Dude! Quiksilver Opens the Biggest Surf Shop in Europe
HUNTINGTON BEACH - 06/14/05 - Southern California-based Quiksilver Inc. has opened the doors at the largest surf shop in Europe.
The new 7,500 square-foot Quiksilver Boardriders Club - located in the city of Anglet on the Bay of Biscay near the border of France and Spain - was designed by French architect Philippe Avenzi.
The new operation incorporates surf-inspired materials such as pebbles, drift wood, bamboo, aged metal, oak blocks, and polished stones "to create a natural and welcoming board-riding atmosphere," said a company press release.
In addition to carrying a variety of Quiksilver products and apparel, the new shop also features an indoor skate park, a DJ booth, a 12-foot wave housing a "cult collection" of surfboards, a DVD wall, a board shaper's workshop, and a Cafe Ono restaurant.
The first Quiksilver Boardriders Club in France opened in Capbreton in 1992. Another was opened in Shanghai, China last year.
Quiksilver - which designs, produces and distributes casual lifestyle clothing, accessories and related products - was created in the mid-1970s.
The company has seen steady growth since it went public in 1986 generating $1.27 billion in revenues last year - up 30% from the previous year - with operations in 92 countries including Australia, China, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Zealand, France, Spain, Italy, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Chile, and Venezuela.
According to its 2004 Annual Report, Quiksilver saw its business in the Americas climb 25% to $617 million, while its revenues in the Asia/Pacific region grew to $149 million and in Europe, $496 million, up 58% and 28%, respectively, over the previous year.
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