Retail stores news :Flip Flop Shops Teams with Quiksilver and ROXY for July Promo

 

Free Tee With Purchase When Consumers Free Their Toes(R) With Quiksilver or ROXY

ATLANTA, July 2, 2012- Flip Flop Shops partners with Quiksilver and ROXY for a month-long, system-wide promotion to help consumers enjoy summer in style with free tees when they Free Their Toes^® with the action sports retailers' flip flops and sandals.
Throughout July, consumers at any of the Flip Flop Shops locations throughout the United States, Canada, Guam and the Caribbean will receive a free Quiksilver or ROXY tee with any Quiksilver or ROXY purchase of $30 or more, while supplies last.
"We're stoked to launch this promotion during the peak of the summer season with our core brand partners and friends over at Quiksilver and ROXY," said Brian Curin, the President (Size 10) of Flip Flop Shops, adding that this is the retail franchise's first system-wide promotion with both brands. "Quiksilver and ROXY have been leading and living the action sports lifestyle for decades. It's no doubt that their products are a staple to anyone living a laid-back, casual lifestyle."
As part of the promotion, each Flip Flop Shops location will receive a promotional facelift, complete with Quiksilver and ROXY window clings, floor graphics, peg talkers, and cash-wrap posters. In addition, each shop's unique and innovative "flip flop tree" will be exclusively dedicated to Quiksilver and ROXY product lines. Flip Flop Shops' staff will create further awareness for the promotion by wearing Quiksilver and ROXY-branded tees and footwear.
"Flip Flop Shops found a niche that was so underserved throughout the industry, stepped-up and put the proper spotlight on flip flops and sandals. We're honored to be part of the ride as a core brand and are excited to offer a system-wide promo for consumers to enjoy," said John Mills, the Senior Vice President (Size 13) of Quiksilver Sales.
Bursting onto the retail scene in 2004, Flip Flop Shops quickly became North America's first retail chain exclusive to the hottest brands and latest styles of flip flops and sandals from such leading brands as SANÜK, OluKai, Quiksilver, ROXY, Reef, Cobian, and Cushe, among others. Its mission: to provide the opportunity for anyone, in any climate, to Live…Work…Play With Their Toes Exposed^® with the freedom of flip flops on their feet.
"When it comes to 'Freeing Your Toes' in style and comfort, Quiksilver and ROXY never let consumers down. Both brands are always huge sellers at our shops, and we know our consumers are going to be excited for this promotion," said Alan Woods, the COO (Size 11) of Flip Flop Shops.
Today, Flip Flop Shops has more than 55 locations operating throughout the United States, Canada, Guam, and the Caribbean, with 85-plus shops in the development pipeline.
For more information or to find the nearest Flip Flop Shops location, visit http://www.flipflopshops.com.

About Flip Flop Shops
Founded in 2004, Flip Flop Shops is North America's first retail chain exclusive to the hottest brands and latest styles of flip flops and sandals from big names such as SANÜK, OluKai, Quiksilver, ROXY, Reef, Cobian and Cushe. The recipient of the International Council of Shopping Centers' prestigious "Hot Retailer Award," Flip Flop Shops began franchising in January 2008. Flip Flop Shops is an Environmentally Responsible Retailer™ and encourages the nation to Free Their Toes^®. The executive team boasts more than 50 years of franchise experience building and growing some of the world's fastest-growing franchise concepts, category leaders and some of the world's most well-known brands, including Cold Stone Creamery, Moe's Southwest Grill and Nike. Recognized in the 2011 Inc. 500|5000 listing as the sixth fastest-growing franchise and 12^th fastest-growing retailer in the nation, the brand currently boasts more than 55 shops in operation and more than 85 in the development pipeline. Through its well-managed, global-expansion strategy, the brand projects 236 locations to be open or in development throughout select markets by 2013. For more information on the franchise opportunity, visit http://franchise.flipflopshops.com/.

