Shaheen Sadeghi on Volcom/PPR news

We asked Shaheen Sadeghi for his thoughts on the planned PPR acquisition of Volcom.

Shaheen is a former president of Quiksilver, and a current real estate developer, world traveler, and trend and culture watcher. He and wife, Linda, own The Lab and The Camp retail developments in Costa Mesa and many other real estate interests.

What do you think of deal?

I think it is a great day for Volcom.

What may it mean for Volcom? 

PPR is one of the best-run organizations in global marketing, product positioning and branding.

It has an elite production and distribution channel that can only help the Volcom brand.

PPR has a diversified group of brands. The company has a history of working with high profile, individualized design talent.

This is a big factor, considering the importance of individualism and unique personality of each brand and the ability to preserve and maintain each brand identity.

What may it mean for the industry? 

The reality for all brands in the industry is that one cannot stand still. That is not an option.

Volcom needed to grow. There are different ways of growing the brand and there is no one guarantee for success.

The PPR entrance into the surf industry, I believe, is a positive move and should add flavor to the V.F., Nike leadership and the other powerhouse brands. Diversification is healthy for the industry. Over all, I think it will help make the industry stronger on a global basis.

Do you expect more mergers to happen? Do industry companies need to be a part of a larger powerhouse to compete?

Large organizations need new upcoming brands to grow and tap into the core markets.

Small-to-mid size brands need large organizations in order to grow, finance, increase distribution, production, etc.

So yes, we will see more mergers happen. The key is a merger that meets each party’s cultural and organization needs and not just finance.