Billabong (clothing)
- For other meanings, see Billabong (disambiguation)
Billabong International is a clothing company traded on the Australian Securities Exchange since 11 August 2000. Billabong was founded in 1973 by Gordon and Rena Merchant. As of December 2011, Billabong is on the verge of bankruptcy as analysts project the company will not be able to meet debt covenants due to the difficult global retail environment which has caused a substantial reduction in earnings. [1]
The name came from the same word billabong, which is a stagnant body of water attached to a waterway.
As well as the Billabong brand-name, the company sells surfwear and accessories under the Palmers Surf, Honolua Surf, Swell.com, Von Zipper, Kustom (footwear), Nixon, Xcel Wetsuits and Tigerlily brands, and also Element skate clothing and hardware. The brands are available at various surf and skateboard stores locations.
Acquisitions
- Von Zipper was acquired in early 2001.[2]
- Element was acquired in July 2002.[3] Element is a dominant player in the skateboarding apparel and hardgoods market.
- Kustom and Palmers Surf were acquired in October 2004.[4]
- Nixon was acquired in January 2006 from founders Andy Laats and Chad DiNenna. Nixon is a dominant player in the boardsports watch market.[5]
- Xcel was acquired in September 2007. The brand, a premium United States-based wetsuit and technical watersport accessories brand established in 1982. It's focused on producing surfing, diving (recreational and military), ocean paddling, sun protection and wakeboarding markets and was recently awarded the "Wetsuit of the Year" title by the Surf Industry Manufacturers' Association.[6]
- Tigerlily was acquired in December 2007 from founder Jodhi Meares.[7]
- Quiet Flight Surf Shop, a chain of retail stores on the East Coast of the United States, was acquired in June 2008.[8]
- DaKine (backpacks, luggage, extreme sport accessories) was acquired in June 2008.
- Sector 9, a manufacturer of longboard skateboards, was acquired in June 2008.[9]
- Two Seasons, a 22-store multi-brand retail chain in the UK, was acquired in November 2008[10]
- Merged with Surf Warehouse, Quiet Flight Surf Shop, and DUBii Apparel in 2008. They also bought a WMS System to try to streamline their distribution and outgoing freight costs. They also took over the company rights to DaKine.[11]
- RVCA, A Costa Mesa action sports apparel company, was slated to be purchased by Billabong on 12 July 2010
- West 49, a Canadian sportswear retailer was the next to be acquired by Billabong, also reported on 12 July 2010
- Surf Dive 'n' Ski/Jetty Surf, an Australian surf retail chain bought from the General Pants Group in November 2010, for an undisclosed amount.[12]
Team
Surfing
The A Team
Freesurfers
References
External links