Action Sports Retailer Sessions Goes Mainstream, Stays True
California-based Sessions, which produces apparel for skateboarders, snowboarders,
skiers and surfers, “had sales of more than $10M and grew about 15%” last year,
according to Jeffrey Gangemi of BUSINESS WEEK. Joel Gomez, who founded the company
in ’83, expects Sessions this year to “grow by at least another 10% overall despite
the monumental production operations of competitors” such as Billabong and Quiksilver
making it “tough for Gomez’s company to compete on price and design alone.” Early
on, “when snowboards weren’t available in some places,” Gomez sold boards and
clothing via mail order. His business “has since morphed again and again, from
snowboards to skateboard gear to punk rock T-shirts to today’s apparel business:
clothing designed by team riders with names recognized and respected by young
buyers.” As skateboarding and snowboarding have “gone mainstream, Sessions has
continued to walk the line.” Melbourne-based skateboard shoe company Globe Int’l
VP/Global Marketing Michael Marckx said, “Some skate brands use money from outside
sources or larger companies to build teams with high-paid marquee athletes, but
this approach usually doesn’t work unless the team riders are really in it for
the brand and not the money.” ASR Group Show Dir Andy Tompkins added, “Sessions
promotes not only their product, but also the lifestyle. This industry is very
youth-oriented, and trends change. It’s to their credit they’ve been able to be
so successful” (BUSINESS
WEEK, 10/23 issue).
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