERING CYCLES Are the days of combined “Fall/Winter” and “Spring/Summer” seasons coming to an end? Report by Dirk Vogel Four seasons – it’s not just an incredibly tasty style of pizza anymore. Four seasons is also the de facto delivery model for a growing number of brands in the boardsports business. No more bundling together spring and summer (SS), and fall and winter (FW) into two-in-one seasonal product drops. Now each season gets a unique order and delivery date, replete with laser-focused designs, lookbooks and SKU counts. But wait a minute. At a time when the entire industry is sitting on excess amounts of overstock, isn’t ordering products even more frequently a bit… counter-productive? Unsurprisingly, some distributors report getting pushback from retailers reluctant to transition to a four-season model. “Obviously, we hear excuses like ‘we do not order Summer’ or ‘we only do Spring and Winter’”, said Jörg Ludewig, co-owner at Urban Supplies distribution in Germany, adding: “Some retailers have a hard time pre-booking in the first place, but in order to survive in the current, very retailer-unfriendly environment, you need to learn how to forecast properly.” EXTRA WORK ON BOTH SIDES Everybody questioned for this article agreed that the switch from two to four order seasons comes at a cost. “It means more work for the reps, buyers and the warehouse. Same for the brands where
design, marketing, and so on has to work twice as hard,” said Franz Josef Hoeller at FRESCO Distribution. “Obviously there is more work included [for brands] designing four instead of two lines, but usually there are quite a few carryovers or just some new colours,” said Jörg Ludewig. According to leading brands and distributors, it’s well worth the effort, as both sides reap the benefits. “The retailers receive a fresh new product offering to boost their sales a bit, more than two months ahead of the national [holiday] sales. The brands are getting that extra quarterly visibility through seasonal product offerings, special projects, and also get to benefit from the additional quarter sales,” said Antoine Soule, EMEA Product Line Manager of Footwear at DC Shoes Europe; a brand that’s always maintained a four-season model in Europe. For retailers, making the switch can potentially boost all aspects of their business. “Doing more smaller orders can help to keep your shelves good looking with a lot of new stuff and customers will notice and appreciate it. Other then that, your cash flow can be in better shape as payments get split into smaller invoices,” said F.J. Hoeller at FRESCO. THE NEW STANDARD? Currently, F.J. Hoeller sees a clear dividing line between footwear
“Our advice is to have for each brand, full impacting marketing and design stories in order to propose clear and nice buying purpose to our end consumer. A full story is a story with a vision, a complete marketing strategy/plan, and a retail execution delivering the right product to our final consumer from the window to the visual merchandising execution on shop floor.” Jean-Louis Rodrigues, General Manager Billabong Europe 19
2 versus 4 seasons
“Doing more smaller orders can help to keep your shelves good looking with a lot of new stuff and customers will notice and appreciate it. Other then that, your cash flow can be in better shape as payments get split into smaller invoices,” F.J. Hoeller at FRESCO distribution. and apparel companies: “Among shoe brands, nearly everyone is having four lines and stores appreciate it, although summer is a very small season. For clothing, most brands aren’t doing it, as stores are not willing to buy into four collections. But the situation is different in the U.S where you basically need four lines to fight against your competition.” Billabong Europe General Manager Jean-Louis Rodrigues notes: “We took the decision to have an in-between situation, as Europe in our distribution is not used to buying four full seasons. Now we have two big seasons and two lighter seasons in Summer and Winter/Holidays.” In the long run, this in-between situation will most likely be over soon, as putting ink on those order sheets four times per year is already becoming the new standard for buyers: “Most shops actually do four or at least three seasons. Those who do two only either are smaller or just happy with what they do. The key players do four seasons and it helps them,” said Jörg Ludewig at Urban Supplies distribution in Germany. With that said, here are five reasons why it’s time for retailers to stop worrying and learn to love the four-seasons ordering cycle. 1. INVENTORY CONTROL As the twin shadows of overstock and price-slashing hover over the retail segment, ordering four times per year helps keep them at bay. “The clear advantage is more new and fresh stuff for the stores. Other than that, the store has smaller invoices to cover, as they do more orders with smaller quantities,” says F.J. Hoeller at FRESCO. Inventory control also improves for brands, said Jörg Ludewig: “Our brands need to have some stock for re-orders. So having four seasons makes the forecast for stock inventory a little easier.” Frequent and strategic re-orders also help focus on developing certain brands, says Billabong Europe GM, Jean-Louis Rodrigues: “Our advice is to have for each brand, full impacting marketing and design stories in order to propose clear and nice buying purpose to our end consumer. A full story is a story with a vision, a complete marketing strategy/plan, and a retail execution delivering the right product to our final consumer from the window to the visual merchandising execution on shop floor.” 2. SEASON-APPROPRIATE PRODUCT Ordering products for autumn – traditionally a mild-weather season in Europe – together with heavy winter garments can be a stretch. “Four seasons also mean that collections can be adapted better to the specific need of the season, covering fall and winter with the same line can sometimes be tricky,” said Franz Josef Hoeller at FRESCO. Brands are working hard to promote their seasonal drops to make shops interesting destinations. “Consistency in the ordering cycles and trade/ marketing operations on a quarterly basis, educate the consumer on the refreshment of the retailer’s offer outside the well-known Spring and Fall in-Store deliveries. Basically, it pushes more consumers to enter the shops to check out the Q2 & Q4 collections,” adds Antoine Soule at DC Shoes. At Billabong, Jean-Louis Rodrigues is on the same page: “We offer retailers ‘fresher’ products with very good in-season product offers and also nice collabs, which as a result makes a real difference with vertical retailers and our direct competitors.”
3. OPPORTUNITY TO ADD FRESH BRANDS When retailers make a habit of ordering more specifically, more often, bringing new brands on board also gets easier. Just look at the story of upcoming apparel brand Vissla, as told by Derek O’Neill, Vissla Europe President: “Vissla arrived on the market in Europe in May 2014 without any forward orders being in place for either summer or winter. Our reps arrived at the door of some of the most core retailers in Europe, with an unknown brand, and with no forward orders. The fact that they were able to get immediate placement and floor space midseason in some of the best accounts shows that the retailers always have room for new fresh product.” “We continued to get placement of new product every month. It shows me that the retailers are open to working outside some of the traditional delivery models if you present them with something different. While we are now presenting lines for forward orders like the rest of the market, moving to multiple seasons with smaller and limited product ranges more frequently is our way forward,” said Derek O’Neill. 4. FASTER TREND RESPONSE Blame it on the Internet, but trends move lightning-fast these days. And just to show you what our industry is up against: Spanish fast-fashion powerhouse Zara is able to crank out 52(!) collections per year. Taking a pro-active approach is logical for brands such as Billabong, where Jean-Louis says offering “more ‘freshness’ in terms of product offer brings the brand closer to the trends and as a consequence closer to the consumer demand and the inventory turns more, meaning four times or more per year.” According to Antoine at DC Shoes, a faster trigger finger benefits small retailers: “Especially for the independent retailers, the quarterly collection brings something fresh for them and helps differentiate from most of the key accounts running their buying budget on semester level.” However, there’s work to be done, said F.J. Hoeller at FRESCO: “What stores like are quick strikes during the year with special designs that are new, small and exciting. But especially in Italy retailers are not very used to getting a lot of shipments during the year, they like two or three big shipments from a brand.” 5. NOBODY HAS A CRYSTAL BALL The sagacious Yoda said it best: Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future. So why put all your eggs in one basket – and project for six months in advance – when new trends (see 4.) pop up and new brands emerge (see 3.) within days? “Ordering for six months out is a challenge for everyone both brand and retailer. And as a global brand we will follow the multiple season approach,” said Vissla Europe President, Derek O’Neill. “Unless you are a fortune teller, forecasting for three instead of six months can minimize your risks and the chances of wrong buys are smaller,” said Jörg Ludewig at Urban Supplies, adding: “I know that probably all retailers hate pre-booking, but if you want to run a proper business, how can you get away without?”
“Some retailers have a hard time pre-booking in the first place, but in order to survive in the current, very retailer-unfriendly environment, you need to learn how to forecast properly.” Jörg Ludewig, co-owner at Urban Supplies distribution 20
photo: Firewire - Ben Thouard
trend report
SURFBOARD TRENDS 2015 As a primary indicator of the healthy state of hardgoods, surfboards are standing out with a range that’s more diverse than ever. A complication as well as an opportunity for retailers. By David Bianic In the mixed up sector that is the surfboard market, there’s only one line that unifies all the players: “the bottom-line”, the last line of the balance sheet, as the sector’s turnover continues to grow. By how much? It’s impossible to say because unlike its hanger on, textiles, the surfboard market is only too rarely probed.
Many people can confirm this slow but steady increase in sales, such as UWL in La Rochelle, one of the biggest shapers in France: “we have recorded growth of 5%. We make an average of four boards per day over 241 working days, that’s around 970 boards” highlights Renaud and Thomas Cardinal.
this situation, the retailer is continually losing control of these surfboard sales while even the ‘mass producers’ are short-circuiting the traditional model by offering direct sales. This is the case for Quiver boards: “In 2015, they were only available to buy directly from the factory.” This model exonerates them from the restraints of distance with boards being delivered to Europe with subsidised cost reductions, explains Pani from Seabase, a manufacturer and wholesaler of materials aimed at European shapers. Even Bic Sport have slowly started to do this, even though they are already present in big box sport stores (Decathlon): “We aren’t pushing sales from the site; we don’t do discounts or promotions and Internet buyers have to pay for delivery. Commercial activity is therefore reduced. Online sales is more a service for those who live far away from shops,” justifies the brand’s communication manager Benoît Tréguilly. For the newcomer Shaper.fr, wholesaler of materials for shapers and surf shops, “online sales now represent 70% of activity”, indicates Jean-Marc Raymond. Is this something to send physical surf shops as we know them into a panic?
DIRECT SALES: A SHORT-CIRCUIT ON THE MARKET Shops have never been the only sales channel for surfboards, this has been shared between direct sales from the craftsmen and a presence amongst retailers at a local or international level. In
Retailers have gradually been turning toward the top-of-the-range or very top-of-the-range boards with large price tags. Amongst these models sometimes fetching over ¤1000 for a shortboard, imports represent a market in full bloom. Pierre-Bernard Gascogne, CEO of
“We haven’t studied surfboard sales since 2008 but I think that the figure has risen by 20-30% because the number of participants is constantly rising,” asserts Franck Laporte, director of EuroSIMA. Based on an estimation of 43,000 boards sold between 2008-2009, it must be over 50,000 now. This is more than just growth; it’s reassuring stability.
22
trend report
“More and more surf shops are increasing their top-of-the-range selection. Obviously the rising dollar has only increased these prices but in many areas, luxury is not in crisis!” Pierre-Bernard Gascogne, CEO of Surf System
Surf System in Biarritz has deeply reviewed his economic model, passing up the classic distribution of good value boards from Asia in favour of importing American boards signed by Chris Christenson, Almond or Bob Mitsven: “More and more surf shops are increasing their top-of-the-range selection. Obviously the rising dollar has only increased these prices but in many areas, luxury is not in crisis!” At ¤1 for $1.12, the exchange rate remains the biggest unknown for 2015. ORIGINALS VS COPIES The top-of-the-range selection is largely supplied by the neo-retro trend with classic longboards and hybrid shortboards with classy finishes (premium glass and tinted resin). The front-page news was when Surf System also started importing high-performance shortboards signed by Simon Anderson, Chilli, LSD, Aloha and Webber, models that were already present in Europe. One section of the clientele swear by “the real thing”, boards produced at the original site, even if they are rarely produced by the actual hand of the shaper in question… One of the alternatives is to invite them over to Europe, as UWL does all year round: guest shapers such as McCallum, Neal Purchase, Campbell Brothers, Elis Ericson…a guaranteed rare and therefore expensive board: “Guest shapers are really demanding on quality and don’t want to just make anything. In the end they achieve global recognition, which starts to pay off”, recognises Renaud Cardinal. The shaper scene in Europe hasn’t changed since last year, or the years before that, with a large gulf between entry-level boards and top-of-the-range. Bridging this gap is without doubt one of manufacturers’ and retailers’ hottest issues. “The gap between the bottom and top of the range is still massive and most boards for beginners are imported from China”, reminds Mark Carr, manager of Down The Line surf shop in Cornwall, England, bolstered by his stock of 400 boards. “We are trying to offer an alternative with boards that are shaped locally and really competitive without being part of a series.” Inspiration can be drawn from the success of skateboard decks adorned with shop names; there is an opportunity to be had here for retailers. “There is already a middle of the range market”, affirms Benoît Brecq, marketing director at Hoff Distribution. “VENON for example are offering boards with very nice shapes and very good materials at pretty attractive prices considering the quality of the materials.” Even the historical market players are having a go as Xavier Barjou from Surf Odyssey (Simon Anderson, DHD, Eric Arakawa, Maurice Cole…) in Landes confirms: “we are offering a range of quality boards for Rip Curl on sale for under ¤500 public price and made in Capbreton.” LADA AND BENTLEY IN THE SAME SHOP On a wild market, shared between dealers who have street cred and backyard shapers with reduced costs, the price of “normal consumption” boards are difficult to drag upwards: “They are simply not expensive enough and I can’t see that changing”, admits Pani from Seabase. An opinion shared by Darren Broadbridge from Euroglass,
manufacturer of Quiksilver Surfboards notably: “I always say that you can buy a Lada for ¤5000 but a Bentley will cost you ¤200,000, while an entry-level fish will cost you ¤400 and a retro Twin Mark Richards, polished and with fixed fins only costs ¤850.” This incoherent differential is draining growth and manufacturers’ revenue. As for entry-level and beginner boards, this category seems to be subjected to cheap production from sometimes very distant factories. “In my opinion plastic boards, whether they are made in Vanne or at Cobra in Thailand are enjoying success because they are responding to real needs,” affirms Jean-Marc from shaper.fr. Bic embodies the European alternative in this “entry-level” sector while “moulded boards are still in the loop” assures Benoît Tréguilly: “The majority of our sales are made in the Duratec range; moulded boards. “Meanwhile, the so-called plastic board has revolutionised surfing”, throws Benoît (Hoff) at detractors. HIGH PERFORMANCE + RETRO = PERFORMANCE HYBRIDS This integrated “macro-economic” data is yet to prove which shapes will make the year 2015, or rather, the few months that make up the majority of sales: “The biggest months of the year are July, August and December and the most reliable are January, February and March”, outlines Thomas Cardinal from UWL. A quick glance at the best-sellers is enough to indicate that the high-performance shortboard is putting up a good fight while Mark at Down The Line is singing a familiar song: “Channel Islands, JS Industries, Lost, Hayden, Pukas and Firewire are still our best-sellers. The 10% of surfers of very high standard are moving away from short, wide boards and coming back to more aggressive models similar to what they were surfing a few years ago but say 1/4 –1/2 an inch wider and 1-2 inches shorter.” While Mark confirms that the twin-fin single and mid-length fish are selling well, their market share is now much smaller. Mark Price from Firewire, a market heavyweight, explains this retreat through a spark of consciousness from surfers: “They have understood that they can get speed and the pure sensation of surfing on retro, higher-performance boards.” UWL’s top sellers are on a similar tack while their #1 is called the Legion, a hybrid shortboard with a rounded outline but aggressive nonetheless. “More compact, more volume, that’s what surfers are looking for. Even the most core surfers are looking for boards with more comfort,” affirms Renaud Cardinal, chief shaper. Radical shapes like the retro fish and mini Simmons “are petering out in favour of conventional outlines and volume distribution”, states Jean-Marc from Shaper.fr, “but maintain the shortest/widest mix to favour comfort and manoeuvrability.” In apparent decline, the pure, high-performance nonetheless remains that which sees the biggest turnover, reminds Darren from Euroglass, “because in this niche aimed at high-level or younger surfers, the performance factor is constantly increasing. And the boards are following this movement.” CONSERVATISM IN POWER While some like Firewire have shone thanks to their innovative constructions, “PU (polyurethane) remains the standard of quality and
“Guest shapers are really demanding on quality and don’t want to just make anything. In the end they achieve global recognition, which starts to pay off” Renaud Cardinal at UWL 23
trend report
photo: Firewire - Dave Nelson
“The gap between the bottom and top of the range is still massive and most boards for beginners are imported from China” Mark Carr, Manager of Down The Line surf shop in Cornwall, England.