(GLOBE NEWSWIRE) 

Business news :Golfsmith Sees 4.7 Percent Q2 Comp Gain

Golfsmith International Holdings, Inc. said revenues increased approximately 12 percent in the second quarter ended June 30, to $146.0 million as compared to net revenues of $130.2 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2011. Net revenues reflect a 4.7 percent increase in comparable store sales and a 4.8 percent decrease in net revenues from the direct-to-consumer channel.

The sales decline in the direct-to-consumer business reflects a 27.1 percent decrease in our catalog business associated with the declines in the clubmaker catalog channel, partially offset by an 8.3 percent increase in the web channel. The company has opened 10 new stores and has not closed any stores since the second quarter of last year.

Net revenues for the twenty-six-week period ended June 30, 2012, increased approximately 12 percent to $237.0 million as compared to net revenues of $211.7 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2011. Net revenues reflect a 6.2 percent increase in comparable store sales and a 5.7 percent decrease in net revenues from the direct-to-consumer channel. The sales decline in the direct-to-consumer business reflects a 27.5 percent decrease in our catalog business associated with the declines in the clubmaker catalog channel, partially offset by an 8.0 percent increase in the web channel.

Golfsmith International has more than 80 stores across the United States.

(SportsOneSource Media)

Sport events : Honda to participate in the 2013 Dakar Rally

July 2, 2012 – Honda has announced its intention to participate as a works team in the motorcycle class in the Dakar Rally to be held in January 2013 in South America, travelling north to south through Peru, Chile and Argentina. Honda competed nine times in the motorcycle class in the forerunner of the present Dakar Rally, the Paris-Dakar Rally, from 1981 through to 1989, and was a winner five times during that period. Honda’s return to Dakar Rally next year will be the first in 24 years since 1989.

The Honda team, to be called Team HRC, will include Portuguese rider Helder Rodrigues, who took third place in the 2012 Dakar Rally, and Brazilian Felipe Zanol, who brings a wealth of experience in motocross and enduro race events, as well as Sam Sunderland (United Kingdom) and Javier Pizzolito (Argentina). They will ride a prototype machine developed and produced by the Motorcycle R&D Center at Honda R&D. 

The prototype machine is based on the CRF450X, the popular worldwide enduro racing model that combines ease of handling with superior competitive strength. Kit parts designed for use on the standard CRF450X model have also been developed and will be made available to a limited number of teams.

Tetsuo Suzuki, President, Honda Racing Corporation, commented “The Dakar requires competitors to cover several hundred kilometers per day for more than two weeks. It needs a totally different type of vehicle from events such as motocross, trials and road races. Honda has put a great deal of effort into designing and building a powerful and winning machine. We are aiming for the championship from this first year.”

(Motor Sports Newswire)

Business news : Superfeet Takes Over European Distribution

Superfeet Worldwide Inc. took over responsibility for all its European distribution Monday through a new operations center in Edinburgh, Scotland.  Superfeet will also begin distributing its products and systems directly to retailers in the UK and Ireland.

The UK expansion is the next phase of the insole company’s ongoing plan to support its European distributors and increase its global presence. 

“We understand that closer contact with our customers is worthy of an investment and is vital to our growth," said Superfeet President Bill McLean. " Europe has become a very significant market for Superfeet and we are directing more resources to it in order to achieve our full potential.”

Nine new positions have been created to run the UK facility, which will have the support of the staff at the company’s American headquarters.  McLean believes the expansion will allow Superfeet to improve management of its growing European business, and will create opportunities to take advantage of expansion into new countries and markets.

Superfeet’s former European distributor, Anatom, will continue to grow their other brands, including Teko socks and Anatom footwear.  McLean recognizes Superfeet’s 18-year relationship with Anatom, saying, “We appreciate what Anatom has done to build the Superfeet brand in the UK, Ireland and Europe.  We can assure our stakeholders that we are further committing ourselves to the UK and Irish markets through this investment.”

