Saturday, October 23, 2010

Volcom Store LA 10/19/10

We need a new window here.  We should of had a window blowing up the Damn Am event.  This window should always be current and fresh, highlighting whatever big thing we are doing. 
i'm stoked that we are updating the Stone signage with a new Pistol Logo...  that's fresh!
Our tee shirt selection is unbalanced.  The corpo logos are 95% of the selection.  The corpos should be at 50%.  The display here is cool, but it would look way cooler if the tee images were all the FA designs.  The wall looks way better when we have all the FA tees displayed like an art show.  The clients that shop here are mainly older gay guys with a good sense of style.  During the summer months I think logo tees would do better, but for the rest of the year the art tees and the blanks are what the locals want.
I know we just shipped a big order to the store, unfortunately there was only one FA tee in the mix.
We should always represent the entire FA collection every season.

The Stone Age line sells really good here.  As you can see by the section we are low-tide!  The Volcom LA Store should represent the entire S.A. collection.  We need to blow up the S.A. line for sure.  The guys that are buying the S.A. line are the hip working LA guy who has style and not the core skate guy. The orange stone embroidery is working here and we are low on S.A. product.
This is not the place for S.A. branding.  We need to redo this lite box and use the S.A images in the S.A. section, not here.  This lite box needs to be changed out, it's right behind the cash counter.  This is a good place for the pistol logo.
The denim wall looks really good!  It always looks tight!  Lets make sure we have the right fits and sizes for the consumer.
The fleece selection is kinda hurting.  The last shipment of fleece definitely helped, but we could use more styles of fleece both zip hoodies and pull overs.  The selection we have now is missing the mark!  
Here is a perfect example of why we need to change out the art inside the store.  We have women's images over the mens Electric products. Its a mixed message to the consumer.  We need denim vibe in this area.  The entire shop needs a face lift.  The art in there now has been there for over a year!  Lets redo the in-store images and freshen up the shop!  We should also update the Art Gallery upstairs.
we need to update all our Back packs and luggage.  As you can see from this photo that we need a new batch of back packs.  We should RA the older styles and really satrt from fresh.   Our back pack wall should be loaded with new styles all the time!
The Volcom entertainment side of the store i lagging big time!  They stil do not have the 9191 video in the store.  We have a cool rack hat we should keep up to date with all the latest volcom music.  LA is the epicenter for new music.  You never know when a music executive might roll intothe store to check out our latest musical discoveries.  This store should be the epicenter for the latest Volcom music and styles....!
Finally i want to give props to Jessica.  She does an amazing job merchandising the limited product that we send her.  Jessica is pivotal in the success of the Volcom LA store. She is always making the product look really good on the shelves and has a good read on what the consumer is looking for.  Her input is vital for the success of this location!



Monday, October 4, 2010

Field notes: Dagwood accounts


ZAPPOS: . Zappos is my biggest account for mens, boys and accessories.  Since we first opened up ZAPPOS (in 2008) our business with ZAPPOS has increased at an average rate of over 100% a year!  Going into SP ’11 The Boys products are going to see the biggest gains.  They have an on-line PO system that we reps can access to create our own PO’s based on sell thru reports that we can generate ourselves.  This system is called the Extranet.  Based on the reports; the FRICKIN TOO CHINO SHORT and the MODS are always in the top 10 best selling reports.  Tees, tanks, backpacks and hats also do very well on the site.  The Denim program has not been doing as well as I hoped for.  We still need to figure out the right way to present the VBJ program on the Zappos site.   Overall we have a great relationship with the buyers and we will continue to dial in their Volcom business.

                          
SPYDER PCH

Spyder PCH

SPYDER PIER

SPYDER PIER MENS AND BOYS (old sections)

SPYDER:  Spyder has two shops in The South Bay of Los Angeles one in Redondo on Pier Ave the other is located in Hermosa on PCH.   SPYDER is my best core shop and they are very stoked on the Stone. We just finished our new men’s in-store section up at the PCH store and we are now planning to do huge boys build-outs in both stores.   The Merch girls have been doing an great job keeping the sections looking guch!  The only brand that has a bigger presence in store is HURLEY.  Hurley is the only brand that is not in the controversial Hermosa Jacks, so SPYDER has given them a huge chunk of in-store real-estate.  The sales reports also show Hurley  selling more goods than Volcom.  Dickie (The owner) said that the HURLEY board short program crushes it for his shops.  Volcom, Billabong and Quik are batteling for second every month.  I know that the SP ’11 boardies program is going to give HURLEY a serious run for the money…

SPORT CHALET:  We just rolled out our first custom free standing in-store rack system for the men’s. Before the new racks, these stores were a nightmare to merchandise.  So far the best results have shown in our denim sell-thru.  The KINKADE  is the top seller for us in SPORT CHALET.  The new denim tables and racks have totally helped our denim sell-thru.    The Merch girls have been keeping our racks and sections looking as tight as they can be.  Our biggest challenge, is trying to get these guys to realize their full potential with the Volcom brand.





 Val WH 
 Val WH location
          
Volcom Billboard VAL SURF VV
Mural by Jamie Lynn and Eggy outside the Val TO location

Wally... Owner founder of Val Surf.