is still the most economical in order to offer a decent price,” affirms Xavier from Surf Odyssey. “Even though we can see occasional crazes for Asian imports of EPS/epoxy, the lack of customer service always ends up killing this kind of product.” Surfers: conservative? “EPS/epoxy has its followers but it doesn’t match PU/PE in terms of versatility in all conditions. We have seen new methods of construction appear over the years but they all end up disappearing,” states Mark from his English shop. However, promises of the “green” board have launched a little ecocentric revolution in a surfing world built on lovely environmental pledges. Committed to this path since 2010, the French NOTOX are the only ones to pride themselves on a 100% clean workshop and to offer eco-friendly boards where flax replaces fibreglass. But that’s not it, “the NOTOX shapes are as appealing for performance and reliability as for their green aspect to which people subscribe but only on a secondary level”, acknowledges Benoît Rameix, the label’s founder. “Since 2011, we have sold 1200 flax boards”, at an average annual rate of sale of 400 boards, most are classic models… WOMEN, SURFERS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE “Cherchez la femme” went the song and it must be said that they have only a small place in the range of surfboards on offer. Not because they don’t represent a market worthy of interest but the solutions on offer are just like for a lightweight male surfer! Equality, yes, indifference, no! While the female market is still running slowly as Mark from Down The Line points out, it may be because the same models are selling equally well to men as they are to women! The mismatch between mass media attention to women’s surfing and representation in shops (equipment) further proves this anomaly. An optical illusion or a grave mistake on the part of manufacturers? “I think there are less female surfers in the world than the market believes”, suggests Mark Price, “even though they constitute an important segment”, which Firewire cater for with “a wide range of boards undercut for light surfers, whether male or female.” Grommets are also on the list of categories elusive to pin down for the big 24
brands. Because of kids’ quick growth, parents object to buying them a topof-the-range board or they turn to local shapers for a tailor-made board. To counter this, Firewire have put in place a special price policy for Groms: “We prefer to take a smaller margin to reduce the public sale price.” PERSPECTIVES: A MULTIFACETED MARKET Build surfers’ loyalty, that’s a sneaky trick that even the “small” independents are starting to employ: “We have just put in place a loyalty card to reward surfers who have ordered boards from us for years,” explains Thomas from UWL in France. Others go further still with policies more seen in clothing up to now, such as Quiver: “Through our new campaign Rip or Return, we replace the board at no charge if surfers aren’t satisfied.” Launched at the end of January on their E-Series range, this unprecedented measure demonstrates the manufacturer’s trust in this potentially very dangerous customer service. Beyond the seasonal micro-trends, modern surfers possess a very eclectic profile range as Darren from Euroglass summarises: “We can count as many types who want to get their fins out of the water as those who prefer an old style soul arch. And even the most core of shops need to sell and offer boards for beginners. They need new people in the water who will later buy their dream boards.” On a market seemingly so specialised, a generalised range continues to be the wisest solution for retailers.
HIGHLIGHTS •
More performance hybrids (Firewire)
•
“More complicated boards: tinted resin, polished or super mat finish…” (UWL)
•
“Knowing the volumes of the boards.” (Euroglass)
•
Loyalty schemes
Surviving Future Shock by Dirk Vogel. Everything is speeding up. Every day brings changes at a faster and faster rate. It’s insane how much, as an industry, we have already adapted. Looking back only five years, the boardsports business was an entirely different place: Brick-and-mortar retail was thriving and European ecommerce only accounted for ¤245 billion in revenue per year. Today that figure has almost doubled, and stationary retail is in a state of upheaval. Who were the top five skateboard footwear companies in 2010? And today? How about sales numbers for boardsports apparel, then and now? It really feels like nothing is the same anymore.
Where’s it going to go? And how can we survive future shock? The first important step lies in realizing that we cannot control these changes. But we can control how they affect us. Instead of surrendering our minds to transience – which exhausts massive amounts of mental energy – Toffler suggests that we “consciously assess our own life pace.” And while change is inevitable, our quality of life depends on some degree of permanence; on things that remain unchanged amidst the confusion. Toffler calls them “personal stability zones,” permanent anchors for the way we feel about our selves and the world at large.
Right now we are witnessing, “a stream of change so accelerated that it influences our sense of time, revolutionizes the tempo of daily life, and affects the very way we ‘feel’ about the world around us,” wrote American writer and futurist Alvin Toffler in the 1970 bestseller, Future Shock. The book predicts the devastating impact of technological and societal change – too much change, too fast – on individuals: “Future shock is the dizzying disorientation brought on by the premature arrival of the future. Future shock is a time phenomenon, a product of the greatly accelerated rate of change in society.”
In this light, boardsports are a powerful part of the solution – not the problem. Our enduring relationships with our boards and the people we ride with are the personal stability zones in our lives. Our sources of relaxation, free from distractions. Our antidotes to the mind state of transience, anchors of our own reality. Because in the boardsports business, we are not selling equipment, or brands, or technologies – we are selling experiences. Permanent ones. Real sense and muscle memories that will stay with us forever and become part of who we are, not the fleeting short-term cerebral popcorn from digital media – gobbled up en masse and instantly forgotten.
Written more than 40 years ago, these words are unfolding their full weight today with the disruptive effects of the Internet on all walks of life. Web-powered companies like Uber and Airbnb are crushing timehonoured monopolies in the transportation and hospitality business. People’s livelihoods are at stake, clashes inevitable. In Madrid, five taxi service employees hunted down an Uber driver and threatened to kill him. “Millions of people will find themselves increasingly disoriented, progressively incompetent to deal rationally with their environment,” Toffler predicted. The boardsports business is no exception. It was all good just five years ago, now we are left to deal with the changes. Everything appears to be floating in space. Toffler calls the resulting mind state transience, “a mood, a feeling of impermanence.” Fashion trends are floating in space. Consumer brand loyalty is floating in space. Price points are floating in space. Special sales have broken through the stratosphere; everything is on sale all the time somewhere on the Internet – 20% less, 30% less, 70% less. It’s all floating in space.
Over the past decades, boardsports have proven again and again: They are more than short-lived fads that are ‘here today and gone tomorrow’, but are instead real cultures and lifestyles. Most of the digital gimmicks we waste our time with nowadays – ‘social’ networks, selfies, always-on messaging, online price-slashing platforms – have yet to pass their endurance test. It sure is getting overwhelming, though. “The waves of coded information turn into violent breakers and come at a faster and faster clip, pounding at us, seeking entry, as it were, to our nervous system,” wrote Alvin Toffler in Future Shock. We are the ones to decide what we let into our nervous systems and into our daily lives. Boardsports provide permanence in an age of transience, shelter from a storm that will surely pass. Not all change is necessarily progress, and people are already starting to reclaim their quality of life. Whatever shocks the future may bring, boardsports will always be here as part of the solution, not the (digital) pollution.
27
photo: dragon
trend report
SUNGLASSES TREND REPORT Sunnies are great accessories for (almost) any kind of shop. They take up little space, rarely have warranty issues and are always in season (even in winter, as Electric’s new Winter Lens showcases). And while there are new models, trends and innovations launched every year, this category is a true classic and even the most eccentric styles will always find devoted fans. Yet for this summer, we’d recommend you follow along these lines. Report by Anna Langer TRENDS The overall trend concerning individual style and taste has been prevalent for quite a while now and doesn’t stop at eyewear. If anything, it’s double as important here, with the brand’s individual approach becoming just as important as the consumers’. “It’s about clearly standing for something and defining your unique position in the market place” explains Dragon’s Mike Tobia, and “unique aesthetics” (Shred), tying with a growth of subcultures, as Melon notice: “People are becoming more interested in riding alternative shapes (surfboards and snowboards) and supporting independent brands,” says cofounder James Pointer. Neff combine both sides of this by constructing their own identity around an “affordable and diverse” collection that allows consumers “to purchase several different frames and be able to build their own look around who they want to be on any given day” says Kevin Dell, Director of Merchandising.
Shifting the focus back to the roots of company identities also means that sports performance is becoming an important factor again and is often addressed in special collections, separate from more lifestyleoriented lines. Quiksilver and Roxy work with “a new segmentation which allows to propose two ranges for two different consumers: Performance & Lifestyle,” that are sold to different retailer types and focus on respectively relevant features. Oakley address this with a “completely new sports performance collection” that is “spearheaded by the iconic Jawbreaker full frame shield”, says EMEA Optics Brand Manager Axel Brosch. And they are by far not the only ones bringing wrap styles back. With the Mudslinger, Electric name a wrap model as one of their key styles for 2015 too, as do Quiksilver, Neff, Bushnell and Arnette. Nike SB on the other hand define the whole line through sports: “Athlete’s performance is what drives us and defines our style.”
“Classic style lines with organic design return for a cleaner look” - Spy 29
trend report
“Those who bought Quiksilver / Roxy at the beginning are the people who need to wear prescription glasses now. However teenagers and kids are still our best target because Quiksilver and Roxy bring some fun to medical accessory thanks to logos, colours and new concepts.”
photo: dragon
Performance and Adaptive Technology “provides optimal functionality with features that adapt to demanding outdoor conditions”, Dragon’s Mike Tobia told us. Gloryfy’s “unbreakable transformer lens” and the Oakley PRIZM lens technology are two more examples, that “enhances vision and contrast for specific environments and applications” in “demanding conditions,” states Oakley EMEA Optics Brand Manager Axel Brosch. Electric work with melanin infused lenses, “that use the body’s natural defence against the harmful effects of the sun,” says Mike Neslon, VP of Global Product And Design; and Shred offer “unparalleled vision quality and durability through NXT NoDistorion™ proprietary liquid casting for crystal clear vision,” so CMO/CFO Federico Merle, that we already know from their goggles. Similar crossover performance solutions include Spy’s Happy Lens Technology, Smith’s ChromaPop, Sinner’s polarized SINTEC and photochromic Trans+ lenses as well as Dragon’s Predator Lens Technology, that is especially impact resistant and “available in an array of specially formulated tints ready to visually enhance and take on anything you throw at them.”
Lifestyle models continue the vintage-vibes from last year as well, showing a lot of “Vintage inspired frames” (Electric, Quiksilver, Roxy, Melon, Carve, Otis, Raen), revived classics (Filtrate, Gloryfy, Sabre) such as Wayfarer (Sinner, Neff, Urban Beach), Aviator (Urban Beach, Animal, Bushnell) and Cat Eye styles (Roxy, Urban Beach, Bushnell, Otis), or new variations of typical models like Smith’s Archive collection. Next to these “classic style lines with organic design” that are “returning for a cleaner look” according to Spy’s Product Director Juliette Koh, there are a bunch of little sub-trends worth mentioning, including details like key holes, double bridges, metal accents or inside frame colour pops (Neff, Quiksilver, Roxy, Proof). Melon work with “wide square frames”, similar to “geometric and angular shapes” from Dirty Dog, Bushnell and D’Blanc, the latter of which balance “angular details with rounder lens shapes.” Circular frames can also be found in collections from Melon, VonZipper, Oakley, Proof and Quiksilver. INNOVATIONS The revived interest in sports performance carries quite some innovations in its wake, some of which have already been inaugurated last season or carried over from the goggle segments. “The major push for technology is in the lenses. With the market becoming more aware of lens technology, having a polar and non-polar lens tech will be in high demand”, reckons VonZipper. The Dragon XP Cross
“It’s about clearly standing for something and defining your unique position in the market place” - Dragon 30
Electric even introduce a Winter Specific lens that is especially tailored for flat light conditions, while Roxy, Quiksilver and Dragon continue to focus on summer use, expanding the floatable properties of their frames to a wider range of lifestyle models. MATERIALS While Grilamid and metal will always be around (Melon, Animal, Bushnell, Carve, D’Blanc, Electric, Nike SB, Roxy, Quiksilver), the use of Acetate is increasing steadily (Urban Beach, Animal, Dragon, D’Blanc, Shred, Electric, Filtrate, Melon, Roxy, Quiksilver, Raen). Since it’s plantbased, it addresses the growing eco-consciousness and at the same time ensures highest quality standards, being durable and light at the same time. Shred implement “injected and hand moulded acetates” for their NoWeight™ frame technology. Electric and D’Blanc rely on Italian craftsmanship for an especially luxurious finish. On top of that, Sinner also work with bamboo, Proof use layers of exotic hardwood and Shred upgrade some of their models with temples made from rosewood and bamboo. Zeal take their eco-approach even further, manufacturing their whole line from plant-based materials – even the lenses, that “decrease the weight of the sunnies and increase the clarity of the lenses,” explains Digital Marketing Manager Mike Lewis. THEMES & COLOUR STORIES Urban Beach will adding bamboo to their collection next year as well and have started with a woodgrain effect on their cat eye styles, that ties with the strong comeback of more neutral and toned-down colours we’ll be seeing in 2015. This includes a lot of neutral (Electric), natural (Sinner) and earthy tones (Filtrate, Gloryfy), “vintage toned down translucence colours with contrasting temples” from VonZipper, “street element” inspired colours (Nike SB), crystal and clear frames (Dirty Dog, Neff, Urban Beach), “rich classic colours that enhance value” (D’Blanc) are next to matte and matte black variations of all kinds (Dragon, Melon, Neff, Oakley,
photo: electric
trend report
Carve, Filtrate, Otis, Raen), sometimes even with an added soft touch texture effect (Quiksilver, Spy, Bushnell). Oakley pair matte with colours, which are staying strong as well, especially in the more sports-heavy department. Contrasting colours in inlays, details or mirror lenses are the biggest story here, seen on Dragon, Sinner, Quiksilver, Shred, Urban Beach, Smith, Nike SB, Proof and Dirty Dog. Bushnell and Electric have also added some more “feminine” shades for the ladies, the latter including “smokey crimson, rose gold, and nude” that complements the new metallic lenses from Carve and Roxy. O’Neill balance brightly printed highlight pieces from the men’s line, but “with more muted, subtle tones for a grown up, laid-back take on girlish trends” for the women. Except for some Hawaii themed prints (Dragon), multi-coloured prints and bright, Rio-inspired shades (O’Neill) and carry-overs from boardshorts as well as apparel collections (Quiksilver, Neff), “colourful Havana’s with psychedelic graphics and ‘Marihuana’ as well as ‘Tapes’ prints” from Arnette and the comeback of Oakley’s “iconic Fingerprint print”, tortoise is all the rage next year. “Tortoise bestsellers in new variations such as Vintage Tort, Mason Tiger Grey, Tiger Grey, Midnight Oil and Matte Spotted Tort” at Electric, “brown or green tortoise “ from Quiksilver, “Pop Tort colour stories” mixing classic tortoise frame colours with bright pop Spectra™ lenses (Spy) and classic tortoise (VonZipper, Melon, Neff, Roxy, Animal, Urban Beach, Carve, Filtrate, Otis, Proof, Raen), even on handmade acetate from D’Blanc. PRESCRIPTION RX lines are becoming more important year after year and bring sports performance as well as style to the everyday life of people wearing glasses. Quiksilver and Roxy state this market as “really important,” for young and old alike. “Those who bought Quiksilver / Roxy at the beginning are the people who need to wear prescription glasses now. However teenagers and kids are still our best target because 32
“Tortoise bestsellers in new variations such as Vintage Tort, Mason Tiger Grey, Tiger Grey, Midnight Oil and Matte Spotted Tort” - Electric Quiksilver and Roxy bring some fun to medical accessory thanks to logos, colours and new concepts.” Dragon, Smith, Spy, Animal, Arnette, Proof, Raen, VonZipper and Oakley have dedicated collections for this segment and Sabre are working on their first “Clear Times” collection for 2015. Dirty Dog acknowledge this trend too, agreeing that it’s a “huge growth market but presents its challenges as the convex nature of sports wraps, and the complex nature of prescription, limits the options”, as Operations Manager Corrie Williams states. Electric bypass this obstacle by offering their range to be fitted with prescription lenses from your optician of choice and Carve, Gloryfy, Sinner and Zeal have a “wide selection of RX-compatible frames” too – the latter even offering fitting in their own lab.
