Sports brand aims for huge outlet growth

Cult surfing brand Quiksilver is aiming to dramatically increase the number of practices selling its eyewear in the UK over the next 12 months.

It will expand by 250-300 outlets by using the label's big appeal among young people and promoting its female sports brand, Roxy.

Quiksilver and Roxy are currently sold through a few independent outlets and Vision Express. Now a deal has been signed for Quiksilver to become a 'priority' supplier to Batemans.  

The brand has its roots in surf fashion and in the last seven years has become the fourth biggest sports name, with a particularly strong following within the youth market.

It expanded its clothing and surfing hardware business into the frame market three years ago and started selling in the UK through specialist sports shops 18 months later.

Quiksilver UK operations manager Olivier Weinhold said the brand currently had 40 outlets mainly in specialist locations around the coast.

He said in the coming year he wanted to increase the number to over 250 outlets working from the firm's new UK headquarters near Exmouth in Devon.

Weinhold said he wanted to use the multiple and independent sectors and did not see supply both as mutually exclusive. This has taken place in France where sunwear and eyewear are sold through independent and multiple outlets successfully.

He added that because the brand came from the sports arena its technical quality and design value made for an attractive product, but not at a top-of-the-range price.

Quiksilver designs eyewear in-house and uses high-tech lenses and materials throughout its ranges.

Weinhold was particularly excited about the prospects for the female sports brand Roxy. Despite women being big buyers of sunglasses and sports sunwear being a big growth market there were no dedicated women's sports brands, he said.

The Roxy brand has street, lifestyle and fashion styles for women and girls in sunwear and ophthalmic ranges.