Sector 9 Sold to Billabong Surf

[jenn08]

Why the #### do all of you care? Ride your ####### boards. Who cares who owns the company. If it's a quality product who gives a ####?

i agree completely....who gives a ####....i'd buy another sector 9

[TheRosen]

interesting this hasn't some up yet. i like gullwings (maybe not all of them, but chargers are great) and im curious how this will affect them. think they're going to make some changes in that subdivision? i hope they dont change it too much, just add. chargers have the best bushings.....

[mikenike605]

i hope that things stay about the same or their is good change. i hope they dont go the way of veriflex though.

[Brian Holden]

Most of the people that ride sector 9's wear billabong shirts, I was not shocked at all.

[chrismcb]

no Im not I like billabong but i hate the fact that S9 sold out it wouldnt matter who to

So you would have turned down 10,000,000 dollars?

[BottomShark]

I just hope shops that are loyal to Landy or other companies aren't "stong armed" into buying S9 cause they sell Billabong clothing.....

[David H]

you people are missing the point. those S9 owners are ###### rich now. and good on 'em; if you created a skate company, already largely regarded as mediocre (sorry, purists) to the very crowd to which they cater, and freakin' Billabong came knockin' at the door with a few checks in hand, would you sign on the dotted line? As soon as i stopped laughing at the fact that it has "bong" in their name, i sure as hell would.

loosen up, realize that nothing in this world will ever be as important as money.

[sk8norcal]

Billabong goes longboarding | smh.com.au

Billabong International has snapped up southern California-based skateboard brand, Sector 9, for an undisclosed sum.

Billabong said the US skateboard company, founded in 1994, was a market leader in the design and manufacture of skate longboards - a niche segment within the skateboard market.

The Queensland-based company expects the business to add about 2% to group sales, implying the business generates $25 million to $30 million in sales, the bulk of which are generated from the US along with some international sales.

The acquisition is expected to be earnings per share accretive in the first year within the group.

Billabong chief executive Derek O'Neill said Sector 9 operated in the specialty boardsports channel with a unique product offering, differentiating from its popular Element skate brand.

"Sector 9's products, primarily its longboards, really differentiate it from other brands in the boardsports channel and have appeal to surfers, skateboarders and the broader youth market,'' he said.

Deutsche Bank analyst Kristan Walker said the bolt-on looked like a good acquisition with a strong overlap in sales channels.

more...........

[Cob]

Seriously, who cares if a bunch of lame high school kids buy a S9 shirt but know nothing about boarding? The only people they will embarass are themselves. I see this thread with way too much hate in it. If you don't like Billabong or S9, or think that S9 are huge worthless sellouts that's your opinion. Is it really going to negatively impact your life that much? I mean, if you hate them that much I bet you've already distanced yourself from them as much as possible, and if you didn't mind their products or even rode them, then this could be a step in the right direction for new technology and more exposure for people who may really be interested.

Stop hatin', go skatin'.

Truth bro, very good post.

[skategeezer]

I've had a night to sleep on it.

1. I am very intrigued to find out what Billabong paid - they are a public company...I am sure it will be disclosed-then again, it would be interesting to find out how they divide up the spoils - I mean, how much does Corpo Man get? I sense this something that won't will be disclosed anytime soon...Steve, my phone lines are open!
: )

2. I am even more intrigued to see what happens to the rest of longboard companies. Now that the market leader has been swollowed up by an 800lb gorilla, things can change. A BIG SHIP LIFTS ALL BOATS! But please, Billabong, don't try and capsize the folks who are pouring their heart and soul into innovative products. Stoke out the mass market...and enjoy the t-shirt sales
There is some incredible product that is slowly, but surely getting out there. Yes, competition is healthy. You need Quiksilver and Vans just as much as they need you.


3. if you take a step back and think about this deal, it was a no brainer. It's a wonder it wasn't done years ago. Sector 9 doesn't need more exposure in the skate/surf market...they have accomplished that already. What they need and what this deal will do is move them into the mass market big time - where Billabong has the infrastructure, capital, distribution and power to really leverage things.

My prediction? Within 5 years, Sector 9 becomes a $75+ million dollar part of Billabong.
And 1/3 of that will be soft goods...think about it, most folks that buy Billabong don't live near surf (or have even tried surfing, for that matter). But everyone lives near asphalt or cement (well, most people). Skateboarders outnumber surfers 6 to 1. So, this represents an opportunity to merge skateboarding with the powerhouse that is surf softgoods.


BUT WAIT...I have more...Billabong is quite specific on how it conducts business...as a public corporation, it has an extensive amount of information on its billabongbiz.com website. Amazing what you can find...