HIGHLIGHTS •
Performance Vs Lifestyle
•
Tortoise – classic, matte, updated
•
Shield Wraps & Round Lenses
•
Adaptive Lenses
•
Hand-crafted Acetate & Bamboo
pictorial
SUNGLASSES PICTORIAL
ANIMAL / ANI 004
ANIMAL / ANI 013
ANIMAL / CHASED
BOLLÉ / KING
BOLLÉ / SHINY
BOLLÉ / SQUARE
CARVE / RESPLENDENT
CARVE / THE ISLAND
CARVE / BRONTE
D’BLANC / THE END CSL
D’BLANC / STAY TUNED CGG
D’BLANC / VAST MINORITY OGG
DIRTY DOG / STORM
DIRTY DOG / BOOM
DIRTY DOG / AXLE
DRAGON / DS2
DRAGON / THE JAM H2O
DRAGON / THE MOUNTAINEER X
ELECTRIC / TXOKO
ELECTRIC / MUDSLINGER
ELECTRIC / BENGAL
FILTRATE / PROPER II
FILTRATE / SUNDAY
FILTRATE / VERSE
GLORYFY / GI8
GLORYFY / GI10
GLORYFY / GI3
MELON / LAYBACK
MELON / TRIPPER
MELON / ANVIL
NEFF / DAILY
NEFF / BRODIE
NEFF / BRODIE
NIKE / RECOVER
NIKE / VOLANO
NIKE / ACHIEVE
35
pictorial
36
OAKLEY / JAWBREAKER
OAKLEY / RADAR
OAKLEY / TAILPIN
OTIS / SKINNY DIP
OTIS / TEST OF TIME
OTIS / MONA
PROOF / THE ADA
PROOF / THE ONTARIO PREMIUM
PROOF / THE ONTARIO PREMIUM
QUIKSILVER / BONELESS
QUIKSILVER / OFF ROAD
QUIKSILVER / DARK SIGNAL
RAEN / SUKO
RAEN / REMMY
RAEN / SUKO
ROXY / EMI
ROXY / GWEN
ROXY / ALLESSANDRA
SABRE / DOUBLE BARREL
SHRED / SHRED VANNA SHNERDWOOD
SHRED / SHRED BELUSHKI ROLLERWOOD
SHRED / SHRED PROVOCATOR, NOWEIGHT
SINNER / BEACH
SINNER / JALOU II
SINNER / KEVIN II
SMITH / LOWDOWN XL
SMITH / QUESTA
SMITH / REBEL
SPY / MALCOLM
SPY / DISCORD
SPY / DISCORD
URBAN BEACH / WOOD GRAIN CAT’S EYE
URBAN BEACH / STEEL POLARIZED AVIATOR
URBAN BEACH / REFLECTIVE WAYFARER
VONZIPPER / PYSHCWIG
VONZIPPER / POLY TORTOISE
VONZIPPER / DONMEGA
ZEAL / ELDORADO
ZEAL / EMERSON
ZEAL / IDYLLWILD
BIG WIG INTERVIEW
FILIP GOOD GOPRO MARKETING DIRECTOR EMEA The GoPro camera has changed the way in which we view action sports. Thanks to their robust casing and size, we’ve seen stunning POV footage from hollow barrels, vertical snowcapped spines and other radical angles, which a decade ago would have seemed unfathomable. For this issue’s Big Wig Interview, GoPro’s Marketing Director EMEA, Filip Good talks us through the company’s operation in the region. Filip explains the similarities between what he’s doing with GoPro now, and what he did with Red Bull in Ireland previously. Good also describes what the company is doing with live broadcasting and tells us how the brand is making dissemination of content as easy as possible, by ‘removing pain-points’. By Harry Mitchell Thompson PROFILE Please could you explain your background, Filip? I grew up in Davos, and started skiing at two and a half. I’m very much an outdoors kind of person; I used to windsurf at a semi-professional level and started snowboarding in 1983, so I’ve been around the block for a while. My real sports were always windsurfing and snowboarding and I started surfing later on. I actually did a round the world trip surfing for a year and a half, which was just the best time ever. Unfortunately GoPro cameras weren’t on the market back then, so I have no way to show most of the memories I have. I worked for Red Bull for seven years, in the UK and Ireland. I was the country manager of Ireland for four years, where I set up the whole marketing structure for the country, which is very similar to what I’m 38
doing now with GoPro for Europe. I had my own event agency for a while and then started with GoPro about three years ago. GOPRO’S EUROPEAN STORY What changes have you noticed with GoPro since you’ve been at the company? I’ve seen some pretty significant changes. It was early 2012 when I started and it was a small company here in Europe; established with distributors everywhere and the sales were really going great. This was when it first started to really kick off, with the launch of the GoPro HERO2. Since then it has just been milestone after milestone. I was the first guy on the ground, with one or two people with me. The six to eight months that followed, was when Isabel Pakowski (Sr. Manager Media Relations Europe) joined me and after that, we were pretty much
At some points we were eight people sitting around three desks – so it was crazy, and it was almost like working out the back of a garage, which gave it this start-up kind of feeling, which was awesome. bringing on an additional person per month, and that was just in Europe. At my old agency we had one desk there, and we were able to add a second desk and a third desk, but we soon ran out of space because that place wasn’t designed to cater for us. At some points we were eight people sitting around three desks – so it was crazy, and it was almost like working out the back of a garage, which gave it this startup kind of feeling, which was awesome. Pretty soon we started off by getting into events and by starting up a media production team. And then we started to sponsor athletes and developed resort partnerships in the early stage, and we really just started to add marketing blocks onto this, and more recently social media and channel marketing. And was this all a strategy you had laid out from the beginning? Not really. In Europe, at the beginning we pretty much made it up as we went, and even with GoPro internationally it’s a lot of ‘learning by doing’. There’s always a vision behind it but it’s not always the direct way that things end up happening. Things have changed a lot since those early days and we now have a solid strategy and good follow-through. How does the European team fit in line with the global team? In terms of structure, we are building a very similar kind of team here as we have in the United States, as on both sides we have a very flat hierarchy structure. So we’ve built a team, which is a lot smaller here, but then has what we call ‘functional reports’ back to the key people in the United States. This means that we’re closely in touch with what’s going on back and forth across a global and strategic level. We currently have 32 people based in this office, plus another 10 who are working remote within the region. And what about marketing and content. Do you create your own here, or is it all on a global basis? We work off the global strategy and they obviously have been around for quite a long time, when compared with the European operation. After eight years they are really able to see what works and what doesn’t work, so it’s a case of not having to reinvent the wheel, but take the best examples they have and implement them at a local level. We’re pretty much taking what’s already there, fine-tuning it and adapting it to the requirements we have. GOPRO AT RETAIL How do you support boardsports retailers? We offer regular training for our retailers, and we are putting a lot of effort into expanding the training program even further. Our POPs attract great attention with their clean aesthetics, and of course the footage being displayed on these screens grab customers’ attention – a great asset for every shop. We make sure to listen to our retailers, so if they have any ideas or questions they want to ask, we definitely work with them and support wherever we can. It’s not that we haven’t wanted to in the past, we just haven’t had the chance previously because we’ve been flat out. These days, we’re starting to have teams that are big enough to be able to work one-on-one with our retailers.
Here’s where we’re lucky to have strong distribution partners that mostly have core sports backgrounds. We have guys that are for example mountain bike, or snowboard distributors, so they understand what these core sports are all about. THE FUTURE And it would appear that GoPro is becoming more than just a camera company. Would you say it is now also a media company? Part of the reason behind our growth has been our content, and so now we have become a form of a media company, and not just with our own content, but with people just producing content, sharing it and tagging it with GoPro to inspire other people. This makes other people want to go out and buy a GoPro because they can see how cool and easy it is to produce meaningful content. It is a sort of “virtuous cycle”, which has propelled our success. We are also looking into options of getting even more involved in the media business and considering new distribution channels. There’s so much content that people want to see, and there are a lot of broadcasters and web channels that are really interested in the content. Now we are building a way of getting this content out to other platforms. We already have content partnerships with Xbox, LG, Virgin Atlantic for example. We are working on it and really exploring opportunities at the moment, but it’s a bit too early to say which direction it will go. How do you see the action sports camera market developing over the coming years? I think we’ve come along in building our category, and what we see as really important is how simple the product is to use. This is where we’re going to make a big difference in the coming years. And it isn’t just the product, but we are always working on making it easier for people to share their content from the camera to their computer/ mobile phone/cloud, and then by also making it easier for people to edit. We have a free app and editing software – GoPro Studio – that makes it even easier to edit and share. It’s what we call ‘removing pain-points’ – removing all the barriers on the way from capturing content to sharing it with the world. Our next big thing was the launch of a live broadcasting system in partnership with Vislink, which has already been used in the NHL and the X Games. It’s still in a testing phase and hasn’t officially launched, but the footage coming back is absolutely unbelievable. It makes the viewer no longer a bystander; they are now immersed in the content right when it happens. This is the next big, big thing that will change the way people watch sports. Now it is much easier to mount live broadcast cameras on athletes, and not on big machinery, which is a game changer and will make sports even more compelling. And what is happening with the GoPro drones? We have not announced any drone programs, and there’s nothing to say there really. We develop a lot of accessories and we have 300 engineers constantly working on improving our product, but I can’t confirm anything on the drone front.
Now it is much easier to mount live broadcast cameras on athletes, and not on big machinery, which is a game changer and will make sports even more compelling.
39
analysis
SURF MEDIA ANALYTICS RIDE O’METER Tracking media content globally through print, web, online videos and social networks, RIDE O’METER is showcasing some of the media highlights of the 2014 surfing season with a selection of 4 analytics.
WSL EVENTS VIDEOS RANKING This ranks the WSL/ASP events by online videos audience, cumulating the number of views from 6 video platforms (YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion, Surfline, Mpora and EpicTV) between January 1 December 31. It includes all the videos related to or featuring the event and DOESN'T include LIVE WEBCASTS figures. On top of the ranking, we find the 2 most watched shows of the season; the Billabong Pipeline Masters, followed by the Billabong Pro Tahiti, both gathering over 3M views.
TOP 5 SURF VIDEOS
This ranking shows the most viewed "surf videos" in 2014, combining the number of views from 6 video platforms (YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion, Surfline, Mpora and EpicTV) between January 1 - December 31, 2014. From VISA's hollywood-style advertising to an emotion-driven SamSung clip on the ASP journey, it shows surf related videos whose impact obviously go far beyond the surf community boundaries and audience. Kolohe Andino reached nearly 10M views in only 27 weeks with his VISA/Pizza Hut checkout, reaching its peak growth after 6 weeks online. 40
BEST PERFORMER ON SOCIAL MEDIA Gabriel Medina entered a new "social networks dimension" when he became the first Brazilian ever to clinch the world champion title last December, reaching a total of 3M fans over the 3 platforms. Becoming a true celebrity in his country, the second youngest World Surf Champ found himself under the spotlight and drove social communication with his fans successfully. With a significant 9% fan growth over that period, he took the lead of the ranking on instagram interactions, surpassing social diva Alana Blanchard in that race, with an impressive 155,738 likes average per post !
Media Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Period Dec, Jan, Feb 2015
TOP POSTS
211 118 likes 7 729 comments / 10 546 shares * monthly interactions is an average of all fans interactions
(likes / comments / shares) over the period.
326 150 likes / 14 715 comments
monthly interactions between december 2014 & january 2015
10 483 likes / 3 383 shares
PRINT COVER RANKING Media Print Period 01/01/2014 - 31/12/2014 Domain Surf Region World
This ranks the 5 brands that have "scored" the most cover pages of surf magazines (in value and number) through their riders globally, between January and December 2014. It gathers covers where the brand's logo is identified. No surprise to find Hurley on the top of that ranking, counting some of the most exciting and talented surf athletes of the season. John John and Nic Von Rupp having blown some minds with epic shots at Pipeline. A new approach found itself on mag covers this season, with "POV-styled" watershots ; Bruce, Sancho and Shane leading the charge, still needing a crazy photographer behind the lens to get the glory as well as the pounding...
41
photo: red paddle
trend report
SPRING SUMMER 2015 SUP TREND REPORT There’s no doubt that Stand Up Paddleboarding, has become a worldwide phenomenon, no matter if you live on Australia’s Gold Coast or way up on a secluded Swiss alpine lake, there are no longer many waterways that have not been reached by SUP. What started as adding shaft length to outrigger canoe paddles and standing up on longboards by a few creative watermen on Maui, has certainly gone beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. As you’ll hear from participating brands, their founders, brand managers, distributors and a three time ISA World Champion turned entrepreneur, there is a booming business underway. Not bad for an industry that is less than 10 years old. By Robert Etienne. SUP SEGMENTS THAT PERFORM BEST As we enter the strongest selling season of the year, SUP brands are continually optimizing their offering. So what’s in the line-up? Michi Schweiger, Naish SUP/Windsurfing/Surf Product Manager, says: “Commercially, all recreational segments are performing well. Inflatables and composite boards are showing increased interest all over the world and paddles have been very successful for us as well. We have been focusing our efforts on paddles that offer the best performance for the recreational paddler, with our main focus centred on the vario ranges.”
Red Paddle Co’s Founder, John Hibbard reports: “It should grow to be the biggest segment for sure. It is slow to catch on in some markets but it is infectious as almost everyone can paddle. The retailers that do well are the ones that are not trying to focus on selling boards to their surf/windsurf/kite customers. The truth is that there are millions more people that don’t do these sports that are the target market for SUP. We must not pigeon hole SUP into just fitting with these other board sports and their current customer base. SUP is so much more than just another sport for the few. It’s a sport for the masses.”
“It’s the more accessible boards that are the most sought after and drive sales. There are always interesting trends like yoga and whitewater that get a lot of attention but it seems to me that recreational/family paddling is still the strongest segment of our business. So we’re selling a lot of ST Cruiser softtops and wide surfer models,” denotes Byron Seeger, Laird Standup brand manager.
Benoit Tréguilly, who works in Marketing/Communication for Bic adds: “SUP is a very important part of the entire hardgoods mix as it opens up the water to new markets and a new range of participation: Surfing in waves, windsurf or kite in windy conditions, and SUP or kayak for flatwater cruising – where SUP has a greater appeal to a younger client looking for a more athletic and “trendy surf” experience on the water.”
THE ROLE OF SUP IN THE BOARDSPORT RETAIL MIX (SURF / WINDSURF / KITE) As the new kid on the retail block, SUP should not necessarily be positioned in the traditional surf, kite, windsurf retail environment as it also brings a new more mainstream customer that outside of the occasional swim, has rarely experienced any type of watersport.
Raphael Dutoit, Nidecker SUP Brand Manager takes this further: “Disregarding the ‘conflict’ between SUP and surf, I think that SUP brings a lot of people into the surf family, so it is mostly positive for the general Industry. Also it gives the opportunity for the surfer to continue to practice with small wave conditions. SUP also gives people who don’t have the skills or time to learn to surf properly, 43
trend report
“We must not pigeon hole SUP into just fitting with these other board sports and their current customer base. SUP is so much more than just another sport for the few. It’s a sport for the masses.” Red Paddle Co’s Founder, John Hibbard the opportunity to taste the waves. And maybe the most important fact: to be part of the surf family, they feel legit enough to have a VW camper, to wear some surf brand clothes and to go on a surf trip. More generally, SUP gives the opportunity to a lot of people to be part of the surf culture with all the benefit of what that brings to the industry.” Karin Gertenbach, Head of Marketing Fanatic International concludes: “Surf is obviously a huge sport globally, SUP has the advantage of being a wave and flat water sport, so the potential is there to overtake surfing in terms of units sold. Retail-wise there are certainly a lot more retailers in different distribution channels (kite/windsurf/surf/ canoe/boat/bike/fitness /outdoor) actively pursuing SUP sales, and substantially more brands too. So SUP has in the short and medium term, a big benefit for the boardsport retail mix, not forgetting that the key thing is the entry level broadness and accessibility – i.e. bringing people to the beach/water who might never have considered any water sport, opening their eyes to a new world and getting them in contact with surf/kite/windsurf sports too.