VAL SURF: Val is the oldest and strongest of all the shops in the LA valleys.  They have an endless customer base that has been around for generations.  Until recently I was feeling like we could grow back to the inventory levels that I’ve been accustomed to for so long.   We just installed a new build-out in their newest location in Santa Clarita. Two weeks ago, we installed another new section in their main shop in Valley Village.  It’s the best one yet!  It looks so sick all merchandised and the denim tables are positioned around it making a huge presence in the shop.  Our next attack is going to be Thousand Oaks and Woodland Hills.  We have a yearlong window and billboard campaign in all the store locations. Our stuff sells fast at these shops and in a perfect world I would be seeing big re-orders.  Our sections have been thin for two months and I’m getting alarmed at the resistance from the owners who are reluctant to re-order.  I blame this kunundrum on the owners for continuing to buy brands that have shitty sell-thru.  Basically their payables get so gnarly with the brands that don’t perform that it brings Volcom down.  Half my job with these guys is playing psychologist with them - trying to get them to stop buying the shit brands and to invest more with the brands making them money like Volcom.  We still have the biggest representation in the shops but the shops are looking scary low with product.  October is going to be rough for these guys if they don’t load up soon. Bring on Novemeber!


ZJ'S VOLCOM SECTION

ZJ’S:  I love this shop.  Their skate team just won X-Games gold and whenever they come to my skate nights they always bring their A-Game.  I love their spirit and commitment to the roots of the industry.  We just installed a new men’s section and it looks way better than what we had before.  They have been struggling with payables and they totally appreciate our help (as do I). STONEAGE is strong here and its getting stronger, mainly because The Skate team has our back.  I just recently did an event for the shop to help raise money for the arts and music divisions in The LA school district.  I pressed 200 hats for the kids ranging from the ages of 3-13yrs old.  It was so roots!  The event raised $10K!












IGBS:  Say what you will about IG (for those who know) But Dan is as core as it gets and so is his shop.  He just closed his Simi Valley store leaving him with the Westlake shop.  This is by far his best store and it’s good to see him focused again and less stressed-out.   We have a nice section in the shop. Volcom is well represented and the merchandising is spot on!  After ASR I will be installing a new 3-D window for BTS.  I consider IG a Volcom Family member and I want to plan a special event for his WL store over Holiday.



REVO CAMARILLO SECTION

REVO STORE FRONT- CAM

 REVO SK8 SECTION
REVO SURF SECTION

REVOLUTION:  These guys are one the best core surf shops in my zone.   They have two shops in the northern Valleys of LA.   The owners rip at surfing and they have a strong skate following as well.  We partnered up with them last year when we installed two new men’s sections and a boys section in Newbury Park.   We always have windows and light box branding at both stores.  My Biggest concern for REVO is that they have one of the nicest premium wholesale outlets just across the freeway from their Camarillo shop.  These outlets have totally cut into their business and it’s a daily struggle for them trying to separate themselves from that consumer.  if they do not have a strong Holiday season then they might get themselves in a financial bind. The boys are up for the challenge and have been doing a good job.  They have cool demos and fashion shows.   I am planning to clinic these guys over Holiday season.  Brandifestivities!



MOONDOGGIES- SAN LUIS OBISPO 


ELAINE MOONDOGGIES GIRL

MOONDOGGIES SLO LOCATION

MOONDOGGIES VOLCOM DENIM WALL

MOONDOGGIES:  Moondoggies is a great shop in SLO and in Pismo beach.  His stores are the nicest shops in the Central coast.  Randy (owner) is a legendary retailer and has been doing this for a very long time. We have a year round 3-D window that is ours to do what ever we want with. Teasha and I trade off the images.  We have a killer denim wall display that he made for us on the 100 year old brick wall inside his shop.  The Volcom product is the Top brand in SLO and Second to Hurley in Pismo.  Pismo beach is a trippy place where the majority of the consumers come from Bakersfield and Fresno.  So that should explain the Hurley sales.




Friday, October 1, 2010

GENERAL BUSINESS - LA/CC/ML/LV - Sept. '10

   Business in Los Angeles and The Central Coast of California has been predictably slow.  September is notoriously a slow month, but the retailers are telling me that this September is the slowest that they have ever seen.  The problem with these slow months is that the retailers start to feel like they are over inventoried, so they hammer you for RA’s.   Luckily most of the RA’s are coming in with a/o orders to offset the return.   The truth is that the accounts are uneasy with the state of the economy and it's affecting the SP '11 pre-books.  I am stoked that Volcom is one of the few brands that is still getting pre-books.   As the core market continues to struggle,  Zappos continues to show big growth.   Most of my shops are hanging in there and trying to remain positive thru all of this.
   As far as selling direct to consumers from volcom.com, the impact has been minimal. I'm curious to see the selling reports from the web sales, especially which part of the nation is purchasing off the web.  Overall I think the look of the site looks really good simplified. However, I do think that we need to work out some of kinks in the retailers resource center.  The logo’s on the content pages do not upload as individual items, instead they upload as the entire page. 
   So in the end, the good news is that the retailers are seeing what we’re doing as a Brand.  They’re taking notice of our multilevel marketing skills and that nobody comes close to our unique style of Branding.  Ultimately we have strengthened our relationships with the shops in my territory, and we are positioned for growth