Superfeet Worldwide UK Limited joins Superfeet Canada Inc. as a 100 percent wholly-owned subsidiary of Superfeet Worldwide Inc., and is located at Unit 12, A1 Industrial Park, 232 Sir Harry Lauder Road, Edinburgh EH15 2QA.  UK retailers and European distributors can contact Mr. Steven Baynes, European Operations Manager, at sbaynes@superfeet.com or Mr. James Clark, Key Accounts Manager, at jclark@superfeet.com with any questions or concerns.

(SportsOneSource Media)

New product: Tent with solar panel.led light and Fan

Tent With solar panel.led light and Fan

This solar tentis 2011 OCT new products.More color and much flexible.We will show this tent in the Canton Fair in this autumn.We already have the sample

Special point.

• The solar panel is disattached to the solar tent.when you clear the tent or in rainy day,you can move the solar panel

• Solar panel is different from former hard one .
  Amorphous Silicon:18v 38W(UNI-SOLAR—made in USA)

•  Standard accesorries include LED Light and Fan.when camping,they can be power and used at the same time

• Exclusive battery to store the solar power,which has about 8 kinds of different voltage,can charger for laptop.phone and camera aslo

Function of solar backpack:

 

Solar panel in the solar tent receive the solar energy and send it to the inside battery,the inside battery battery store the solar energy.Then you can use the battery to charge for the LED Light.Fan ,laptop. tablet(Ipad inc),phone(Iphone inc),camera and FWP other digital products

More infos and details for order : Shenzhen Shiming New Energy Development Co., Ltd.

Business news : Mammut Names New Sales and Channel Management Executives

After five and a half years with the company, the current sales manager, Michael Tobler, has decided to leave the Mammut Sports Group at the end of August. Tobler intends to turn his hobby into a professional activity by founding "Saphire", a company specialising in the sport of sailing. Mammut would like to take this opportunity to thank him wholeheartedly for the commitment he showed during his time with us.

Andreas Kessler is new Chief Sales Officer

His successor and new chief sales officer is Andreas Kessler, who will take up his post on Aug. 6. Born in 1965 and a graduate in Business Administration from the University of St Gallen (lic oec HSG), he began his career with Unilever and spent several years working for the Swatch Group in Japan and Korea (Longines) and as Country Manager in North America (Rado). Most recently, Kessler was CEO of the functional clothing specialists ODLO and as a result, he will bring extensive knowledge of the sector with him to his new post in Seon. Married with two children, he lives with his family near Zurich. His favourite sports include cross-country skiing, mountain climbing and running.

Erweiterung des Management BoardsIn light of this change, the Mammut Sports Group is adjusting the organization of its management board.

To prepare the company for the coming challenges and future development, the management board will be extended to include a chief channel management officer who will be responsible for the different retail formats as well as for category management. This position will be taken over by Stefan Merkt who has been with the Mammut Sports Group for almost ten years. A former brand manager at Raichle before being appointed head of the footwear business unit and finally head of category management in 2010, the 42-year-old is equally well connected within the company as he is throughout the entire sector. Stefan Merkt will take up his new position with immediate effect.

(SportsOneSource Media)

New products : Lafuma Beds Down in U.S. Design

Lafuma, the French based manufacturer of sleeping bags, is set to launch its new collection, the first that has been entirely designed in the U.S.

LAFAYETTE, Colo.—Lafuma, the French-based manufacturer of lightweight, compressible sleeping bags, is set to launch its new collection, the first that has been entirely designed in the U.S., at Summer OR. Last season marked the first year Lafuma began to integrate designs from the U.S. into the international sleeping bag collection by commissioning the design services of Jason Belaire, owner and head designer of ENFOQUE Design in Denver, for six synthetic sleeping bags. Shortly thereafter, the brand made the decision to move all design to the U.S., with the overall goal of providing retailers with a streamlined, comprehensive collection that remained true to the Lafuma DNA—sleeping bags that are lightweight, compressible, feature-rich and affordable.

“When design was being done both in the U.S. and in France, the result was a disjointed collection,” said Belaire of the challenge. “There were holes, and specific needs were being missed. We listened to dealers, evaluated the marketplace and regrouped.”