Antoine Delpero, three-time ISA World Champion and Bonz co-founder tells us: “We do not really work with many inland retailers, which means that probably more than 90% of our dealers are on the coast of France. This is due to the fact that our SUP surfing image is about the skills of our team riders. Although, a big part of our retailers are on the Med Coast, which can in part also be considered as a flatwater market, because of the lack of waves during summer months on its beautiful beaches, where some of the largest European SUP races take place. JP Australia’s UK brand manager Andy Chambers states: “We’re now seeing a lot more sole SUP retailers opening up all over the country. A lot of them are based inland. To be honest, anywhere there’s a bit of water, a retailer or school is popping up!” Benoit Brecq, Hoff (Surftech/NSP/ Ari’i Nui) Marketing Manager says: “Our largest retail presence is along the French Atlantic Coast and represents roughly 65-70% of our sales. Brittany and the Med Coast are strong SUP areas for us as well. Our Inland presence is developing rapidly and we’re seeing good results in the leisure and rental centres that are on all bodies of water across France.” Benoit later estimated that there are some 200 SUP centres in France. Dylan Duffus, RRD Sales Manager adds: “We distribute in 60 countries worldwide. Dealers are almost everywhere, from mountains to seaside, from big cities to small villages on mountain lakes. We estimate that inland sales account for some 25% of our sales and it’s growing massively.” THE ESTABLISHED SHOP VS THE NEWCOMER Laird Hamilton once said, “it’s easier to stand up than it is to ride 44
photo: fanatic
COASTAL AND INLAND OUTLOOK Even though the number of coastal SUP operations still outplays inland ones, inland participation is rapidly increasing, as many segments of Stand Up such as touring, recreation, yoga, race, fishing and of course whitewater take place on lakes and rivers.
a bike,” so if you extrapolate Hamilton’s quote into the number of people who could potentially embrace SUP and do the maths, it will certainly inspire entrepreneurial newcomers to get into the market. On a positive note, Jobe Sports Internationall Managing Director, Hans Hurenkamp confirms: “Established retailers are profiting now but newcomers absolutely have a chance. SUP does not belong to anyone yet. Surf brands produce SUPs, wakeboard brands are producing SUPs and kite brands are producing them too.” Benoit Tréguilly of Bic goes on to say: “Newcomers definitely have a chance. We have a couple of examples of retailers that have started a SUP store from scratch, and are now some of our biggest clients. Alternatively we have cases of established retailers from the start of the surf or windsurf industries in the 1980s, who are becoming older, retiring and selling their business to somebody with a fresh approach and a new motivation. SUP is a new sport, and often a fresh approach free from the ‘baggage’ of previous surf, wind or kite experiences can be very competitive.” John Hibbard of Red Paddle Co states: “In the retail segment there is space for sure. There are large areas of each country where there is water and population, so there is room for other retailers but I think in key areas the good shops are the proactive shops who work hard to grow their customer base and offer fantastic customer service.” Steve West, Mistral’s International Brand Manager is more nuanced and adds: “Private labelling, selling on line and from the back of a truck is thriving in the USA and some other parts of the world, undercutting
trend report
Robby Naish (SUP behemoth) in his speech on the emergence of SUP a few years ago at a Eurosima Surf Summit conference in Biarritz said: “When you bring someone into the activity of Stand Up Paddling, you’re doing this person a great favour.” many established retailers and therefore brands by default. How long this will last we shall see, but with any new sport on the rise such as SUP, there’s always a keen entrepreneur willing to make hay while the sun shines.” Michi Schweiger of Naish notes: “I would say that everybody who is already in the watersports business can profit from SUP. That said, we see plenty of newcomers who have a fresh approach to the market and to the service of their stand-up-specific consumer base, mainly focusing on giving the customer a chance to be actively involved in the sport - which is much easier to do when compared to windsurfing or kiting where a much more defined weather situation is required.” THE OUTLOOK OF THE INFLATABLE SUCCESS Mainly due to space constraints and smaller cars in Europe, as well as the obvious transportation advantages and ease of use, inflatable SUP equipment is continuing to be the driving force behind European SUP sales. The purist may argue, that the ride is soft and not as dynamic as on a hardboard, but fact is, that it’s also these features that are greatly helping less agile people get into the sport. These newcomers, will
get hooked and will potentially soon add a hardboard for their second purchase, which will in turn bring a ‘first timer’ friend on board - now a cycle is in place! This word of mouth “fun sharing moments” is where Stand Up is dramatically increasing the number of newcomers. Not that he was specifically talking about inflatables, but Robby Naish (SUP behemoth) in his speech on the emergence of SUP a few years ago at a Eurosima Surf Summit conference in Biarritz said: “When you bring someone into the activity of Stand Up Paddling, you’re doing this person a great favour.” How many tens of thousands of times has this happened since Naish’s statement in 2008!? “The trend towards inflatable boards is still increasing”, says Helgo Lass SIC Europe Sales Manager. Helgo continues: “But the percentage is not the same for every region. One reason for the extreme high percentage in Germany is because you are not allowed to use hard boards on lakes around Munich. In France, overall inflatables are about 70%, with the south of France at only around 50%. It depends on the country - for example, Italy is weak in selling inflatables compared to other markets.” Much has been said about the trend and its explosive growth, but is saturation in sight? Caren Forbes who works in Marketing for Starboard, remarks: “Most of the sales in the next five years will be inflatable boards, we have some new markets with huge potential. The competition will really start in 2016. We feel that we have plenty of room in terms of R&D and our production process, we’re at the beginning of the story.” Fanatic’s Karen Gertenbach adds: “I think there is still room for growth, however this summer should be interesting to see if the supply meets or exceeds demand for the first time, as there are a LOT more players this year.” INFLATABLES AT A GLANCE - Comfortable and safe to use - Easy and inexpensive to ship - Less shop storage space needed - Can be carried as luggage when traveling by air - Cheaper
photo: BIC
CURRENCY UPSETS The sudden rise of the Dollar against the Euro seems to be the only deterrent to slowdown SUP’s commercial success, but it may have its hidden advantage as it can help steer away too many greedy opportunists from jumping on the bandwagon. Benoit Tréguilly of Bic perceives: “Recent changes in the US$:EUR exchange rate mean that pricing for Asia US$ sourced inflatable SUPs will have to increase significantly in 2016 and even in the coming months for some brands.”
46
OUTLOOK So one may ask, “what can Stand Up Paddling do for me?’ A lot; starting with an opportunity of making a living and mixing it in with a cool lifestyle. In our modern world, to be able to live a privileged life of doing business in or close to a coastal, lakeside or scenic waterway is exceptional. John Hibbard of Red Paddle highlights: “One of the best things about SUP is that it transcends all other sports. It crosses over into almost every board/freesport. I have yet to meet anyone who didn’t take something positive away from their first SUP session. Whether it be traversing a lake, winding down a river or riding a wave. It offers so much. Even if you use it as just a vehicle to paddle to the pub. SUP opens up new customers to all shops. There is not one single freesport shop that won’t benefit from retailing SUP and with growth figures upwards of 30% in each market (many over 60% year-on-year), then not selling SUP is the single biggest risk to your business. If you are not embracing SUP then someone else will, you can be sure of that. I don’t know any shop that is happy to hand business to their competitor.”
photo: mcnair shirts
new snowboard brands
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK It’s hard to predict just what path the snowboard industry would have taken should the financial meltdown of 2008 not have taken hold. Needless to say it threw up some sizeable speed bumps that everyone will be glad to see the back of. Leading into the 14/15-winter season there was a modest sense of optimism among both brands and retailers; that was until dismal snowfall plagued both sides of the Atlantic and made for one of the poorest seasons (snow-wise) in a number of years. Nevertheless, something that caught my attention during the past tradeshow/on-snow demo season was the crop of new snowboard brands emerging; legitimate brands, started from a love for the mountains by people with deep industry knowledge and credible reputations. As encouraging as it was, it begs the question: why do these young businesses think that now is the right time to start a brand? By Harry Mitchell Thompson. To find out, I spoke with five brands to help provide an insight into why they have chosen now as the time to commence business, and to find out more about how they are injecting their brands into the market.
their merino wool shirts are made in Huddersfield, England, are heavy duty whilst still being breathable, and come with brand founder Neil McNair’s mountain guide stamp of approval.
All five brands are from Europe, and all have extensive experience from the European snowboard industry. Korua snowboards are the brainchild of professional snowboarders Stephan Maurer and Nicolas Wolken; snowboards made for charging in deep powder, while also holding their own on groomers.
Templeton outerwear made a big splash at this year’s ISPO, bringing an outerwear brand to the market which is brimming with identity and passion.
McNair Shirts are coining the phrase ‘the World’s best mountain shirt’;
Vimana snowboards, created by Trond-Eirik Husvaeg who worked for Session snowboard stores in Norway for 13 years, is now looking to provide a simplistic approach to snowboard marketing. Husvaeg is also promising to create a brand that promotes strong relationships with retailers.
“these days it’s all about having realistic expectations, growing sustainably and laying a lot of effort in good relationships with partners and end consumers. These things are perhaps easier when starting from scratch.” Nicolas Wolken, Korua snowboards 48
new snowboard brands
“If we don’t find the right distribution channel in one country we would rather wait.” Trond-Eirik Husvaeg, Vimana snowboards David Lambert, an ex-professional snowboarder from Switzerland, cofounded West snowboards; a brand whose owners each have over 20 years of snowboarding experience and who aim to provide a product which is fresh, and looking to buck trends. To the original question, why do these brands believe that now is a good time to start a brand in the snowboard industry? McNair Shirts owner Neil answers: “The barriers are lower for new brands to launch than they have ever been. Back in the day, companies would pay ad agencies a small fortune to convince customers that they made great product.” Nicholas at Korua snowboards simply feels; “it’s a time of opportunity for small companies with new ideas and approaches,” with David from West snowboards mirroring this: “I think that at the beginning of a brand like ours, we have fewer constraints by being small.” For Klaus Zenker at Templeton it was a personal observation of the market which led him to starting the brand: “It was the first time in all those years of shredding when I was absolutely clueless about what to wear. No cuts or colours hit me, no materials blew my mind. I was wearing old gear, and it was the first time I didn’t mind.” If we look back to the birth of endemic snowboard brands 20-30 years ago, they began their life as anarchic unknowns and formed, unknowingly, the basis for an industry we now all love and cherish. Klaus (Templeton) is of the belief we need to take our inspiration from these times: “To revive snowboarding and to build a brand like Templeton in this mess, we need to look back to the times when I started to ride…and that that was around 1992”.
absolutely right to offer something genuinely different. No marketing generated by a company offers the credibility of an opinion from a freethinking individual. The hundreds of testimonials we are building up could be our best ever marketing.” Neil vows that McNair Shirts will never be a product for the mass market, Trond-Eirik at Vimana has the same ‘softly-softly’ approach with his brand: “If we don’t find the right distribution channel in one country we would rather wait.” In the same vein, David at West snowboards (also an ex-pro), embraces this new trend for authenticity and transparency. For David, the small size of his company, and proximity to the factory means he can oversee everything and most importantly “maintain good communication with employees”. It’s a common theme with all of these successful young start-ups; each one of them driven by a well-founded need for a product and desire to promote snowboarding: Vimana with their aspiration to create a brand that’s as good for the retailer as it is for their business; Korua are placing themselves in the backcountry and freeriding market, which they believe “is a small but growing market”; West “wants to motivate people to go snowboarding through our products and philosophy;” whilst Templeton are all about putting together a brand to fill the aforementioned gap in the market. Lastly, McNair Shirts compare their brand ethos to their production process: “Building a brand is the same to us as making a shirt. We do that slowly, we start with a ball of wool and take small steps making sure we get things right. If we make it slow, there’s a better chance of making it well.”
The owners of these upstarts have already forged careers in snowboarding, and are now bringing their expertise to the market in a different form; armed with strategies and an understanding of today’s marketplace. Nicholas (Korua) is a professional snowboarder with an industry savvy view; “these days it’s all about having realistic expectations, growing sustainably and laying a lot of effort in good relationships with partners and end consumers. These things are perhaps easier when starting from scratch.” Following on from this, Trond-Eirik (Vimana) is launching his brand with the retailer and strong relationships in mind. “We have been on both sides of the table. We know what it takes to make it in retailing and we know what it takes to make it in distribution.” Trond-Eirik with over a decade of retail experience under his belt has decided Vimana’s “BOSS-Program (Buy Online, support your local Snowboard Shop) giving the nearest retailer a 20% kickback on all our direct sales” is the way forward.
A DISPOSABLE SOCIETY CRAVES AUTHENTICITY While the Internet has done so much for society; it has made information only one click away, but it has also created a generation with an ever-decreasing attention span thanks to the infinite number of ‘best of’ and ‘how to’ lists and posts related to their interests that were previously seldom seen. Thankfully, it would seem that this new breed of snowboard brand coming through the pipeline wants to liberate this disenfranchised marketplace with their authentic products, accompanied by great stories, made from the best materials and in the most sustainable way possible.
At present, the marketplace is brimming full of Millenials; brought up in a disposable culture where things are made to last a matter of hours: disposable razors, plastic bottles and carrier bags. This coupled with the Internet’s dumbing down of society, is encouraging the consumer to rebel and instead crave authenticity from their products, through the use of stories, bespoke designs, quality of materials, ultra performance and multi-usage.
A brand can follow every tip in the rulebook, but without real intuition, passion and an understanding of the market, the brand might as well not bother. To finish up, Neil McNair summaries his business model: “Accepted practice told us that we should find an established sector or product and then produce a similar product at a competitive price into that sector - perhaps with a few little differences but nothing too scary. Accepted practice told us to make everything in the Far East. Accepted practice told us to make it out of fancy overpriced plastic. We listened carefully and have then done pretty much the opposite.”
McNair Shirts are definitely benefiting from this shift in consumer habits, with the introduction of their high-end outdoor shirt. Neil confirms: “From the response we get it seems like the time was
The rise of craft beer, organic produce and an overall more concerted effort by the public to eat and live healthily combined with the response garnered in the early stages of these new brands, shows that a disposable society now craves authenticity.