Ethical and Social Governance
All decisions and actions undertaken by Billabong International Limited are aligned to a simple vision and values statement:

• Respect the past but represent the future

Within this philosophy, the Company is committed to recognising and building on its strengths, challenging established boundaries and rewarding innovation. The Company recognises the value of teamwork, the need to think globally but act locally, the benefits of fostering a culture of growth and opportunity, the need to act responsibly and ethically and the need to maintain the flexibility to adapt to change.


Throughout the Company’s global supply chain, a range of social and ethical initiatives have been adopted to ensure appropriate standards are being maintained. These include:

• Supplier Agreements:
  These hold the supplier and, in turn, each of their suppliers to a complex set of agreed certification and operational standards. These include commitments to quality, high moral and ethical standards, to obey local laws, to prohibit discrimination, abuse, under age workers and forced labour, to maintain health and safety standards, to meet agreed work and pay conditions, to meet acceptable environmental standards and to improve the communities in which they operate.

• Supplier Code of Conduct:
  This outlines the Company’s expectations in relation to business conduct and general ethical principles. These include guiding principles in relation to respect in the workplace, discrimination, training, labour standards, freedom of association, honesty, health and safety, wages and benefits, working hours, community engagement, performance audits, legal compliance and environmental compliance.

The Company also maintains its foundation objectives, which include a commitment to brand protection and enhancement, the manufacture of design-relevant and functional products, marketing in the core boardsports channels, the professional development of staff and ongoing customer service and relationships.

more..

Whistleblower Policy
This policy is designed to protect individuals who, in good faith, report conduct which they reasonably believe to be corrupt, illegal or unethical on a confidential basis, without fear of reprisal, dismissal or discriminatory treatment.
Scope of the Policy
The whistleblower policy covers all Billabong employees (whether they are full-time, part-time or casual), contractors and consultants. The policy is intended to address serious matters, including:-

• dishonest, fraudulent, corrupt or illegal conduct or practices;
• misleading or deceptive conduct, including conduct or representations which amount to improper or misleading accounting or financial reporting practices;
• coercion, harassment or discrimination by, or affecting, any member of the Company's employees;
• continual or regular breaches of Billabong's policies or code of conduct;
• conduct within the Company's control which is a significant danger to the environment;
• conduct endangering health and safety.

[SteveC]

Billabong is a public company, and therefore beholden to it's shareholders.

If there was ever a consistent theme of public companies - it's that profit is #1

[kim_jong_ill]

Coming soon: The Death of Longboarding

[ucboarder]

Yeah i dunno im really wishy washy, its like wow sweet, longboarding is gonna be spread all over, but their product quality goes down then it'l really piss me off. i dont want longboarding and all the small companies to be destroyed.

you know what we can do, keep skating, spread the stoke, and suport the brands that should be suported.


Nate

[boardbuster]

Hahahahaha why is nobody adding in the fact that Buckey lask and chad bartie both ride for biallabong. hate to break it to you guys but element is owned by billabong as well, so is nixon. Both large companys in the skate industry, both have made considerable progress in the skate industry. billabong is moving towards all board sports, go to their page and look at who is sponsered by billabong and their compnaies, they have one of the best all around snow teams in the country two years ago they had more olympic snowboarders than any other company. Billabong started as a small surf company and created a giant, not sure whats wrong with that, now they are trying to spread their love of boardsports and the lifestyle... Nothing wrong with this at all.

[Camel]

I just can't wait for the new "Bong Sector" decks.

[sprodigy]

Coming soon: The Death of Longboarding

Perhaps the death of "underground" longboarding. I think Billabong is going to take it to new heights..and make it synonymous with skateboarding in general.. They own Element because skateboarding is very, very popular. Now they bought S9 because they must see something in the sport (potential).

Don't be surprised if more smaller companies start to get bought out by larger brands. Maybe even popular skateboard companies like Zero, Birdhouse, World Industries, etc. will start to make longboards.

We knew it was coming - longboarding is going to start to rise from the underground and become mainstream, much like skateboarding. Just be glad you were right in the mix of things when it happened.

[skategeezer]

newsflash Sprodigy...

Birdhouse and world industries do make longboards...and so do a number of other street oriented companies...the only problem? they want the $$$ of longboarding, but their heads are not really there...they are too focused on street to really understand longboarding. It works the other way too...longboard companies (ie sector 9) have tried to compete with street (anyone remember Illenium?) but it's a tough slog.

