by Board Retailers Association | Oct 3, 2019 | Industry, Internet, News, Resources, Surf
PRESS RELEASES | Published Oct 2, 2019 Join brand leaders in exploring the latest in e-commerce strategies. This session is for any industry employee who is looking to enhance or gain new insights on e-commerce performance. SPEAKERS: JAKE KASSAN – Co-Founder and President, MVMT SHAUN NEFF – Founder – Neff & Beach House Group. Entrepreneur – Advisor – Investor CODY DEBACKER – Head of Retail Experience, Shopify and Director of Shopify LA TICKETS
: $50 – SIMA Members $65 – Non-Members Pre-registration is required and space is limited. Registrations are final and not transferrable between dates. Deadline to register is 5 pm, Sunday October 13th! LOCATION: The Ocean Institute 24200 Dana Point Harbor Dr. Dana Point, CA 92629 TIME:
2:30 pm to 3:00 pm – Check In, Networking, Drinks & Light Apps 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Welcome, Speakers & Networking REGISTRATION at https://sima.com/speaker-series-ecommerce/ ABOUT SIMA SPEAKER SERIES, POWERED BY GROUP Y Introducing the SIMA Speaker Series, a set of local seminars that will explore pertinent topics brands are facing in the changing marketplace. Seminars will feature experts from leading, progressive industries to show brands how to expand their reach and foster growth. In addition to seminars, the series will also feature open discussions and conversations around challenges brands are facing and opportunities to collaborate with fellow attendees to develop...
by Board Retailers Association | Sep 24, 2019 | Industry, News, Skateboard
Traditional vert is dead, at least to the Olympics. As detailed in our Olympics: Fact From Fiction article last month, neither vert nor mega ramp will be represented in Tokyo next year. Instead, the two ‘disciplines’ will be “park” and “street.” The reasons behind the decision — participation rates, accessibility, gender equity — are well intentioned, but the decision itself still probably came as a bit of a shock to the world’s vert skaters. And it will have far-reaching ramifications, considering that the 2020 Olympic Summer Games will almost certainly generate the largest global television audience skateboarding has ever seen. The traditional vert ramp was the cornerstone around which the ‘80s NSA contest circuit (and later the ‘90s/’00s X Games model) was built. The vert ramp was (and is) the backdrop for the cutting edge of progressive aerial tricks and vertical NBDs— Tony Hawk’s 900 in ‘99 being the most famous. Meanwhile, love it or hate it, mega ramp seemed like the obvious choice for the mainstreamest of mainstream crowds with it’s big air “wow factor.” Having been the poster child for vert skateboarding since his teens, and as skateboarding’s biggest ambassador for almost four decades, you might think Tony Hawk has an opinion about all of this. You’d be right. What are your thoughts on skating’s Olympic debut? You have said that the Olympics needs skateboarding more than we need them; do you still think that’s true? Yes. Skateboarding is already more popular (in terms of participation and/or industry size) than many of the Olympic sports. We have established skating as something kids choose to do as readily as almost any other...
by Board Retailers Association | Sep 24, 2019 | Industry, News, Surf
By Tiffany Montgomery | Published Sep 23, 2019 The Oakley Surf Shop Challenge just wrapped up another successful finals event in Nicaragua. The finalists included Catalyst, Surf Ride, Pacific Wave, Sunrise, Secret Spot and HIC, with Catalyst taking home the big win. We asked Marty Mathiesen, Oakley’s Sales Manager for the Surf Channel, some questions about the event and why Oakley continues to support it even with the major changes at Oakley over the past few years. Needless to say, the surf shops that participate love the event. HIC Owner Leigh Tonai gave a special toast in honor of Oakley during the closing dinner. “I’ve been on the retail and wholesale side of the surf business for over 35 years. The nature of retail is it’s difficult to pay your staff living wages, heck most owners can’t pay themselves a living wage,” Leigh said. “I’m stoked to see the level of support Oakley is giving to the core shops, the shops who consider selling surfboards as part of their DNA, through the surf shop challenge. “The regional contest is a great give back to the core shops but the nationals takes that to a new universe,” Leigh said. “Oakley put on a first class event. Investing in great judges, awesome accommodations and most of all a place that has consistent and challenging waves but nothing that’s going to kill you. “I was impressed with the level of surfing and competition. Congrats to Catalyst and all the competitors. It’s an awesome experience and could only be done with a big investment from Oakley.” Q&A with Marty Mathiesen Despite all the changes...