“To revive snowboarding and to build a brand like Templeton in this mess, we need to look back to the times when I started to ride…and that that was around 1992”. Klaus Zenker, Templeton outerwear. 49
retailer help
BOOSTING SURFBOARD SALES IN TODAY’S CONFUSING MARKET Dave Seehafer is an industry analyst for Global Wave Ventures, a brand management and special retail-consulting firm for the action sports industry, based in San Clamente and Florida. As our surfboard preview article on page (p22-24) tells us, there are many weird and wonderful shapes on the market and Dave has some extremely useful retailer help, which explains just what surf shops can do to increase staff knowledge and hence, boost sales. It’s been nearly 10 years since the closure of Clark Foam—an event that initially sparked dismay, frustration and uncertainty among surfboard shapers, glassing factories and surf shops around the world. In the aftermath however, a tremendous surge of innovation and progression in surfboard materials, technology and performance has evolved, creating lots of new options for today’s surfer—polyurethane foam, epoxy resins, stringerless blanks, 5-fins, carbon fiber and cork composition to name a few. Pukas, Channel Islands, Lost, Firewire and most of the other top manufacturers are introducing new models each season. These expanded choices (and rising prices) have however caused consumer overload and product confusionboard sales in many retail shops have stayed flat year after year. “Too many new models, not enough information, too costly if you buy the wrong board, I don’t know which board will work” are just some of the consumer comments. Even shops with over 300+ new boards in stock are frustrated. As evidenced by the success of consumer-oriented surfboard expos in America, today’s surfer needs lots of insight as to which board, shape, fin set-up, etc. will help improve and expand their surfing. What can you, as a surf retailer, do? Today’s surf consumer needs to be EDUCATED!! PROVIDE PLENTY OF CONSUMER MATERIALS/HANDOUTS Mini printed catalogs from the board and fin manufacturers should be used for reference whenever possible—such catalogs complement highly-informative websites discussing design, materials and performance elements. Recent surfboard design articles from surf magazines can also be reprinted and placed in the surfboard area. BETTER CONSUMER EVALUATION, ANALYSIS ON THE “RIGHT” BOARD Surf shops should be the source of the most accurate, knowledgeable information on board selection, performance, paddling and more based on the specific needs and ability of the customer. Board manufacturers are providing guidance on recommended board volumes based on skill, weight, age and fitness level; this information can help narrow down which size and model might work for a customer. Educating an
entry-level surfer and then selling them the “right” board will ensure a positive experience and could positively impact future sales as well. HAVE DEMO SURFBOARDS FOR KEY BOARD SHAPES AND DESIGNS Surfboard and fin demo programs are extremely effective in boosting sales. Let your customer find out for himself which board fits his style and boardriding ability, so that he’ll spend his hard-earned dollars with confidence - narrowing down some of the choices by riding a few different models will go a long way. Most consumers don’t realize how a fin’s size, material flex and overall template can drastically change a board’s performance. Trying a few different sets can provide amazing insight and potentially transform a mediocre board into a stellar performer. MANAGE YOUR SURFBOARD INVENTORY CAREFULLY! While it’s important to have a diverse and complete selection, it’s not economical or feasible to stock too many boards. Select your brands, shapes and lengths carefully; mixing local and well-known shapers, polyester and epoxy, 3-, 4- and 5-fin models, shortboards, funshapes and longboards. Utilize a custom order program from your key shapers wherever possible, creating a special relationship between surfer and shaper. HAVE CONSUMER-ORIENTED SURFBOARD WORKSHOPS AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL EVENTS Many of the top surfboard brands (and their sales reps) are eager to organize fun, informative events. Allow your customers, the shapers and the manufacturers to interact and share insight, direction, knowledge and confidence. The recent Camp Shred in Southern California gathered over 4000 consumers in a weekend filled with surfboard, fin and wetsuit demos. There’ve been plenty of waves over the past 10 years, so it’s not a lack of surf that’s hurting surfboard sales. It’s your job as a surf shop to educate the consumer to reduce the confusion and increase the confidence in this important (and costly) purchase! Happy wave riding! 51
buyer science
BUYER SCIENCE Simone Unterrainer started out as a marketing intern at Blue Tomato seven years ago, and she has risen through the ranks. Simone was promoted to buyer for the majority of all female categories and is now Assistant Head of Buying for the whole company. We spoke with Simone to see what tips she has for new brands starting out, and to find out what more she’d like brands to be doing at retail. How long have you been a buyer for Blue Tomato and how did you end up in this position? I have been buyer at the company for three years now and have worked in the company for almost seven years. I started as a marketing intern and have ended up as buyer for almost all female categories and Assistant Head of Buying. Looking back at past seasons, what have been your biggest lessons on writing orders and selling products? The customer tells you what they want to buy, not the super creative designer in the office. You have to find the right balance between mainstream/commercial styles and trend/core products. Ultimately, it is the big players that bring in the revenue so that you can buy the small/core/cool brands. Which brands are doing it right at the moment? Brands that stick to their roots and make products that are authentic and unique. I understand that this is easy to say and banal but, in fact, it’s like that. It’s strange when boardsport brands start to make super high fashion looking clothes, which you can also buy in every cheap high street fashion store around the corner. The question they have to ask themselves is – do we really want to compete with them? If you could ask brands for support - what would it be for (ordering process, SKU counts, marketing support)? I would ask them for marketing support – this is one of the key tools we work with. If the customer knows your brand then they will buy it. And to get to know a brand nowadays you need the visibility in Social Media, catalogues and other marketing channels. Second thing would be margin optimization, and of course sale/discount policy, to avoid sales up to 30% at the beginning of December. Over the past years, have you changed your brand line-up and main brands? We are always up for new brands so this is an ever-changing process. But in general we stay true to our roots and the boardsport section.
Do you have a different buying strategy for your online store compared to stationary retail locations? Yes. We plan the stationary retail locations a bit different than our online stock. But we still have a central warehouse from which we distribute to our stores. What’s your process for finding new brands for your stores? Checking tradeshows, magazines, talking to people in the business and to riders as well. Keeping an eye open wherever you are, is a big part of my job. We get a lot of requests from new brands, but not every brand fits to our strategy. We are very strict with our selection. But if there is a brand that seems interesting to us, taking the next steps is quite easy. We get in contact with them and check the product first, and if we are still interested we talk about a possible set up for the first season and place an order. Do you have any advice to upcoming brands on how to be attractive to retail buyers? Be authentic, be honest and be focused on the product. The most important thing is the product itself but of course other components like the brand identity and authenticity have to match our philosophy. Don’t expect too much in the beginning. It’s better to start slowly and have a healthy growth over a few years than push sales to the limit and cut everything in the following year or even get kicked out in the worst-case scenario… Which tradeshows do you attend and how important are they for your decision-making? ISPO, Bright and Agenda are the main tradeshows for us. To be honest, ISPO is too late – it would be better if this tradeshow took place in the beginning of December. Bright/Agenda help us to find new brands and to check upcoming trends. It’s also important to socialize with people in the industry; to talk about future plans, what’s going on and what the problems are. If you attend tradeshows you get a good feeling where the whole industry is going to move and this helps a lot for further planning in any case. 53
photo: loaded
market analysis
ARE WE REACHING PEAK LONGBOARDING? Longboards are the hottest trend in skateboarding at the moment. At recent tradeshows, the sheer number of newly minted longboard brands was staggering. The first harbingers of overkill? Is the category still picking up speed, or over the hill? Trend report by Dirk Vogel. No doubt about it, the longboard trend has proven a blessing to skateboard retail over the last few years. Then again, our industry boasts a history of slapping a saddle on a gift horse and riding a trend to the grave, with plastic boards, five-panel hats, and vulcanized shoes among recent examples. At this year’s ISPO Longboard Embassy, a seasoned industry veteran had a few words of caution. “There’s so much [longboard] product moving into German-speaking countries these days, it’s insane,” he said. “Austria used to be a snowboarding country, now it’s a longboarding country!” Are we reaching peak longboard, the tipping point where fresh trends become stale fish? When we asked brands and distributors, most were still optimistic. “I agree that plastic cruisers have peaked, but longboards are still growing,” said Nuno Fonseca at Maui and Sons. As a major growth driver, Andreas “Maui” Maurmeir at Sector 9 Europe identifies riders building quivers of different boards: “We have customers in our Sector 9 flagship store in Hossegor that come back every year to get a new board. The main driver is that people want to be adapted for all terrains you can ride on four wheels.”
Also upbeat, Ander Iraola, owner of HLC Distribution (Long Island Longboards), encourages retailers: “The market is larger than we think. Just a walk around ISPO and the Longboard Embassy will ensure the great amount of [board] makes and people making a living out of this business.” THE EUROPEAN MARKET Is the retail market already cornered – or is there room for newbies to get in on the action? “New retailers still have a chance. It’s more about what you are offering and how your are doing it, rather than who was the first to stock longboards,” notes Matt Wong, President of Globe’s product division, adding: “If a retailer offers their customers a good selection of quality longboards, displays them in an easy-to-see manner, and importantly has good knowledge of the products so he can help customers in their selection process, they should be able to sustain a decent business.” “The longboarding scene supports its local shops, so small retailers still have a chance if they’re in the scene for the right reason! Supporting and hosting local events and being active in the community can create a strong customer base,” says Andy King at Mindless Longboards. Major 55
market analysis
“If a retailer offers their customers a good selection of quality longboards, displays them in an easy-to-see manner, and importantly has good knowledge of the products so he can help customers in their selection process, they should be able to sustain a decent business.” Matt Wong, Globe brands are expanding their line-ups, including Osprey: “We introduced 45 new boards for 2015 and we have got many more coming in for 2016,” said Tom Ellyatt, Osprey Marketing Manager. Looking closer at product offerings, most of the action is still with complete boards at a ¤250 sweet spot – give or take ¤100 for budget and premium choices (see below). Trucks, where reverse geometries are booming, crystallize around ¤75 per set, while wheels are bouncing around ¤55. “However, the boards last forever so the sales will very much be one-offs in many cases and not the repeat customer like a core skater,” said Tom Beaton, European Brand Manager at Atom/Deville Longboards. Asked about different customer tastes and riding styles, Nate Schumacher at Landyachtz pointed out: “We are seeing the Downhill and Freeride segments level off while the cruising and carving markets are picking up steam.” Segmentation is regional, says Maui at Sector 9: “While Spain for instance is very much on the freestyle train, France is much more on the carving and sidewalk surfing focus at the moment. In Germany, Freeriding and Downhill are dominating the scene.” MAJOR LONGBOARD TRENDS 2016 Speaking of dominating, here are the major trends to look out for in upcoming product drops for the 2016 longboard season:
2. DROP-THROUGHS ON THE RISE The biggest story in shapes is the mainstreaming of drop-through boards. Quick recap: This is where you install the truck base above the deck for lower centre of gravity, dropping the truck though a hole. “Growth in drop- throughs has been the strongest growth for us,” confirmed Chris Brunstetter, marketing director at the Goldcoast Skateboard Co. Karl Martinez at Shiner Distribution also said: “Midprice-point drop-through completes are still increasing in popularity.” This trend sees other designs getting dropped: “For us the trend is towards drop-through models, away from pintails and we will continue pushing that,” said Tom at Atom/Deville. 3. HYBRID BOARDS STILL KILL Retailers can’t go wrong with a long axe around 36–38 inches in length, with a proper kicktail to hoist some ollies. It’s what customers have been asking for, says Nathan Pauli, VP of Sales at Origin Longboards:
photo: mindless
1. SO MUCH TECHNOLOGY Longboards have always been super-technical, but this is getting ridiculous. Concave choices include: camber, wheel wells, dual concave, nose and tail kick. What about gutters along the bottom rail or nine layers of ply – and maple, bamboo and fiberglass veneers. There’s so much technology, companies like Sector 9 and Flying Wheels are providing retailers with Technical Guides. Keep them handy, retailers – you’ll need them! Otherwise, how would you know what Sector 9’s Taco Mold is? Answer: “This mold is an oldie, but goodie, that bends the wood into slight taco shape.” Tasty!
“There has been a definite uptick in interest towards smaller, more versatile boards as street skating and longboarding continue their collision course.” All major brands have one, and Freddy Kortenhaus at Flying Wheels recommends their Nestblock model, “combining freeriding, slides and street skating.” 4. TOP-SHELF GETS ELEVATED Most of the action is with “fun” riding, but as tastes become more eclectic, they boost the premium segment (and price points). Freddy at Flying Wheels sees it as a complete package: “We are using superior quality materials from Canadian Maple, added bamboo and fibre laminates, to black ceramic bearings, depending on the model and purpose of use.” Luxury is rife in 2016 longboard collections, and Globe crafted a beauty with the Geminon 35 model, “a drop-through board which uses a classy ebony wood veneer for a high end luxe feel,” says Matt Wong.
“We have customers in our Sector 9 flagship store in Hossegor that come back every year to get a new board. The main driver is that people want to be adapted for all terrains you can ride on four wheels.” Andreas “Maui” Maurmeir at Sector 9 56
market analysis
photo: sector 9
“We are seeing the Downhill and Freeride segments level off while the cruising and carving markets are picking up steam.” Nate Schumacher at Landyachtz
5. BANG FOR THE BUCK At the other end of the spectrum, the budget segment is offering more value than ever before, as technology trickles down to price ranges around ¤150 for completes. Long Island Longboards pursues this segment with their Aloha series, boasting 7-ply laminates, ABEC 5 bearings and Freedom trucks. Meanwhile, Mike van Anrooy at Hardcore supplies warns: “The market right now is under pressure, more and more cheap longboard brands are selling and you’ll even find bad quality longboards in sport shops nowadays.” Choose wisely! 6. MORE FLAIR, BETTER GRAPHICS Longboards are moving beyond the cliché palm trees, sunsets over the ocean, and linear geometric shapes – finding real art along the way. Flying Wheels worked with fine artists Anais Le Corvec and Mat Miller on stunning deck designs. Ross Bradley at Osprey says: “We are seeing a demand for more feminine inspired designs, therefore 2016 sees many more pastel colours and feminine designs coming into play.” Also killer: The Hamu tribal dragon by Mindless, Landyachtz’ bad-ass Wolf shark model, and Sector 9’s Lagoon artist series. The top of the boards also step up with funky griptape lines and patterns, and clear grip paired with top graphics. 7. RESTLESS YOUTH Here’s something that’s so obvious, we can’t believe we haven’t seen it: longboards for kids! Sector 9 is embracing the “long boards for short people” concept with the Mini Series. Meanwhile, Long Island Longboards debuts the “Sun” Mini Freestyle deck, a dropthrough(!), with 34.5 length and 23.4 wheelbase for little shredders. “We are developing new concaves, carbon and fibre mixtures, bamboo 58
and mangle combinations in order to get more flexible and lighter longboards, addressed to younger and female customers,” said Ander Iraola. Hot! On that note, we firmly believe that the children are our future, and retailers should teach them well about longboarding. “We see it very positively since it’s been expending drastically the amount of people that skate, not only by numbers, but by age and gender. And an industry with a broader and bigger demand is always healthier for everybody involved in it,” said Nano Nobrega at Dusters California. As a final note, longboarding should be treated as either going all-in, or staying home, aays Maui at Sector 9, the company that created the longboards category in 1993: “Doubting and doing it half way never brought someone into the hall of fame!”
TRENDS AT A GLANCE •
So much technology, retailers need printed guides.
•
Drop-through shapes go mainstream.
•
Hybrid boards still booming.
•
Maturation, elevated tastes in the premium segment.
•
Technology trickling down into budget segment.
•
Flair on top with griptape designs and graphics.
•
More variety and better graphics.
•
Sizzling hot: Mini longboards for kids!
brand profile
REKD REKD is a protection brand that creates premium quality product at the right price for everyone. Their management team has plenty of experience in the action sports industry and they offer protection products suitable for all action sports, from skateboarders to those commuting on a bicycle. Please give an overview on how and why the company began? It all began with the idea to fill a window in the protection market; premium quality products for the right prices. REKD was born from a strong and experienced brand house that already have multiple, market-leading brands across many extreme sports platforms, including longboard and skateboard. The company already has an extensive history is these individual platforms, so we wanted to offer a product range that complements our other product lines. The ethos of the brand is that the products are designed for anyone to use, they are strong and safe, but most of all feel great when you wear them and so REKD was created.
all kids to look stylish while being protected. This is something that parents will buy into as well! We have put extensive time and research into the mould shape to make it what we believe to be one of the most comfortable helmets on the market.
Who is on the management team, and what are their backgrounds? The management team consists of a product development manager who has been working with extreme sports protection items for 10 years, a strategy team with over 35 years’ experience of bringing products to the action sports market and an energetic brand development team who all live and breathe action sports. This combination means REKD will bring products to market that are wanted by riders, are affordable and that really perform.
What do you find important about the European market? The European market is very important for the growth of any brand. Currently, longboarding is extremely popular in Europe, but in Europe there are so many different markets where different sports are popular at different times. This means that we can get feedback and input from customers from all backgrounds giving us a more rounded development process.
What sets you apart from your competitors? We feel that our major USP is our quality at the price point the helmet sits. We offer an extremely premium quality product at a very surprising and competitive price, enabling
BRAND NAME: REKD
Are your helmets intended for use primarily in skate/longboarding? Not at all, in fact the brand’s ethos is to ensure that our products are offered to a huge range of extreme sport disciplines. We are linking our products to all sports like Roller Derby, BMX, Scootering, even through to the recreational user such as a commuter cycling to work.
How do you support athletes and boardsports? We are always looking for riders to support with our promotion and physical product. The brand already sponsors riders that longboard and skateboard and will continue to promote them through the website and social media pages.
What other marketing are you running? We are working with media companies like Factory Media and Boss Media Inc, ensuring REKD is recognized in all magazines and social media pages for all the action sport disciplines we are aiming for. We will also be supporting events around the UK and Europe such as skate park competitions and jams. Should our riders ever go to competitions or jams themselves, they will represent the brand as well, which we feel is best way the brand will get known since consumers will see the products being used. Why should retailers sell your brand? Not only is the product certified, comfortable and looks great for the end consumers that buy from them, we also offer very impressive resale margins on our products to the retailers themselves. We back it up with great point of sale for retailers too. Furthermore, our strongholds are stock availability, customer service and delivery turnarounds to name a few. What do you see for the future of the industry? Over the last few years we have already seen a big increase in various longboard disciplines wearing protective gear. We have also seen the same increase in non-board sports like BMX, so we imagine this increase will continue to grow throughout all extreme sport styles and we will cater our products to meet the various needs of each category.
