The Boardriders campus in Saint-Jean-de-Luz brings together the group’s European teams, stemming from the historic Quiksilver and the successive integration of Billabong, Element or RVCA – credit Boardriders
The Boardriders group, whose European headquarters employs 600 people in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, should enter the fold of a new owner by the end of the year: the American ready-to-wear giant Authentic BrandsGroup. The latter has already announced the conversion of Boardriders’ activities to its historical model, based on brand licenses.
In Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the European headquarters of the Boardriders group is preparing to begin a new chapter in its eventful history. Eight years after the takeover of Quiksilver by the American fund Oaktree Capital Management and its transformation into Boardriders, this group specializing in board sports and surfwear is preparing to enter the fold of a new owner: the American giant of Authentic Brands Group ready-to-wear. Already the owner of some forty brands, including Reebok, Volcom, Airwalk and Juicy Couture, Authentic announced on Tuesday the signing of a definitive agreement for the acquisition of all of Boardriders’ activities, twelve days after having formalized its agreement in exclusive negotiations with Oaktree.
” Boardriders brands are at the forefront of growing consumer demand for authentic experiences, and we look forward to working with the leadership team to further develop each brand’s rich heritage, and strengthen their positions as leading consumer brands in the world », Rejoices in a press release Jamie Salter, founder and CEO of the Authentic group, and also a shareholder of Olympique Lyonnais.
The transaction, the amount of which is not disclosed, concerns all of Boardriders’ activities (including the Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, DC Shoes, RVCA, Element, VonZipper and Honolua brands), estimated at 2.9 billion dollars in annual sales and embodied by a network of more than 500 directly operated points of sale, in addition to a presence in the catalog of 7,000 wholesalers and e-commerce players in 35 countries. Enough to further boost Authentic’s business volume, which would thus increase to 27.6 billion dollars per year and more than 11,000 commercial contact points in the world.
“convert the Boardriders business into a licensed business model”
The buyer, who has built his empire on a model of brands operated under license – he is developing brands, for example, from the image of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Mohamed Ali, Shaquille O’Neal or David Beckham – does not hide, however, that the integration of Boardriders will go through a transformation of its economic model. ” In line with its branding approach, Authentic will leverage its global network of experts and premier operational partners to convert the Boardriders business into a licensed business model. The company is in talks with several current and new operators in key regions to manage the manufacturing, brick-and-mortar retail, e-commerce and wholesale operations of the Boardriders business. “says the group.
However, it is difficult at this stage to precisely measure the scope for Boardriders’ activities in the Basque Country before the transaction is fully completed. Authentic announces that it expects completion around the third quarter of 2023, following the essential consultation and regulatory approval phases.