The truth is that longboarding will help save the act of skateboarding...I said this 8 years ago and I stand by it.
Longboarding brings in all kinds of folks that would never skate... the whole paradigm of skateboarding changes. Instead of just male skaters from the ages of 7 to 16, you open up a whole bunch of new people....women, older guys...etc

There are still people who can't stand this idea. They have/will be left in the dust.

Billabong does not make moves without a huge amount of thought. You don't sell $600 million dollars a year worth of product without knowing what you're doing. Especially in action sports.

[Stubbs]

First off, congrats to Sector 9. Everyone at that company deserves a huge pay day for paving the way for longboarders around the world.

Someone in this thread stated that they 'hoped that this would get people to open their eyes to OTHER longboard companies instead of people only knowing about Sector 9'. NEWS FLASH! : SECTOR 9 HAS DRAWN MORE ATTENTION TO LONGBOARDING AND OTHER LONGBOARD COMPANIES THAN IF THEY HAD NOT BEEN AROUND. If it were not for S-9, other longboard companies and Michaels mag(s) would have had an even harder time getting noticed. EVERYONE ON THIS SITE OWES SECTOR 9 A DEBT OF GRATITUDE. And what are they supposed to do, buy ads for other companies? Here's an idea: You have a longboard company. BUY AN AD!!!!!

Those guys are 100% SKATEBOARDERS and 100% REAL. They have poured more into skateboarding and given more back over the last 10-15 years than most companies ever will. Anyone poo-pooing this is doing so out of the anti-capitalistic attitude that seems to prevailent on this and other skateboard related sites. MAKING MONEY IS NOT EVIL. SELLING YOUR COMPANY TO ANOTHER COMPANY IS NOT EVIL. CORPORATIONS ARE NOT EVIL. Those of you that have this attitude are evil. You sit around and bitch and moan about how the company you used to think is cool is not cool now and have no clue about the REAL WORLD. People start companies to make money, period. That includes skateboard companies. If you don't like that, tough ####. That is REALITY. Anyone that says anything like "Yeah, well if I had a skateboard company, I'd rather just stay poor and keep my company cool than get big and make a bunch of money." is full of ####. Trust me, I know about not making money in the skateboard world as I have been working for Afroman Skateboards for about 8 years now and it's tough to watch company owners struggle to just break even and NEVER GETTING PAID.

Bottom line is this: If you are talking #### on Sector 9 you're a clueless idiot. You should be thanking them.
Shut the hell up and go skate your Snakeboard or Ripstick.

[jenn08]

First off, congrats to Sector 9. Everyone at that company deserves a huge pay day for paving the way for longboarders around the world.

Someone in this thread stated that they 'hoped that this would get people to open their eyes to OTHER longboard companies instead of people only knowing about Sector 9'. NEWS FLASH! : SECTOR 9 HAS DRAWN MORE ATTENTION TO LONGBOARDING AND OTHER LONGBOARD COMPANIES THAN IF THEY HAD NOT BEEN AROUND. If it were not for S-9, other longboard companies and Michaels mag(s) would have had an even harder time getting noticed. EVERYONE ON THIS SITE OWES SECTOR 9 A DEBT OF GRATITUDE. And what are they supposed to do, buy ads for other companies? Here's an idea: You have a longboard company. BUY AN AD!!!!!

Those guys are 100% SKATEBOARDERS and 100% REAL. They have poured more into skateboarding and given more back over the last 10-15 years than most companies ever will. Anyone poo-pooing this is doing so out of the anti-capitalistic attitude that seems to prevailent on this and other skateboard related sites. MAKING MONEY IS NOT EVIL. SELLING YOUR COMPANY TO ANOTHER COMPANY IS NOT EVIL. CORPORATIONS ARE NOT EVIL. Those of you that have this attitude are evil. You sit around and bitch and moan about how the company you used to think is cool is not cool now and have no clue about the REAL WORLD. People start companies to make money, period. That includes skateboard companies. If you don't like that, tough ####. That is REALITY. Anyone that says anything like "Yeah, well if I had a skateboard company, I'd rather just stay poor and keep my company cool than get big and make a bunch of money." is full of ####. Trust me, I know about not making money in the skateboard world as I have been working for Afroman Skateboards for about 8 years now and it's tough to watch company owners struggle to just break even and NEVER GETTING PAID.

Bottom line is this: If you are talking #### on Sector 9 you're a clueless idiot. You should be thanking them.
Shut the hell up and go skate your Snakeboard or Ripstick.

amen bro...couldn't agree more with u!

[Stubbs]

I meant to ad that Sector 9 has just realized the American dream. Start a company from scratch, carve out a market, expand that market, dominate that market, sell your company for tons of money and skateboard the rest of your life.

Please, anyone, tell me what is wrong with that?