Industry News Source

BRA PARNTERS WITH BOARD-TRAC

THE GOAL OF COLLABORATIVE EFFORT IS TO IMPROVE COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF BOARD SPORT RETAIL DATA

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC, APRIL 24, 2008 —The Board Retailers Association (BRA), a non-profit representing almost 500 specialty board sport retailers in the surf, skate, snow and wake industry, has partnered with Board-Trac, a market research firm, to conduct quarterly brand specific, retail-focused surveys.

“As the preeminent association representing specialty board sport retailers, we are honored to be working with BRA. Retail survey data is the best indicator of the status and health of the board sport industry and we look forward to providing both retailers and manufacturers with this valuable information on a quarterly basis,” said Angelo Ponzi, Board-Trac.

The Retail Quarterly Survey is online and all specialty board sport retailers are encouraged to take part. Participating retailers receive survey results at no cost. Participation is voluntary and 100% confidential. The survey is geographically diverse, representing a range of products proportional to BRA’s membership. The survey is brand specific and focuses on four aspects of the board sport industry: surf, skate, snow and wake. Survey results are critical to understanding where the board sport retail industry is and where it is headed.

“BRA has been conducting quarterly surveys for a couple of years to help retailers gear up for the buying cycle, but by partnering with Board-Trac we hope to improve upon the collection methods and resulting analysis,” said Melissa Clary, BRA Executive Director.

For more information or to obtain a copy of the survey results and accompanying analysis, please contact Melissa Clary at 910-509-0109 or Angelo Ponzi at 949-357-9547.

BRA and 3point5 Launch Online Training

SALT LAKE CITY, UT and WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (April 25, 2008) – Online retail trainer 3point5.com and the Board Retailers Association (BRA) today announced a partnership to build and promote Web-based training for the board sport industry.

3point5.com is a leading provider of Web-based retail training. The company tests brand, technology and product knowledge using interactive “Edu-Games”, which retail salespeople must pass to earn access to deep discounts on the products they sell.

“BRA, which represents independent snowboard, skateboard, surfboard and wakeboard retailers, had been looking for a partner to help deliver on its longstanding training initiative,” said Melissa Clary, BRA Executive Director.

“The collaboration with 3point5.com will ensure that all board sport retailers – including BRA members – get free access to training developed under the new initiative,” she said.

“The future of retail sales training is online, and this agreement points us in that crucial direction,” Clary added. “We’re excited to be working with a proven leader in Web-based retail training.”

Under the agreement, 3point5.com will:
• Offer free sponsorship benefits on all BRA-created courses on 3point5.com, including logo placements and BRA contact information.
• Deliver marketing capabilities to BRA, including the ability to conduct polls, surveys, offers and events and administrative functions that will include reporting and editing capabilities.
• Offer BRA retail members a free three-month trial upgrade to 3point5.com subscription-based services and free hosting on one BRA-created course for a month.

In exchange, BRA agrees to endorse 3point5.com within the board sport industry as the online resource for its members’ retail employees. In addition, BRA will provide content and other expert resources to jointly build training courses with 3point5.com.

The partnership is good news for retailers, said ZJ Boarding House co-owner and BRA Chairman Todd Roberts.

“Access to standardized yet engaging employee training covering sales floor basics, product fundamentals and vendor specific training – as well as real-time tracking of employee progress by management - is long overdue,” Roberts said. “It’s going to be very well received by board sport retailers.”

“The agreement will introduce board sport retailers to a proven concept that can significantly improve sales staff proficiency in a challenging retail environment,” said 3point5.com Director of Action Sports John Telfer. “It will open up a wide segment of the Action Sports market to the leader in online retail training and draw more manufacturers to 3point5.com.”

2008 Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge

Now in its fifth incarnation of the new millennium, the ultimate surf shop team challenge is coming to a beach near you this summer. From Kewalos to Sebastian Inlet, with four regional events and a $10,000 winner-take-all championship scheduled to coincide with the San Diego ASR Trade Show in September, the Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge is once again ready to showcase brilliant local talent.