Lafuma’s new SS13 collection is divided into three categories: lightweight down, with temperature ratings from 30–40 degrees; lightweight synthetic, with temperature ratings from 20–45 degrees; and synthetic family camping, with temperature ratings from 20–40 degrees. All 23 sleeping bags in the collection use the EN rating system.

“We’ve also added a segment to the Lafuma collection called the Tour de Mont Blanc (TMB),” Linda Greene, brand manager, said, “which is geared towards the car camping audience, who also wants technical features like draft tubes, shoulder collars and a lofty bag that will still compress down if they want to do a weekend backpacking trip.”

(actionoutdoorbike.com / AOB Editor)


     

Business news: Westlife Distribution Acquires Matix® Clothing

Los Angeles, CA (July 1, 2012) --  In an exciting turn of events, Westlife Distribution is pleased to announce the addition of Matix®Clothing to the increasing brand portfolio that also includes technical apparel brand, 686®.   Westlife will be acquiring Matix from the Sequential Brands Group in an asset purchase which includes intellectual property, inventory and accounts receivable.

While the details of the agreement are confidential, Westlife is excited with the outcome and has big plans for Matix.  “Skateboarding is where I came from and I couldn’t be more stoked. We’ve been longtime fans of Matix and have solid relationships with the Dunlap brothers as well as current and former Podium employees,” said Michael Akira West, President/CEO of Westlife Distribution.

Details are still being ironed out, but Matix will be immediately re-locating to the Westlife headquarters in Los Angeles, California. It is the goal of Westlife Distribution and Matix to make this transition as seamless as possible. All current Matix employees will be making the move, and Brian Dunlap will be fulfilling the role of President.

“I would like to give a big thank-you to all the retailers, reps and distributors that have been behind Matix for all these years and especially during these tough times,” said Dunlap, “With the Westlife structure behind us, we will be at 110% in no time. As George Herbert said, storms make the oak grow deeper roots…”
“Matix is iconic within the action sports world,” continues West, “We wanted to keep it in the family and industry. We are committed to improving the operational foundation, making superior products, working with quality retailers and growing its business over time, just like we have done with 686 for the past twenty years.”

For customer service, accounts receivable and general dealer questions, please call (949) 699-6868 and ask for Matix Customer Service.  The mailing and shipping address for Matix Clothing is now 227 E. Compton Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. 90248.
For ALL media inquiries or interview requests, please contact Kristin Cusic:
(949) 699-6868 x304 or kristin@westlifedistribution.com

Independently rider owned and operated, Westlife™ Distribution LLC is the parent company of 686®technical apparel and Matix® Clothing. Westlife also holds exclusive licenses for New Balance®, Dickies® and Paul Frank®. Since 1992, Westlife has provided the riding community with innovative and progressive technical apparel, outerwear, sportswear, boots, footwear and accessories found in specialty retail locations throughout the world. Log on to www.686.com or www.matixclothing.com for more information.

New products: Lib Tech Unleashes EnvironMENTAL and Dang Difficult to Ding Surfboard Series

SEATTLE—Lib Tech launches its Waterboard line, a culmination of three decades spent surfing and experimenting with eco-radical watercraft by Lib Tech founder, chief surfboard designer and composites guru, Mike Olson. Waterboards distribution from Lib Tech’s laboratory will begin in select shops on the west coast, and will also be available online at libtechwaterboarding.com.
Generated through Isotropic conFusion, the Waterboard is a homogenous gathering of 31 classified eco materials and components. Riding liking a traditional polyester board, “Every material used is completely new to surfboards,” according to Olson. “Every technique is completely unique—to any industry. It’s not only a new way of making surfboards, it’s a whole new way to make anything.” These new environMENTALLY nicer technologies reportedly need no sandpaper, paint brushes, tape or solvents except water. The non-classified components include:

• 2D2D Volcanic Organic Basalt Honeycomb Technology: Volcanic Organic Basalt Honeycomb Technology is a strong, impact-resistant layering of fibers that withstands heel kicks, has no additives and is lively underfoot, the company reports.
• The Powerpop Airspring Foam Core: A lightweight foam composed of an exclusive closed cell alloy formula that will not absorb water, has elastic qualities like a trampoline, contains up to 50 percent recycled content, and uses ozone friendly blowing agents. Additionally, 100 percent of the off-cut foam produced while shaping is then recycled into new blanks.
• LVR43 High Rebound Matrix: Instead of polyester resin or old-fashioned epoxy, Olson created LVR43 High Rebound Matrix, a chemistry that reportedly has higher elongation, extreme ding resistance, and responsive rebound.
• Elastomatrix Perimeter 2D2D Dampening Web: Rails are wrapped in rubberized metallic fibers to give the boards a smooth ride.
• Lib Tech Leash Plug: It’s still just a leash plug, but it’s different. Lib Tech’s newly designed leash plug featuring an anodized 6061 T6 aircraft aluminum pin that won’t rust and a super lightweight fiber-composite cup.
• MO BOX Fin System: To increase the adjustability of fin placement, all Waterboards feature Lib Tech’s new MO BOX fin system and come with four of Lib Tech’s new Maximum Intensity Leading Foil (M.I.L.F) fins, including a smaller trailer fin.

Mike Olson and co-conspirator craftsman, Jeff Henderson, broke down every element of surfboard design in Lib Tech’s windowless Waterboard lab. Ergonomic elements, including grab rails (small channels on the rails) for maximum hold for duck diving, as well as aerials, and a concave deck for rib comfort are standard in every Waterboard shape series: Ramp, Bowl and Vert. Waterboards are available with the sublimated works of Lib Tech artists Jamie Lynn, Quincy Quigg and Ryan Davis or without graphics.

Business news :Black Diamond Inc. Completes POC Acquisition

Black Diamond, Inc. completed the acquisition of POC Sweden AB, a Stockholm-based developer and manufacturer of protective gear for action sports athletes.

Under the terms of the definitive purchase agreement, Black Diamond acquired POC for a total consideration valued at SEK311.3 million, or approximately $44.9 million. This was comprised of 460,065 shares of Black Diamond common stock and approximately $40.6 million in cash based upon the Swedish kronor to U.S. dollar exchange rate as of the closing date. The Black Diamond common stock issued at closing is subject to a lock-up agreement restricting sales for two years and is pledged to Black Diamond as security for indemnification claims under the definitive purchase agreement.

The transaction also includes an estimated $12.5 million in long-term, performance-based incentives payable to POC management, based upon multiple measurement and payment dates over a period of six and a half years. Additional details about the transaction are available in the initial press release issued on June 7, 2012.

POC will join Black Diamond Equipment and Gregory Mountain Products as the third discrete company operating from Black Diamond's powerful outdoor equipment and lifestyle platform.

"Completing this transaction is an incredibly exciting achievement for both Black Diamond and POC," said Peter Metcalf, President and CEO of Black Diamond. "We have brought together two fast-growing, sport and lifestyle-defining companies that reach millions of outdoor enthusiasts around the world. Like Black Diamond, POC possesses a true passion for delivering brilliantly engineered products that are designed to improve the safety, comfort and performance of individuals engaged in outdoor sports and activities. As a result, POC brings to the table highly valuable IP in products that complement and expand our multi-seasonal offerings. We look forward to sharing the progress of our integration in our upcoming second quarter earnings call."

POC founder and CEO, Stefan Ytterborn, commented: "Joining forces with Black Diamond represents an important step in the global expansion of the POC brand. Our new global infrastructure - rooted in the pursuit of engineering life-dependent products - is expected to greatly advance the development and appeal of our products. We believe Black Diamond allows us to better serve our customers and fulfill our quest to be one of the best developers of personal protection products for 'gravity sports' athletes in the world, in terms of both the quality of our products and the quantity of our sales."

Founded in 2004, POC produces and distributes to 27 countries advanced-design helmets, body armor, goggles, eyewear, gloves and apparel for action or gravity sports, like skiing, snowboarding and cycling, with a particular emphasis on safety and protection.

(SportsOneSource Media)