EMAIL: TOBY@REKDPROTECTION.COM WEB: WWW.REKDPROTECTION.COM 61
brand profile
TEMPLETON Templeton Outerwear is a raw and edgy European snowboard outerwear brand created and run by raw, edgy snowboarders from within an old Yarn Factory. Outerwear inspired by oldfashioned garments...fashion from the 50’s to the late 90’s, they are a young brand with attitude. Please give an overview of how and why the company began? Templeton Outerwear is a straight reaction to the common state of mind in outerwear business. It was the right time and situation, some money and a vision...that’s how it all started. In our eyes there was a need for a product like ours. I simply didn’t know what to wear and be able to feel good inside anymore. Everyone’s the same; big companies, weird marketing slogans, buying people into teams… blablabla. F**k that, here’s Templeton; I hope we are the solution! What is the company ethos? It’s us and the way we are, like diamonds; raw and uncut. We stopped the hating and would rather provide a good product that makes you “rethink your ride” - thanks Now Bindings for that slogan. Going further we promote an ethos of ‘live free and do your own thing’. Every day is new. We are a mirror of the 90s, the bastard child of Ranquet & Lynn. I want snowboarding to be dark and dangerous again, because that was the initial ignition. That’s why it’s still cool. Watch The Garden or Road Kill, and then you’ll know. We don’t want to fit in, we want to outfit you! What other marketing are you running? We support a DIY snow park called Snowpark Crown Woods, which is run by our friend and filmer Beat Schwiersch and friends in Breitenberg in Pfronten/Northern Alps. Every six to eight weeks we throw a party in our office, where people can dance, skate, and drink until it’s over.
Could you tell us about the way in which you use local resources in your products? Everything we use for POP we’ve found in the dark dungeons of our factory: lockers, furniture, old hemp materials and oldfashioned sewing machines. We used some 40 year-old hemp yarn to sew patches on our jackets. For limited edition garments we allow our posse to create them how they please. What do you find important about the European market? As a European brand we have to conquer this market first. The Euro-market is way more fashionable, has a rich history and is big on materials. The European market is like going to a museum, whereas the US market is like a mall or a cinema. What are you most popular products? The GasStationJacket, which is a quilted coach jacket which a huge back print, and our WulfPant. What sets you apart from your competitors? Nothing but our ethos and attitude. And maybe the fact that we actually ride every day and evening when we are not working. What is the inspiration behind your designs? Music culture, our own weirdness, oldfashioned garments and fashion from the 50’s and late 90’s. The balancing act of being pretty casual and apparent at the same time. How do you support athletes and boardsports? We give free gear to our posse (team), let
them sleep in our office and cook them food. But basically, and most importantly, we try to spread the nearly lost vibe of having fun, solidarity and romantic rowdyism. Why should retailers buy your brand? We are the essence of snowboarding. We are true till death. Templeton combines everything you ever liked about snowboarding: we are cool, edgy, we ride when you sleep and we sleep when you ride. We offer proper margins for our retailers, a researched European product and an attitude you can’t create. We are a European brand. We run it on our own and give snowboarding the personality it lost and still deserves. Where are you currently distributed and what are the plans for future growth? We are officially distributed in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France, Sweden and Finland. We work with agents in Austria, UK, Colorado and Norway. The plans are to settle down the fundamentals in the current stable countries and grow slowly and healthily into the unknown. What do you see for the future of the industry? The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. You have to make a difference to survive and keep/give snowboarding a character for future kids to start. Go shred!!! Where can we check out your products/ videos/stuff? Facebook... www.facebook.com/ templetonclothing Instagram… templeton_outerwear
BRAND NAME: TEMPLETON WEB: WWW.TEMPLETON-OUTERWEAR.COM 63
brand profile
SUPERBRAND SUPERbrand, the Californian apparel and surfboard company, deliver progression and innovation to the market. Focused on manufacturing product that stays true to their youthful high-quality aesthetic, the company believes it has set new standards of excellence in the surf industry, both in and out of the water. We caught up with SUPERbrand’s International Director Dorig Bocquet to find out more…. Please give us an overview of how, why and when the company began. SUPERbrand was founded in 2008 with the help of professional surfers Dion Agius, Ry Craike, and Clay Marzo. Our clothing line and surfboards shares the same colourways, design aesthetic, and patterns which makes us unique on the market. SUPERbrand set new standards of excellence in the apparel and surfboard industry. With the bones in place, distribution carefully grew to core markets and respected surf shops in the US, Australia, Europe, Japan, and select other regions. Who is on the management team, and what are their backgrounds? In late 2013 Marcelo Bengoechea (formerly of Reef) took over as CEO of SUPERbrand and since then has provided direction, vision, and leadership to the brand. Early 2014 Dorig Bocquet (formerly Nitro Circus, SkullCandy, Monster Energy) joined the team to expand and consolidate SUPERbrand’s international business. In late 2014 Justin Coté was added to the team as marketing director. After nearly a decade in surf media, Coté has been influential in ramping up our social media and global marketing efforts. The rest of the staff comes from a variety of surf backgrounds and cultures, bringing their unique skills to the table to build the still-growing young brand. What is the company’s ethos? SUPERbrand creates unique pieces that are forward thinking and that fulfil the wants, needs, ideology and vision of the youth and beyond. We make on-trend apparel and quality
surfboards, for surfers and surf lifestyle enthusiasts that are relevant to both surf and fashion circles. What sets you apart from your competitors, and why should retailers sell your brand? SUPERbrand is one of the very few authentic surf brands. Not just ‘inspired’ by surf culture, we produce surfboards in our very own factory, meaning we are intrinsically tied to surfing. How do you use local resources in your products? SUPERbrand only uses the best materials to achieve the best possible products. Good ingredients make the best recipes! When possible, sometimes that means local materials, and also materials that are environmentally friendly. We also like reusing surfboard material in our apparel to always connect our products in the most intrinsic way. What do you find specifically different or significant about the European market? Europe as a whole is a significant market where you can find crazy varieties of surf and beach cultures. From Sweden to Greece, Poland to Portugal and all points between, one can find people who want to hang out at the beach and enjoy the surf-based lifestyle and rideable waves. While no two markets are the same, we feel that SUPERbrand can satisfy even the most discerning European fashionista! What other marketing are you running? SUPERbrand believes THE WORLD IS SUPER.
This message is seen across print ads, online ads, our website, events, and team in all parts of the globe where our products are sold. We like to have fun, laugh at ourselves, and most importantly, get in the water as much as possible. What do you see for the future of the company? We’re seeing exponential growth year after year, which is awesome. However, it’s imperative that we grow in a manner that we can sustain the high standards we have for production. As far as apparel and surfboards, we’re staying on the cutting edge of design, performance, and quality. We have a new AXC category, which is set to be announced in the coming year. What do you see for the future of the industry? Surfing will always be fun, right? As long as people remember that, there will always be a need for quality products built to have more fun. On the business side of it, we have an open arms approach. Don’t know anything about surfing? Hang out with us and soak up the good vibes. A lifelong ripper? Grab a pair of SUPERbrand boardshorts and a board and let’s shred this one together! Where can we find you online and check out your products/videos/stuff? Superbranded.com Facebook.com/superbrand Instagram: @super_brand
BRAND NAME: SUPERbrand EMAIL: DORIG@SUPERBRANDED.COM WEB: WWW.SUPERBRANDED.COM 64
FAIR WEAR FOUNDATION Every company that is manufacturing textiles in overseas facilities is faced with the issue of working conditions for labourers. While political changes may upset the status quo at any moment, the only way to attain some degree of transparency lies in conducting regular audits on the ground. When it comes to securing fair wages and avoiding child labour, the Fair Wear Foundation provides international companies with comprehensive support and guidance. Since the start of the war in Syria in 2011, more than 1.6 million people have fled the country into Turkey. And because the duration of their stay is unknown, more and more refugees have been seeking work to secure a living for their families. As a result, companies that manufacture textiles in Turkey need to be aware of the risk of possibly soliciting the work of children from Syria. The situation is tense, and Syrian workers without adequate documents are subject to discrimination and exploitative practices at factories. A number of non-licensed suppliers have taken to employing large amounts of refugees, often under unhealthy and dangerous conditions. Before this, reports on dangerous working conditions and excruciating amounts of overtime have already been present in mainstream media.
political turmoil. But what we do find are massive amounts of unpaid overtime and wages that are far from covering baseline needs. In some cases, employees are refused social benefits or vacation time. Those are the typical hot button issues brought up when workers approach our regional hotlines.”
As a legal foundation, FWF initiatives are based on eight statutes of employment law similar to the principles of the International Labor Organization. Workers have the following rights: Employment is based on free will, not forced. Discrimination and child labour are illegal. Workers have the right to create or join a union and to negotiate as a collective. Salaries should cover existential needs. Working hours and operating environment should be healthy, while work agreements are legally The Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) binding and in compliance with “We operate on the assumption that working is on a mission to improve existing laws. Furthermore, the conditions can never be certified, but only verified.” – working conditions in the global structures and work practices Stefanie Santila Karl, Fair Wear Foundation. textile industry. Fair Wear of manufacturers have a direct puts a focus on sewing shops, and decisive impact on the including their subcontractors supply chain as well as working and homeworkers. Sewing currently accounts for the most human conditions of workers at factories. FWF is against last minute working hours of all production steps, as opposed to machines. The charges and promotes realistic prices and long-term cooperation segment is also home to the largest amount of workers with the with a well-planned commission schedules. lowest level of education. After all, sewing is an easy-to-learn skill compared to more technically oriented processes. As an independent multi-stakeholder organization, FWF provides a framework for measuring a brand’s social responsibility while “When you find children, of course it’s a highly important subject guiding improvements. When companies decide to join the FWF, they that requires really fast and highly careful responses,” says create a detailed plan of their goals and time requirements. The FWF Stefanie Santila Karl at the FWF. “First, we collect information and will monitor, accompany, and publish all developments along the way documented proof. Because as soon as you voice the issue with with a new online tool, the Brand Performance Check. the factory, the child is gone – moved to a different facility. Every manager is aware that child labour is illegal. You also have to talk The cost of membership is based on the revenues of a brand and to the parents and the child and explain that the situation is not the also includes fees for the Brand Performance Check, during which child’s fault. At the same time, you have to get an estimate on how the FWF performs an initial evaluation of a company’s internal many other children may be at work there, because they are routinely structures that are classified in three categories: The top 10% are kept hidden during factory inspections.” called “Leaders,” followed by “Good” brands, and finally, brands that “Need Improvement.” Whenever a brand falls short according to “Fortunately, sewing shops are the exception when it comes to child FWF Membership Requirements, the organization sets a one-year labour and Turkey’s situation is also exceptional due to the current ultimatum before severing ties.
WWW.FAIRWEAR.ORG 66
NEW PRODUCT #76 BERN MACON (EPS) HELMET The Macon dishes up core clean lines that will look good during any season. Macon EPS – The EPS/Thin Shell model is a certified helmet with a thin ABS shell lined with EPS Foam to create a burly lightweight lid. Depending on the season your helmet will come with either an EPS Summer Comfort Liner or an EPS Winter Liner and you can buy the alternating season’s liner based on your needs to keep up with you through the seasons. Snowboard and skate in the same lid! www.bernunlimited.com
FOX IAN WALSH ‘HORIZON’ BOARDSHORTS With a Sublimated graphic these shorts come with flat fly closure, Stretch-Lock drawcord, Ergo side seam with flat piping, V-Notch at hem, right back welt zipper pocket, welded hem and a secure fit waistband. www.foxhead.com
FREEWATERS CHANNEL ISLANDS SURFBOARDS COLLAB Official footwear partner of Channel Islands Surfboards, one of the most recognized and respected global surf icons. Each pair supports their clean drinking water projects and is backed by a lifetime warranty. Freewaters Channel Islands Surfboards collab range has expanded into a collection of 5 styles, coming to you this summer. www.freewaters.com
VANS SAM PARTAIX TATTOO SLIP-ON PRO His own signature colourway shoe combines Sam’s favorite style – the Vans Slip-On Pro – with artwork inspired by his own tattoos and photographic work. The Slip-On Pro features Vans’ own skateable canvas upper, combined with the team-favourite UltraCush HD footbed, Duracap™ toe bumper for longevity and the iconic Waffle Sole. Completing the offering is a Vans’ staple Custom Fit tee, with a photographic print of Sam’s work across the chest. www.vans.com
DRITEK HANGER PRO The Dritek Hanger PRO is a new and improved version of the classic Dritek Hanger. It’s still the toughest, most versatile garment hanger, but has the addition of a high-density foam cover on the karabiner, to protect roof racks & railings. www.dritekproducts.com
68
MARKET INTELLIGENCE UK By Gordon Way It’s not over until the fat lady sings… and she is still singing. At the time of writing this (March) I am hearing stories of some of the best snow for years and some good lines to be had by all. Having booked a late trip with the lovely Olly and Emma at Mountain Mavericks, I am hoping that the great conditions hold up. It does seem as if the seasons are getting later and later so perhaps we need to accommodate for that when considering whether or not to go ‘on sale’. On that subject you may recall that in my last article I talked about holding the RRP’s, and made comparisons with other brands. (To clarify, once again, Retail Price Maintenance is illegal – we all know that. But earning a decent margin is not illegal!) Chas from Tallington got in touch with me after the article. Chas is the Website Manager and, quite rightly, pointed out that it is all too easy to feel that the season is over when you are busy preparing for Summer 2015, with goods arriving on a daily basis whilst, at the same time, receiving offers from suppliers (since January apparently) all offering discounted winter product followed up immediately by demands for next winters seasons pre-orders. I do have great sympathy for retailers trying to juggle the seasons and maintain the flow of stock, cash and customers. So I called Chas when putting this month’s article together. I hope that Tallington will forgive me for saying that they are in the middle of nowhere. Where is nowhere? It’s about 12 miles North-West of Peterborough. So they are a real destination pro shop, based in a mighty complex of watersports activity lakes and their own dryslope. “The slope has been really busy this year and totally maxed out at weekends. This brings people into the shop – lots of tyre kickers but also some good customers.” As for the product mix? “Ski has been good and snowboards a bit lacklustre. Bit disappointed that the Olympic snowboard wave did not seem to carry through to sales. On the ski side it’s been boots that have done really well. Customers realise that they need to be fitted properly for boots and this is where we’ve had a great result”. Talking to Chas about the specific issue of the season being ‘written off’ early: “It’s March and we’re busy with customers who are getting ready for their Easter skiing break. It’s something we need to really remember. Whilst we think it’s all, over it’s not. There’s plenty of people still getting very excited about their Easter snow holiday and are happy to spend money.” Turning to my old friend Jeremy from TSA there were some interesting and solid perspectives on the market. I started off by asking Jeremy what he thought about the Olympic effect and whether it had really made a difference? “Of course it has” as certain as ever, “it’s brought a ton of youngsters into the sport which was just what we needed and there’s now a great groundswell of youth that will help sustain the sport and the business for some time to come. Kids stuff is super strong.” Any other areas that are strong? “Yeah – the independent woman. It’s no longer a case of a woman coming in with her partner and just getting what she gets. She is now spending good money on real upmarket kit, making her own buying decisions.” It’s great to see these two important market sectors getting a boost. We talked about the Pound Vs the Euro and the impact on future pricing. “We’re in a global market and the RRP’s have to be as close to the Europe RRP’s as possible. If that means some price lists being reissued and some things being addressed over the summer then so be it. When it comes to the selling season we need to make sure that we