by Board Retailers Association | Sep 21, 2019 | Industry, News, Surf
By Tiffany Montgomery | Published Sep 17, 2019 Roark is jumping into retail with both feet, and has opened two good-looking stores in high profile California locations, with more on the way. Roark’s first store debuted in Berkeley late last year, the second store just opened on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles and a store in Del Mar opens in the second week of October. Early next year, a newly signed San Francisco location should be ready to open. And, it sounds like Denver could be next. We spoke with Roark Co-Founder and CEO Ryan Hitzel to find out more about the retail strategy. Why is Roark opening new stores in Los Angeles, Del Mar and San Francisco? Roark CEO Ryan Hitzel: It would probably help to pull the bow back a little more to understand where we’re going. We’ve always envisioned Roark as an omni-channel brand, mostly because of the depth of storytelling and the appeal to action sports, outdoor and menswear markets. So the brick-and-mortar flagships play a large role in each community and connect the dots between our wholesale, consumer catalog and e-commerce businesses. The strategy is pretty simple when it comes to target markets. We have two buckets. We’re looking to provide a brand touch point in communities that are over-performing yet undersaturated with wholesale accounts. Our stores in Berkeley and San Francisco are examples of an over-performing market that does not have many Roark wholesale accounts. The second bucket is regions that are still developing but have great potential and strong DTC demand. San Diego and LA are still developing for Roark and could use...
by Board Retailers Association | Sep 10, 2019 | Industry, News, Snowboard, Sustainability
By Tiffany Montgomery | Published Sep 10, 2019 Burton is shutting its offices, stores and websites around the world to participate in the Global Climate Strike on September 20. The strike, inspired by 15-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, is being led by students globally. SES spoke with Burton Co-CEO Donna Carpenter, who is currently based in Europe, about why Burton is getting involved. Greta has sparked a movement of students who are striking every Friday and demanding action from political leaders. The strikes have grown to 3.6 million participants in 169 countries. Burton plans to shut offices in the U.S., Canada, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea and Australia. All global flagship stores owned by Burton will open as a community gathering space before and after the marches, but cash registers will be closed. Burton’s website will not accept orders for 24 hours worldwide and instead re-direct to the Global Climate Strike website. Patagonia is also participating in the strike along with companies such as Ben & Jerry’s, Lush Cosmetics, and Seventh Generation. When I first heard about Burton’s participation in the strike, I remembered you telling me when we last talked that one of your goals as CEO was to speak out more about issues. Donna Carpenter: We are at a time when businesses have to take this role. Before, we didn’t see ourselves as having to move the needle on social issues. But because the government isn’t doing anything, I think it’s up to individuals and businesses. We also have these grassroots groups at Burton like Women’s Leadership and we have an environmental one called EPIC. They are the ones that brought...
by Board Retailers Association | Sep 2, 2019 | Industry, News, Skateboard, SUP, Surf, Trade Shows, Wake Surf, Wakeboard
ORLANDO, Fla., September 1, 2019 — Due to the continued threat of Hurricane Dorian on Orlando, the state of Florida, the southeast and the east coast, Surf Expo announced today that it will cancel the 2019 event scheduled for September 5-7, as well as the pre-show outdoor festival Waterfest, on September 4, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. Surf Expo’s leadership team has been constantly monitoring the storm closely and evaluating information from both local, state and federal officials and partners to determine the best course of action.“We understand that Surf Expo plays an important part in connecting buyers and sellers in the Boardsports, Beach & Resort industries and that many rely on our marketplace for filling their commerce needs, but travel and logistical difficulties and, more importantly, our customers’ safety is at the forefront of our minds. Given the state of affairs regarding Hurricane Dorian today, we had no choice but to cancel Surf Expo. We recognize that many of our customers will be directly impacted by Hurricane Dorian and feel their focus should be on their families, businesses and community at this time”, said Roy Turner, SVP, Surf Expo Show Director, Emerald Expositions. Exhibitors click here for more information Attendees/Buyers/Media click here for more information To view this announcement directly on the Surf Expo site and learn more about the January show: click here On behalf of Board Retailers Association, although we are disappointed that the show was cancelled, it is completely understandable and are sending positive vibes to everyone that could be negatively impacted by this dangerous storm. We are really looking forward to...
