ActionWatch Retail Panel Revenues Increase 1.3% in First Half of 2008 Compared to 2007

ActionWatch Retail Panel Revenues Increase 1.3% in First Half of 2008 Compared to 2007

Revenues from sales of surf and/or skateboard products and brands for the first half of 2008 increased 1.3% compared to the first half of last year. This data was aggregated only from stores participating in the ActionWatch Retail Panel during both of these time periods, providing an apples-to-apples comparison. All major product categories tracked showed sales increases over last year with the exception of hardgoods.

Apparel sales were up just over 1% although men’s/boys’ apparel showed a stronger increase. However, women’s/girls’ apparel slipped more than 5% compared to last year, which tempered the overall apparel sales increase. The most redeeming product class within female apparel was dresses, which was up 33% over last year.

Footwear sales were up 6.2% with particularly strong sales increases in the male shoes class. Accessories also showed an increase of 6.2% with the sunglasses class performing very well, posting an increase of over 15%. Wetsuit sales also showed an increase while hardgoods (including surf and skateboard hardgoods) were down just over 9% compared to the first half of last year. Within hardgoods, skateboard hardgoods were actually up slightly while surf hardgoods were down significantly.

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