do not give Euro mailorder companies a chance to steal our business”. And what of the early season discounts? “We had to go on sale in January with some specific brands but this was driven by our biggest competitor. There really was no need for it! That aside we are only just going into sale and we’re going to end the season pretty clean. Overall I’m happy enough and optimistic for the future of British snowboarding.” So much for our ‘Little Britain’, but what of the country as a whole. We’re just a few weeks away from a General Election so the Politicians promises are coming thick and fast. It really beats me how these people can put so many different spins on the same story. But they manage to twist and turn just about everything and this is what makes them politicians. As Jeremy commented, the currency markets continues to be a major discussion point with the Euro at a seven year low against the Pound. But the Pound is weak against the US Dollar and I guess this is election fear… who knows. Our Banks continue to receive bucket loads of bad publicity for past wrongs and they seem to fail to learn, continuing to do ‘wrongs’. The UK economy appears to continue to flourish with unemployment down, inflation staying low, average earnings increasing and interest rates remaining low at 0.5% as they have done for the past six years. Apparently consumers are “feeling good” driven by all these factors together with the falling fuel prices - thus confidence is rising, leading to a boost in mortgage acceptances and the likes of Barratt Homebuilders increasing their profits by up to 70%. Looking at the retail sector as a whole, things do not look so good. In a recent report KPMG indicated that the economic recovery may be “bypassing the retail sector”. On the face of it, that does not sound good for us – but on further investigation it is food sales that are lagging behind whilst non-food is growing at 1.2%. “Clothing and furniture sales recorded the biggest sales increases in February compared against last year. Swimwear, sandals and other ‘holiday’ items performed particularly well”, said Helen Dickinson, director general at the British Retail Consortium. Now I know that we do not always want to admit it, but most of our product sales can fall into the ‘holiday’ type of shopping basket. Of course we have dedicated sports people taking their boards to the water, snow or concrete (or any other surface) but it seems apparent that we are set to see solid growth in our overall board sector. Finally as the spring flowers start to bloom and the evenings become lighter, our thoughts should turn to the wind, water and waves. Speaking to James from H20 Sports in Poole, who do not sell winter sports kit, it seems that he’s had a great winter: “It’s easy to get good percentage growth in your off-season, but if we can carry the growth forward over the summer we are going to be well chuffed. We’ve seen a 20% - 25% increase this winter. Mild conditions and some good wind and waves have helped keep the business coming in. Windsurfing is still on the floor and has become more and more of a ‘holiday sport’ – something that people do once or twice a year. But SUP and kite are showing great opportunities with SUP really growing fast”. Poole is a key market for all things watersports and has probably the highest density of watersports businesses in the UK: “Our location is, of course key, but we’ve also been seeing some good online business from further north where perhaps they are lacking some specialist shops. Whatever it is we’re happy to service them” To end – James commented that he felt the rental property businesses in Poole busier than ever and bookings were earlier than ever. A great sign for Little Britain. Bring on the summer. 71
MARKET INTELLIGENCE GERMANY By Anna Langer We were blessed with blazing sunshine even before the start of Spring in our hemisphere this year, in parts several weeks in a row. And what is the dream for summer also accounts for happiness in this season of the year. Especially when the weather gods planned ahead as they did and had more snow planned for February and March. And so business is looking good for the first part of 2015. Exact numbers are hard to find just yet but some first estimates talk of increases in retail of up to almost 5% compared to the previous year. Manfred Piepho from Der Berg Ruft & Boarderline snow shop in Berlin reports slight slumps in outerwear last autumn, but since the start of Winter late in December last year, business was stable though, especially hardware. “The structure of our shops makes for a lot of demand in boards, bindings and shoes,“ Manfred explains. Due to the geographic distance from the actual winter sport landscape, the mountains, “trends come through with delays”, he continues. Consumers are also quite “price sensitive” in this area, as the whole capital of Germany suffers from rather weak purchasing powers. Which of course is in itself not making the already pretty complicated and delicate market any easier. Additional challenges are posed by companies that offer big price reductions with large supplier (chains), that are reflected directly in sales. “Burton, K2, Ride and Arbor are very strong for us,” says Manfred. “But other brands, that have big discounts with big chains like Sport Scheck or Karstadt in our city, have noticeably lost shares in sales at our shop.” he says. When describing their start to 2015, 247 Distribution say it’s gone “extremely well”. And the weather is only partly accountable for that, organisational factors have played a much bigger role actually. “We were lucky that we managed to get a lot of the goods that we receive directly from factories before the Chinese New Year and were able to ship them out before the break. That means that we had a chance to start deliveries rather early. That hadn’t worked out quite that smoothly in previous years,” Nils remembers. “The portfolio of NHS (Independent, Creature, MOB Gript, etc.) and Skate One (Powell Peralta, Bones Wheels, Bones Bearings, Theese Wheels, etc.) are working extremely well for us,” Nils continues. There weren’t any big surprises either for 247. “Tum Yeto got a lot of leverage through the addition of the brands Habitat and Alien Workshop. TSG continues to be high in demand as usual and the widely improved availability will bring even more positive developments all throughout 2015. Riviera Longboards are also enjoying a steadily increasing popularity.” Andi from Boneless in Munich says longer boards are still high in demand in general everywhere, and it doesn’t look like that will change any time soon. He has been running the first longboard specific shop in the Bavarian capital for over eight years now and is expanding more and more into all of skateboarding. “We started Boneless about eight years ago, in a time where longboarding was far from interesting for most people. So there wasn’t much other opportunity for us but to grow, as it was more or less non-existent before. The real ‘run’ for longboards started about four years ago though and during the last two years, it really went off.” The strongest trend here is drop-through boards with lower set axle assemblies, that make for an especially relaxed feeling when cruising from A to B, also on longer distances. Boneless put their focus fully on quality here, for people entering the sport as much as for the core scene. “For beginners we of course use components from lower priced suppliers, but only if their products 72
transport an idea of the feeling that we know from longboarding,” says Andi. To ensure that, boards are individually put together and set up for every customer, as a street deck would be. In economically unstable times like these, explosive growth isn’t only celebrated though, but also viewed with a critical eye, which is definitely a good thing too, and surely justified to a certain extent. Because every hype is followed by a certain phase of saturation, a development Andi is anticipating already but awaiting calmly. “Especially in times when one product is hyped as much as the longboard is now, you need to put your focus on giving sound advice and putting effort into the service for every single customer. That means that you need to sell a kid of 35 kilos body weight a different set up, than you would to a grown up – despite the fact that they may both be beginners. To consolidate and fully establish this category, we need to be on it now and can’t just rely on the hype and the 50 extra boards we’re selling.” If that succeeds, longboards will stay a serious factor of the business. Apart from hype or saturation the continuous longboard trend also revives the core skateboard scene, as Andi happily notices: “Cruiser boards are taking a lot of people out of skateboarding who mainly used their deck for transportation anyway. That means that skateboarding is becoming more core again, more ‘real’. That’s a great development for both sports!” To make sure everyone finds exactly what they need is passion and mission alike at Boneless. “Our staff are all really good skaters, some are even sponsored and they’ve all been active in the scene for quite a while.” This tight connection to community and customers also ensure a small amount of ‘advice-only’ types who take advantage of a shop’s service only to hunt for the best price online. To Andi, “trends that are happening on the internet” are much harder to deal with: customers who gather “dangerous superficial knowledge” through YouTube Videos. “Stationary shops face the big challenge to counter the nonsense some people spread on the internet with profound experience and expertise, and give people proper knowledge they can’t read about online.” This is also extremely important for 247, who have been working with both online and stationary shops for years. “In the more than ten years that 247 Distribution has been on the market now, we learned to hold the balance and are super attentive when it comes to price stability,“ Nils explains. “Some brands got themselves into big trouble when their products went into reduction periods and sales too fast.” He adds that while online retail is “extremely important”, the “backbone” will always be stationary. “Especially in high end, higher priced segments with products that require a lot of advice and consultation, nothing beats close relationships with customers.” he says. The outlook on the rest of 2015 is positive for all three. Snowboarding is stable, longboarding will continue to grow and skateboarding is reinventing itself. “I think, that demand for longboard brands will still increase, but our street skate brands are growing strong too,” Nils sums up. “Maybe not with the same rates, but we’d rather grow organically instead of creating too much of a bubble.” He also admits though, that the Dollar/Euro situation will add some challenges for a lot of distributors: “We need to make sure that we offer our customers stability in prices and if worst comes to worst, we’ll stretch out as much as we can.” Dedication has always been the drive in boardsports and will never cease to continue.
MARKET INTELLIGENCE FRANCE By Benoît Brecq The combination of very low oil prices per barrel and a weak Euro is irrefutably a factor that will support the recovery of the French economy. However, let’s not exaggerate the benefits of the falling Euro. We shouldn’t forget that a decline to the Euro means that the price of imports automatically increases. It’s still too early to make a full report on France but one study on Italy’s case has already proved that the weakening of the Euro is a zero-sum game. In other words the real economic gain of having a weaker currency is often countered by an increase in importation costs. For the vast majority of cases, the action sports market relies on importation. That means our market is unfortunately at risk of seeing prices rise over the coming weeks by up to 20%. According to the different brands, distributors and importers we are already talking about roughly 10% in April and maybe another 10% in July. This rise in prices will firstly affect retailers before reaching the final consumers who will once again have to dig deep in order to continue living their passion. These price increases are necessary to a brand’s survival, except for the few brands that happen to be made in France. Until today the brands and distributors have resisted, maintaining prices despite the worrying curve of the Euro/Dollar exchange rate that’s been in place since last summer. But now they have no choice, this is about survival. From a retailer’s perspective, the situation seems to be holding. “For the months of January and February, 2015 our activity has been stable compared to 2014,” confides Laurent Bouteiller, manager of the shop Urban Surfer in Paris’ 5th arrondissement [Parisian district]. The sales seem to have allowed turnover to catch up a bit but “these days they are applied to too many products” according to Laurent. Technical equipment was indeed discounted a bit earlier this year. For Norbert and Catherine Bernigaud from Atmosphere in Gap, the sales period was complicated due to all the dressed-up offers on the Internet from mid-December onwards. Despite this, by “playing the advice and service card and listening to our clientele we have managed to come out of it well.” Volcom, Burton and Picture seem to be the brands with the best rate of sale during the sales period. For Guillaume Adam from the resort shop Ride & Style in Val Thorens: “Sales were up at the start of this season. We didn’t suffer from the lack of snow like many resorts did.” Snowfalls this season were significant over the whole of France and especially in the Pyrenees. With 5.40m of accumulated snow, the resort of Piau Engaly took home the gold medal. At the end of February it was the snowiest ski resort in the world according to the site snow-forecast.com. but that’s not all, Gavarnie took 4th place with 4.10m followed closely by Porté Puymorens with 4 metres. The heavy snowfalls of February and the record-breaking snowpack this season helped sales with technical clothing prevailing over equipment. For Laurent at Urban Surfer in Paris, “The highestperformance technical clothing-especially those with a membraneand the top-of-the-range, boosted our sales.” In resort, snowfalls had a positive impact on sales and especially in accessories such as gloves, beanies, socks and little accessories. However, Guillaume from Ride & Style seems more reserved about outerwear and clothing: “Technical garments were down considering the excellent snow conditions. Despite the recent snowfalls, we never felt that people were that keen to buy this type of product this season.”
As for brands, the most popular seem to be Picture for its eco image and block colours and Volcom for the quality of its cuts and originality as well as Neff for its fresh and fun take on things. From a technical perspective, and more specifically in snowboarding, the trend already announced at the end of 2014 seems to be confirmed: The “all mountain backcountry” is in greater demand. This is particularly the case for the family tree range from Burton. Splitboards also seem to be on the rise as Norbert and Catherine from Atmosphere confirm for us: “we’ve had lots of questions and interest about splitboarding this season. It allows for a wider scope of activity and the escapism side is now sought after by participants.” This discipline gives a more dynamic aspect to snowboarding and opens doors to a larger world, which is what clients are looking for. On the other hand, pure freestyle seems to have dropped off slightly and is a bit less in demand from customers. In resort the snow seems to have played its part and “on the whole sales went pretty well, especially for bindings” says Guillaume. The best rate of sale in this domain seems to be attributed to brands such as Union Bindings or Northwave. On a general level, shop visitation rates are quite stable. This industry has always depended on the weather but that’s nothing new and it doesn’t account for the wider trends. This year the road conditions were particularly bad and despite the excellent snow conditions, people were sometimes prevented from getting up there, especially day-trippers and weekend warriors. However, between pre-season prices, the alignment of sales periods for technical goods/clothing sales established by the players and the flexible sales periods, the season was shortened to five weeks of normal selling… which is really not enough according to everyone we spoke to. Even though they all agree that the average basket was higher because the products bought were mostly top-of-the-range, these products were also being sold more and more during the sales periods. This directly impacts retailers’ margins which are undeniably lower…Laurent from Urban Surfer reveals a real paradox: “today we have to discount products that suppliers are out of stock of as well as our carryovers…” They all agree that clients are concentrating more on the effects of brands. Guillaume tells us that: “Picture is still a unique example because French and foreign customers come especially for the brand.” Even still, the price is an important factor in making a purchase: “We feel it amongst our French clients but this year the Russians are also more wary than previous seasons with the Rouble crisis a few months ago.” Above all, consumers have needs and require suitable advice and shops and sales people are there to direct them in their choices. Catherine and Norbert put that above all else: “we provide a service and advice tailored to each client. Compared to the Internet, we provide our clients with a solution in no time for similar prices and after answering all their questions.” As for water, the season will kick off in a few weeks. Most retailers are gradually reopening their shops and starting to receive the new collections for the 2015 season. Once more the weather will weigh heavily in the balance of success on this new season. It won’t be the only factor though, and retailers will also have to juggle the impact that the fluctuating Euro/Dollar has on their prices. Will these increases be understood and accepted by final consumers? We’ll find out more in the weeks and months to come. 73
market intelligence
74
AUSTRIA
SPAIN
By Anna Langer
By Jokin Arroyo Uriarte
Austrians might not be famous for it, but they like to do things their own way. Being the only country in Europe that still allows smoking in bars is just one example. Running core shops another. The Alton Premium Board store in Feldkirch is celebrating its 20th anniversary and looks back to over 65 years of heritage, with its clothing mother-shop ALTON SchuhMode-Sport and 15 years of Burton Snowpark Damüls with daughter company Parkdesign. And they fully utilize that background. “We bring it all together, which is something customers understand immediately when they step into our shop,” Thomas Alton explains. “There’s no use in having 2,000 square metres if you can’t convey emotions. Since we’re on the mountain every second we can ourselves, we’re really living it. Season after season. That is our advantage and the customers appreciate it a lot.” Contrary to the global trend on digitalisation, the family-run business opted against online. “Ever got advice from your computer?!” Thomas counter questions. “We view ourselves as a premium board store. Thanks to years of experience, we don’t only give great advice but have all the knowledge to back it up.” And it works. “2015 started very positive for us, we even had a small plus. Boards and bindings are only discounted by 20% and sell splendidly. Boots are still regular priced and a top seller,” Thomas happily reports. And streetwear is going great too: “We were sold out by the end of February!“ Thomas names Volcom and Hurley winners. Outerwear on the other hand is still “lagging behind”, albeit not as far as in previous seasons. Hence there are no real losers: “We only select product that we’re behind 100%, making them great to sell. Premium instead of mass goods….” Thomas explains. The Freedom Skateshop Graz is on the same page. After an extremely successful 2014, the goal for 2015 is “the same as every year: to support our scene and offer customers the best possible advice and product. Because we love what we do!” Mike Mayr explains. As a core skate shop winter is naturally a little weaker but stable numbers from the first couple months bode well. “We sell a lot of hardware (decks, trucks, wheels, etc.) and shoes but less apparel,” Mike continues. “The Austrian company Decay Skateboards and US brands Baker Skateboards, Deathwish Skateboards, as well as DGK and Expedition are high in demand. For trucks and bearings it’s Independent, Thunder and Shake Junt.” And even though apparel makes up only 30% of the shop, Brixton, Kr3w and DGK get a special mention from Mike. “Emerica is most successful with shoes and the latest Fallen styles are gaining popularity again since they moved to Dwindle Distribution.” Next to extensive advice, events have always been important for Freedom. “We organize two annual contests in the skate hall in Graz, the GreenAnger Contest in the Skatepark Grünanger and Go Skateboarding Day is a must of course too. We also do video premieres in our shop and other venues,” Mike says. And the skate courses in the Graz Funhall that are mostly run by Freedom team riders are supported with boards from the shop as well. And with that the outlook for the rest of the year can only be positive. “Our main season starts now and lasts until Autumn – hence we’re looking super forward to summer. Not just for business – we’re stoked to get back on our boards ourselves!” Mike’s frothing and Thomas agrees: “We do everything we can to stay authentic. The rest depends on the orders that need to be well planned and thought through.”
