Zumiez Keeps Abreast

So, after the ever-popular sillybandz were revoked from school yards, what's the next wrist embellishment to get the boot? The breast-cancer awareness: "I ♥ boobies" bracelets. As we all know, lots of people suffer from various cancers, but boobies are probably the most popular body part to be afflicted, so it's not surprising that the public rallies to their side over, say, colons. The controversial phrase is starting conversations [good!] in schools about sexual harassment [bad!] more than cancer. And just how are these bracelets becoming so prolific in schools? Kids just love to go online and search for boobie-branded products to wear? Not in this case. They're sold at Zumiez and when you make a purchase, the associates ask if you'd also like to make a donation to breast cancer research and receive a bracelet. I guess enough people have to start causing a stir. Blast that clever marketing and its repercussions.

Best quote from the article: "The bracelets "act as an awareness-raising tool, allowing young people to engage and start talking about a subject that is scary and taboo and making it positive and upbeat," the organization said in an e-mailed statement. "We fully understand that the 'I Love Boobies' campaign is not for everyone, but we also feel that the word 'boobies' is not a four letter word."

Here's the full article from aolnews.com.

Zumiez culture shines at 100K party

Each year, Zumiez throws an appreciation party for employees who sell over $100K worth of merch (roughly 1400 people). Shop-Eat-Surf posted a rave review of the event here, with an inspiring slideshow of smiling executives, amped-up employees, A-level athletes, and guests from brands big and small. Think P-Rod, Shepard Fairey and the Tom's founder. This true display of stoke and appreciation blurs the line between the business and the culture it celebrates - a far cry from what we might think of as a "mall" skate shop. As Fairy said, Zumiez supports this culture in a real way and it shows. Is Zumiez vibrant culture the secret to its success?

I’m glad I went to the party, because it helps me understand why Zumiez has outperformed so many mall retailers during the recession. The kids are living what they are selling and Zumiez has found a way to harness and reward all that enthusiasm and passion. After that party, I’m sure everyone there is pumped up to go sell, sell, sell.

Zumiez Q3 Profits Highest Ever, Others Report Strong November Sales

The headline says it all. Amidst a down economy, Zumiez has had an exceptional quarter driving same store sales up 14.4% in Q3 and 20.7% in November alone.

Some interesting points to note:

• Juniors was down slightly and remains a challenging area for Zumiez despite the strides they've made over the past year. Unlike PacSun though, Juniors only accounts for 10% of their overall business.
• Private label only accounts for 15.7%, but they intend to grow this
• They're expanding with plans to build stores in Canada and grow the total number of stores from 400 currently to 700-800 over the next few years
• Their e-commerce business increased 165% this year and now accounts for 6% of total sales

Read the rest on Shop-Eat-Surf.

Username: kelly.schoeffel@72andsunny.com

Password: 72andcloudy

Meanwhile, many other retailers reported healthy November sales, bolstered by Black Friday weekend sales. Of PacSun's primary competitors, Abercrombie posted the most impressive sales, while heavyweights American Eagle and Aeropostale saw flat rather flat sales. It should be noted, Forever 21 and H&M were not mentioned.

Abercrombie & Fitch (Total): +22%

Hollister: +22%

The Buckle: +7.9%

Aeropostale: -1%

American Eagle Outfitters: Flat

Gap (total): +4%

Gap: +5%

Banana Republic: flat

Old Navy: +5%

International: -1%

Wet (Total): +7%

Wet Seal: +8.3%

Arden B: -0.3%

Hot Topic (Total): -2.1%

Hot Topic: -14.5%

Torrid: +1.6%

Kohl's: +6.1%

Target: +5.5%

Macy's: +6.1%

Nordstrom: +5.1%

Dillard's: +8%

Check-out Zumiez

I like this. It feels more like a customer service station than a cash wrap.

Teen retailers sluggish in July; Zumiez an exception

According to the New York Times, July sales at teen retailers were sluggish, especially in comparison to discount and department stores. Given last July's 12% decrease in comps, a gain should've been a lay-up. Retailers like Buckle (same-store sales down 9.3%), Hot Topic (down 9%) and Wet Seal (down 4.3%) were hit particularly hard. Aéropostale - doing well of late - clocked only a 1% increase, missing analysts’ 7.1% estimate by a big margin. The company cited “a change in consumer shopping behaviors".

Interesting, Zumiez (not mentioned in the Times article) made huge gains across their 389 stores. Same store sales increased 9.4% in July vs. a 6.8% decline last July. Strong categories were accessories, men’s, footwear, boys; weak categories were hardgoods/gear and juniors, further suggesting girls' move away from 'action sport' or Amerian-style clothing to fast-fashion.

July is often considered a good index for BTS shopping.

Zumiez sponsors Back to School Guide for Foam

Zumiez presents the Foam Magazine 'Back to School Guide', the product of a clever media marriage. The 16-page magalog features 100% Zumiez name brand product and single-page ads from most featured brands: Roxy, O'Neill, DC, you name it. I imagine this came bundled with subscriptions, but you can also view it (and shop it) digitally on Zumiez.com or the Foam site. The odd part: they invite viewers to an engagement platform to see the making of the guide, but I can't seem to locate it?