Editor’s note: I made an error in the first version of this story. I misunderstood what Jack’s Partner Bobby Abdel told me in our recent conversations. Three of the Top 10 selling brands at Jack’s Surfboards are not surf brands; I had erroneously reported that the Top 3 selling brands are not surf brands. I corrected that fact in the headline and through the story below. I apologize to Bobby and our readers for the error.
I spent some time on Friday with Bobby Abdel, a partner in Jack’s Surfboards, one of the most influential retail accounts in the surf industry.
The Jack’s flagship store is in Huntington Beach, Calif., which is where I met with Bobby, and Jack’s has five other full-price stores and two outlet locations in Southern California.
While walking the floor of Jack’s, Bobby told me something intriguing — that three of the Top 10 selling brands companywide – Travis Mathew, Vuori and 7 Diamonds – have nothing to do with surf.
A few other non-heritage surf brands or surf adjacent brands have also moved into the Top 10, but Bobby did not want to name them.
In women’s, he said the clear No. 1 brand in all stores combined is Z Supply — also not a surf brand.
Heritage Surf Brands Still Sell Well, but Overall Volume Down From Past Years
To be clear, Jack’s still carries the traditional surf brands in men’s and women’s and they have large sections in stores, and some remain in the Top 10. And heritage brands still sell well — in fact, Quiksilver is still the No. 1 selling men’s brand at the Jack’s Huntington Beach flagship.
But other brands in general are also picking up marketshare as the surf industry continues to evolve.
Overall, Bobby said, demand for the surf category has dropped with the general public shopping in his stores.
“Surf is not as popular anymore,” he said. “People used to come here from all over to see what was happening in the surf market, really to copy us, but no one is looking at us right now.”
Bobby believes it is a combination of factors that has depressed demand for traditional surf, including brand discounting, the lack of investment in marketing and other events, and the status quo product lines.
I asked him if there was anything he was excited about in future lines from the brands Jack’s carries. He couldn’t think of anything from the surf market.
But brands like 7 Diamonds, Z Supply, and even hipster golf brand Malbon are always coming out with fresh, timely product or interesting collaborations, he said. 7 Diamonds and Z Supply also have inventory on hand and can constantly replenish stock if needed. In addition, Malbon is appealing to younger, cool shoppers — even with its higher price points.
This Malbon “Tour Divot” limited edition collection has nearly sold out at Jack’s. The marks in the camo are inspired by divots left by pros on the golf tour. Photo by SESO.
7 Diamonds, which is best known for its button-down wovens and has higher price points, has expanded into golf shirts, denim, jackets, flannels and much more. Bobby raved about how well it sells.
In addition to 7 Diamonds, the other standout in men’s is Travis Mathew, he said.
“They always have a good-looking line,” he said. “The golf business has a good amount of people who are coming (to Jack’s) for it now. Surf and golf seem to be going together really well these days. It used to be skate and surf, now it’s golf and surf,” Bobby said.
And Vuori, well, anything new in Vuori Men’s or Vuori Women’s sells well, he said.
“No matter what we bring in, people buy it,” Bobby said.
Travis Mathew at Jack’s. The golf brand is sold in all Jack’s doors. Photo by SESO.
Z Supply: The Clear No.1 in Women’s
Bobby also could not say enough good things about Z Supply, which has taken over the No. 1 position in women’s.
“It’s sells so fast, it’s hard to keep up with it,” Bobby said, noting that the brand is taking market share from all the other women’s brands. Bobby’s attributes Z Supply’s appeal to several factors: they deliver fresh, new product frequently; the brand is on point fashion-wise and different than anything in the market; it’s a good price point; the clothes appeal to a wide range of ages; the brand limits its distribution with large chains and does not discount on its own website.
“I really like that they always come up with something new, and they are really easy to work with,” he said, noting that Jack’s now has Z Supply buildouts in all Jack’s stores. “And we can reorder whatever we need.”
Z Supply at Jack’s. The brand now has buildouts in all Jack’s stores and is the No. 1 women’s brand companywide. Photo by SESO.
Next Tier of Brands That Are Resonating
Jack’s is carrying a wide variety of smaller surf related brands these days because it needs to diversify the retail floor.
Katin has grown into at top selling brand at Jack’s. Photo by SESO.
Katin has climbed up the ranks significantly and “are killing it,” Bobby said. He did mention that they have moved into the Top 10.
Florence is a brand that Bobby is excited about and has seen really turn a corner. When it first came out, they had problems with backend organization, he said, which impacted shipments. So, he didn’t carry the brand for a while. He brought them back, and Florence has stepped up, and Bobby now carries it in all seven stores. “They’re performing really, really good,” he said.
Bobby is especially thankful that Jack’s still gets to carry Stussy, which has dramatically cut back its wholesale accounts over the past few years. He believes stocking the brand helps Jack’s stand out from competitors.
Former has earned coveted wall space at Jack’s, Bobby said, and along with Katin and Rhythm, continues to build into a significant business.
Rusty was first to come out with super baggy denim, and the kids are gravitating to that, Bobby said. “They don’t even remember what Rusty used to be,” he said.
Bobby also mentioned that Seager is growing and selling well, as are more established brands like Salty Crew.
“We carry a lot of brands in the market, we are giving a chance to a lot of different people,” he said. “Our vision for these brands is to have (a product mix) that is different from the other stores in Huntington Beach. Every store around here has Volcom, Billabong, Quiksilver, RVCA. We have all those, too, and they still sell, but we need to be different. If you shop here, you will find something you like.”