Last year, it was San Diego’s Hansen’s Surf that took the coveted grand prize. So far, Heritage Surf and Sport won the Northeast Region held at Casino Pier, Seaside Heights, NJ.

The competition will be fierce as more than 100 teams compete across four regions for a chance to take the glory home for their shop. If that’s not motivation enough, the winning team from each of the four regions (South Carolina to Maine, Texas to Georgia, all of California, and Hawaii) gets to duke it out for the overall title during the Championships this September for a $10,000 winner-take-all prize purse and a full-page color ad in SURFER Magazine!

The Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge presented by SURFER Magazine would also like to thank its roster of supporting sponsors: Sector 9 Skateboards, ASR, Surf Expo, BRA, Aviso Surfboards, Future Fins and WaveWatch.

April 7-8, 2008 - Southeast: Texas to Georgia at Sebastian Inn, Sebastian Inlet, FL
May 20, 2008 - Central/Northwest: Seal Beach to San Francisco at Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz, CA
June 6, 2008 - Southwest: San Diego to Orange County at 54th St, Newport Beach, CA
July 11, 2008 - Hawaii: All Islands at Ala Moana, South Shore, HI
September 8, 2008 - National Championships at Huntington Pier, Huntington Beach, CA

BOARD RETAILERS ASSOCIATION CONDUCTS RETAIL FOCUSED SURVEY ON TRADESHOW SCHEDULE

MAJORITY OF RETAILERS NOT INITIALLY IN FAVOR OF MOVING SEPTEMBER TRADESHOWS TO AUGUST IN 2009

WILMINGTON, NC, NOVEMBER 5, 2007 — In response to industry feedback regarding the dates of the Surf Expo and ASR Tradeshows, the Board Retailers Association (BRA) recently conducted a retail-focused survey to gauge buyer’s initial response to moving the September show dates back to August. Over the past couple of years, apparel and shoe companies have begun to break their lines earlier, pushing up ordering deadlines and making the September tradeshows less timely. As a result, both ASR and Surf Expo are considering moving the September show in 2009 to the middle or end of August.

One hundred and fifteen retailers representing at least 240 store locations, as well as every aspect of the board sport industry from surf, snow and skate to boutique and resort replied to the BRA survey on the upcoming tradeshow schedule. 62.1% of the respondents were from the East Coast and Puerto Rico, 17.6% indicated they were from the Midwest while the remaining retailers indicated they were from the West Coast or Hawaii. Of the survey respondents, 81% indicated that they regularly attend the Surf Expo tradeshow and almost 40% attend ASR.

Of the 40% of respondents who attend ASR, a slight majority (57%) of retailers indicated that they preferred for ASR to remain in September after the Labor Day holiday. To affirm their position, 27% of these retailers indicated that they would not attend the show if the dates were moved to August, while almost half (43%) of survey responders indicated that they would attend the show no matter what dates were selected. 14% of the 40% that attend ASR actually indicated they were in favor of the show moving dates to August.

Like ASR, retailers who attend Surf Expo (81% of retailers surveyed) initially prefer for the show to keep its current dates in September. 13.2% selected the fourth week of August as a potential substitute and 12.1% indicated that they would prefer the show take place in the third week of August. Half (50.6%) of the retailers who responded to the survey and currently attend Surf Expo indicated that they would no longer be able to participate in the show if the dates were moved to August. 24.2% were neutral to the change while 13.2% actually preferred the move.

The Board Retailers Association will continue to work with tradeshow organizations as they collect, analyze and evaluate both retail and manufacturer feedback on the 2009 show dates. BRA would like to thank retailers for taking the time to complete the survey.

BRA Update in Transworld Business - The Board Retailers Association continues to make steady strides. The article summarizes the struggles and activities the association has experienced in its five years. The article aslo highlights future goals and projects of the association.