The Spanish economy is growing and closes 2014 with optimism, that’s according to the Spanish Ministry of Economy. The 1.4% growth of the economy in 2014, confirmed by the INE (National Institute of Statistics), represents a moderate “but positive” growth that “is accelerating”. There is also an estimate for growth of 2.4% for 2015, this is considered “cautious” by the Ministry. The annual growth rate in 2014 was 2% in the fourth quarter and in the first quarter of 2015 it is already above 2%. There are 288,744 fewer unemployed people than a year ago, the greatest year-on-year drop since 1998. But the total figure is still around 4.5 million people. January is a month in which unemployment has always increased, but this month the increase of 77,980 people is the smallest since 2007. In the last seven years, the unemployment registered in the month of January had grown on average by around 144,000 people. “The economic crisis in Spain has changed the consumption habits of end customers and this directly affects the rest of the industry chain (stores, distributors, brands and manufacturers).” Commented Javier González Vega, Managing Director of the brand Surf Logic (a surf accessories brand with headquarters in Irun in the Basque Country. “We note that stores need to work with brands and companies that offer fast and flexible logistics that can supply them with products throughout the year without the shops having to accumulate large stocks. This lowers stores’ stock risk and, in turn, gives them greater liquidity to deal with the economic instability and decline in consumption. Therefore, at Surf Logic, we back this system and see that the brands that offer it will have a competitive advantage over brands and companies working mainly with preorders and with little replenishment stock to offer their customers.” Speaking with Saul Viadero Musitu, manager of Deep Surf Shops in Cantabria, he tells us that: “The 2015 season is showing a great improvement in sales. I can see that the Internet is doing a lot of damage to small stores like mine. But, I can also see that slowly but surely this trend is going back to how it was before. In terms of sales in the snowboard sector, I would especially highlight demand for splitboards and also accessories such as masks.” Summarising the current trend in boardsports, owner and manager of Free store in Barcelona, Avenida Diagonal, 503, Kike Soriano’s says: “Right now we can say that surfing is the sport that has shown the highest growth in recent years to the detriment of skate and snowboarding. The surf market is much more than just boards and technical material, led by the main brands known to us all.” Right now new emerging brands, surfing clothing and accessories are the most in demand products. The market is starting to show signs of recovery and through the Internet and social media we can interact with our customers, who are becoming more and more demanding.
market intelligence
SWITZERLAND
ITALY
By Fabien Grisel in collaboration with David Lambert
By Franz Josef Holler
On January 15, Switzerland suffered an absolute economic Tsunami (in the words of Nick Hayek, boss of SwatchGroup), when the Swiss National Bank (BNS) decided to abandon the EUR/CHF floor rate put in place five years ago. To counter the strong Franc, which would heavily impact exports, tourism and foreign purchases, the BNS established a floor exchange rate for the EUR/CHF in 2008, in other words the national bank bought a significant amount of Euros to maintain the rate of 1.23 CHF for 1 Euro no matter what. This is a rate, which on January 15, would fall back to parity after the BNS announced they’d give the market free rein. In the space of one hour, Switzerland had (once again) become 10-15% more expensive than its direct neighbours who were already less expensive. This situation immediately led to an increase in shopping-based tourism with French, German and Italian supermarkets close to the borders. Obviously this situation didn’t help our retailers’ difficult season, snow conditions were tricky, shop visitations were disappointing and online competition became extremely virulent from January 15 on. The impact for ski resorts and expensive products is especially widespread, or at least it will be next year since this season was already well underway by mid-January. In fact, given that most reservations for February were already made well beforehand, our resorts haven’t seen too much difference to how busy they are. However, tourists are consuming less in resort because we have become too expensive for them. If we focus on equipment we can see that expensive products have understandably suffered from these circumstances. The splitboard market has particularly suffered this season due to the price of the equipment. January is normally full of Russian tourists but there was a problem regarding their own geopolitical and monetary situation; the affluent Russian middle class found themselves unable to travel because of the fall of the Rouble. This is what John Richard from Schneeberger Sport in Saanen/Gstaad points out. He is quite used to welcoming Russians to the luxurious Berner Oberland resort during this period, but this time around it was extremely quiet, he says. Having said all this, the situation is not as drastic as it could be and the arrival of the snow at the end of January helped the February holidays enormously and allowed shops in the plains to enjoy a decent sales period and to make space on their racks. David Lambert, owner of DAV agency distribution (Nixon, West, Rip Curl, Mizu, Poler) who helped with this article, gives us his point of view on the situation with updates about some of his brands: “Despite an apparent hint of a snowboarding revival, sales didn’t take off as much as the brands and shops hoped for, however a good 60% of shops congratulated themselves at having once again sold more boards while 40% of them didn’t get the loyal backing of their clientele who abandoned them in favour of a ‘good deal’ on Blue Tomato or other websites. West snowboarding felt this in a strong way: while some shops who are committed to snowboarding and to local brands not in the big leagues are significantly increasing their orders, other shops who would like to push more smaller brands are “forced” to sell what their clientele want (apparently Lib-Tech are still smashing it). Free from the constraints of weather and greatly expanding their shop and fashion network, brands like Nixon have scarcely had it so easy in the business. Accessories are bought in a constant flow and there’s a wide range of them.
Our 89-year-old president Giorgio Napolitano has stepped down, with Sergio Mattarella now our new state president. Economically, we are still facing issues relating to a lack of growth in our GNP, however our Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s intention is to push young entrepreneurs with their contributions and support from various other sources, which will benefit our young industry. Start-up companies bring positive influences and workplaces for the young guns that suffer the most from unemployment. This brings us to the boardsport industry, which has high hopes for the 2015 Spring/Summer season, as winter was not as kind to us as would have liked – with almost no snow until the end of December and warm temperatures until January 2015. Subsequently, jackets and hard goods suffered the most, therefore pre-bookings for winter 2015 suffered greatly from the amount of stock that retailers still have in their warehouse. Marketing initiative and support for retailers is now key in order for the snow brands to aid the stores through this rough season. In outerwear, it’s either high or low price points that are performing well. The middle price segment seems to be struggling the most, and reps have taken notice, as stores now keep their eyes on new brands with clever pricing and good mark-up. It is a similar situation with hardgoods, where mark-up is now key, as numbers have dropped and sell-through is battling. Rental is the only category that retailers and brands seem to be happy with. Shoes remain the cash cow for nearly every retailer. Shoe sales are not affected by weather or temperature - everybody needs and wants to wear new shoes that both look and feel good. The skateboarding season is in full swing already with beautiful spring temperatures in early March. Skateboarding keeps on top of the wave in boardsports and is trending like hell, with cruisers and longboards still selling successfully on the mainstream front, and decks that sell well if the price is right. Brands from the US are still struggling as pricing is not competitive and kids are not as addicted to pro names on their boards as they were years ago. Although US trucks are still a must have for every skateshop – with Independent, Thunder and Venture leading in that category. While US skateboard companies struggle with hardgoods, they still do well with clothing and accessories where brands like Diamond and Huf are smooth sellers. Distribution wise - NEFF found a new home @ FRESCO DIST. and hats specialist OFFICIAL is now under the roof of Blast! Distribution. The boardsport industry is constantly evolving and moving in Italy, we have developed from a niche sport and product to an industry that also found interest from mainstream consumers and mass market stores, which means that bigger challenges are on the way for core stores and brands. Product variety has increased, and so has competition. Online shopping plays a huge role as consumers are constantly conducting research on potential products and have clear ideas of what they want to buy. Brands in that case need to supply their core retailers with special products and need to initiate marketing events, as a mall store will not create the same impact on a customer. I personally believe that tradeshows are more than likely to play a big role in the near future due the importance of being informed on what’s trending. Apart from the uncertainty of what is trending at the moment, what we do know for sure is that being an expert and loving what we do is now crucial in order to be successful in this jungle of productivity and variety. 75
OPPORTUNITIES
DISTRIBUTORS WANTED! UK, Denmark, Norway, Turkey, Mid East, South Africa
Since 1999, C1RCA has remained committed to skateboarding. Designing, developing and producing quality footwear and apparel for skateboarding and lifestyle by skateboarders. WE HAVE REBOOTED THE MARKETING AND INFUSED A NEW SENSE OF EXCITEMENT INTO THE BRAND. IT´S TIME WE GET BACK TO WHAT WE DO BEST! C1RCA –“ COMITTED TO SKATEBOARDING”
c1rca.com / pfrericks@sugi.com.hk / +491738603801
HI, WE’RE
#yournewvision DISTRIBUTORS/AGENTS WANTED THROUGHOUT EUROPE AND BEYOND. CONTACT SALES@SPEKTRUMEYE.COM WWW.SPEKTRUMEYE.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR WORLD AND OUR PRODUCTS
Spektrum_Orange_ny2.indd 1
76
COME JOIN US AT: INSTAGRAM: @SPEKTRUMEYE FACEBOOK/SPEKTRUMEYE
2014-12-11 22:06
brought to you by Boardsport Source & ActionsportsJOB.com
OPPORTUNITIES
Distribution AD.pdf
1
19/12/2014
16:58
brought to you by Boardsport Source & ActionsportsJOB.com
77
ESURFV/ESKATE N T/ SNOW S #/ TRADE 76 APRIL 1-12 RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH BELLS BEACH AUSTRALIA SURF WWW.ASPWORLDTOUR.COM 7-12 VOLKL WORLD ROOKIE FINALS TIROL AUSTRIA SNOW WWW.WORLDROOKIETOUR.COM 15-26 MARGARET RIVER PRO MARGARET RIV’ AUSTRALIA SURF WWW.ASPWORLDTOUR.COM 18 LONGBOARD CLASSIC STUABI AUSTRIA SNOW WWW.LONGBOARDCLASSIC.COM 28-29 PERFORMANCE DAYS MUNICH GERMANY TRADE WWW.PERFORMANCEDAYS.EU
MAY 2-8 SPRING BREAK UK BOARD TEST KAUNERTAL AUSTRIA SNOW WWW.SNOWBOARDSPRINGBREAK.COM 11-22 BILLABONG RIO PRO RIO BRAZIL SURF WWW.ASPWORLDTOUR.COM 21-24 FAR’N HIGH VILLIERS-SUR-ORGE FRANCE SKATE WWW.WCSK8.COM 30-31 BACK TO THE STREETS SKATEPLAZA LESZNO POLAND SKATE WWW.SKATEAGENDA.WORDPRESS.COM
JUNE 4-7 SUMMER X GAMES AUSTIN TEXAS USA WWW.XGAMES.ESPN.COM 7-19 FIJI PRO TAVARUA FIJI SURF WWW.ASPWORLDTOUR.COM 16-19 PITTI UOMO FLORENCE ITALY TRADE WWW.PITTIMMAGINE.COM 21 INTERNATIONAL SURF DAY SURF WWW.SURFING-DAY.COM 26-29 DEW TOUR OCEAN CITY, MD USA SKATE WWW.DEWTOUR.COM 26-28 CAPSULE PARIS PARIS FRANCE TRADE WWW.CAPSULESHOW.COM 28-29 EXTREME BARCELONA SKATE COMP PARC DEL FÒRUM BARCELONA SKATE WWW.EXTREMEBARCELONA.COM
JULY 3-5 (UNCONFIRMED DATES) MYSTIC SK8 CUP PRAGUE CZECH REPUBLIC SKATE WWW.WCSK8.COM 8-9 AGENDA LONG BEACH, CA USA TRADE WWW.AGENDASHOW.COM 8-10 BRIGHT TRADE SHOW BERLIN GERMANY TRADE WWW.BRIGHTTRADESHOW.COM 8-10 SEEK BERLIN GERMANY TRADE WWW.SEEKEXHIBITIONS.COM 8-19 J-BAY OPEN KOUGA SOUTH AFRICA SURF WWW.ASPWORLDTOUR.COM 10-12 RELENTLESS NASS SOMERSET UK SKATE WWW.NASSFESTIVAL.COM 10-13 INTERNATIONAL SURF FILM FESTIVAL ANGLET FRANCE SURF WWW.SURF-FILM.COM 15-18 THE OUTDOOR SHOW FRIEDRICHSHAFEN GERMANY WWW.OUTDOOR-SHOW.COM 22-23 AGENDA NEW YORK CITY, NY USA TRADE WWW.AGENDASHOW.COM 24-26 ITALIAN SURF EXPO ROME ITALY SURF WWW.ITALIASURFEXPO.IT 27-2 VANS US OPEN OF SURFING HUNTINGTON, CA USA SURF WWW.VANSUSOPENSURFING.COM 29-30 JACKET REQUIRED LONDON UK TRADE WWW.JACKET-REQUIRED.COM
AUGUST 5-9 15-17 14-25 16-17- 17-19
BOARDMASTERS MALMO ULTRA BOWL BILLABONG PRO TEAHUPOO DEW TOUR AGENDA
CORNWALL MALMO TAHITI PORTLAND, OR LAS VEGAS
UK SWEDEN FRENCH POLYNESIA USA USA
SURF/SKATE SKATE SURF SKATE TRADE
WWW.BOARDMASTERS.COM WWW.SKATEMALMO.SE WWW.ASPWORLDTOUR.COM WWW.DEWTOUR.COM WWW.AGENDASHOW.COM
SEPTEMBER 9-20 HURLEY PRO SAN CLEMENTE, CA USA SURF WWW.ASPWORLDTOUR.COM 10-12 SURF EXPO ORLANDO, FL USA TRADE WWW.SURFEXPO.COM 25-28 SILMO PARIS FRANCE TRADE WWW.SILMOPARIS.COM 29-4 CASCAIS WOMEN’S PRO CASCAIS PORTUGAL SURF WWW.ASPWORLDTOUR.COM
78
81
ONE EYED MONSTER
#76
BRIGHT XX, BERLIN (GER)
Brixton’s Brian, Adam and Peter
Vans crowd mover
Chewy and Vaughan at Supra/Kr3w
Lakai’s Hescho
skate aid
Vans VP Jeremy de Maillard
Torsten, Titus and Tomas
Nixon’s Franck Corbery
Diamond’s Shafik
JACKET REQUIRED, LONDON (UK)
Absolute Distribution’s Elizabeth and Olivia
82
Josh from Black Box and Philip from Rough
SLIDE 2015
Make-Make’s first jacket is tailored and created and worn by brand founder Chris
Rojo’s Renee and Stephen
Snokart’s Christian and Andy
Uppercut Deluxe now offers a full range of mens grooming products
Santa Cruz’s Josh and Joe
Thule’s Alan and Mike
Urban Beach’s Simon, Rob, Andy, Richard
Open, clean space for this rack show
The Hundreds’ Luke with burgundy cotton perfect pocket T and Feather coach jacket with cuduroy collar with Luke
Westbeach’s Paul, Dave, Ritch and John
Zeal’s Michael, Helen, Wensley and Ollie
ISPO 2015
Bench’s Natalie,Sebastian and Svea
Dragon Europe Team
Colour Wear’s Neil with Franz from Fresco
Dakine’s Marco and Peter
Fanatic SUP crew
Flying Wheels Benoit with the Skycap 39 stepdeck collab with Matt Miller
Giro’s Mattia and Brendan
GoPro’s Isabella, Martin and Filip
Head Snowboards’ Max & Nicole
Hoff’s Benoit, Freddie, Gunnar and Marc
K2’s Hunter & Max
Landyatchz German distributors Matze, Felix & Jan
Lib Tech’s Marian and Ryan
Lib Tech’s Mike with Steve from Altamont
Melon’s Tom and James
Mervin’s Maja and Jamie
Northwave’s Nicola and Uwe
Picture’s Neal and Julien
Ride’s Jörg with the new Barretta girls stick
Sanuk’s James with Liam from Holysports
Sector 9’s Boris, Sly, Rick and Maui
Smiths Eric and Cassie
SUPERbrands Marcello and Dorig present matching graphics across apparel and boards
The Phunkshun family
THIRTYTWO Pierre-Andre and Jeremy Jones
Urban Beach and Osprey’s Tom
Volcom’s Hardy and Phil
Volkl’s Michael, Lucian, Phil and Philip
83