Open on the table next to me I have the preliminary and actual prospectus for, respectively, Morrow and Ride Snowboards initial public offerings. As of December 13th, 1995, my broker assures me, Morrow is not public yet. Ride’s prospectus is dated May 6, 1994 and those of you who bought their stock at the time of the offering are patting yourselves on the back. Those of you who didn’t, aren’t. Ride’s prospectus More…
Archive for 1995
Big Air; Initial Public Offerings in the US
Sunday, December 31st, 1995SIA Member Services; Run Your Business Better: No Charge
Sunday, December 17th, 1995I think the first time I heard about SIA it was when somebody asked me to write a check for membership. “What are we going to get out of this membership?” I asked. “We have to be a member to go to the show,” was the less than enthusiastic endorsement. So I signed the check. Turns out there’s more to it than that. SIA offers its members no charge services that, if utilized correctly, More…
Where Have All the Snowboards Gone? The Apparent Imbalance Between Production and Sales
Thursday, August 31st, 1995I seem to remember from my first economics class that if supply goes way up and demand doesn’t keep pace, prices can be, well, negatively impacted. When I look back at the 1994-95 season, I am disturbed because it appears that there were more boards produced than were sold to retailers; maybe a lot more. Below, I try and estimate just how many more. With so little hard information out there, that’s More…
Foreign Exchange Management; What’s All This Brouhaha?
Tuesday, June 13th, 1995Actually, there’s nothing to it. The differential in rates of inflation between the economies of two countries equals the percentage change in the exchange rate over the same period. This is known as the Purchasing Power Parity theorem. There. That should be clear. Of course, government intervention in the markets can also affect exchange rates and everybody knows that in the short term currencies with higher interest rates tend to be stronger, but of More…
Show Trends and the Business of Snowboarding; “It’s Deja Vu All Over Again!”
Thursday, March 30th, 1995In 1903, 57 companies were started to make cars. 32 left the business. I recently heard it on National Public Radio, so it must be true. Snowboarding, of course, is going to be different. In your dreams. They say that when you die, your finger nails and hair keep growing for about three weeks. In Las Vegas I saw some companies who’s personal grooming was clearly not part of a fashion statement they More…
Who Are Your Customers? And Why Are They Buying From You?
Wednesday, February 22nd, 1995As a snowboard retailer, you have a position in your market. You own it, and it’s yours to loose. The best way to loose it is to forget who your customers are and what they want. The other day I was in one of these warehouse stores. There was a snowboard with bindings for, I think, $299.00. The board had a full metal edge, the inserts and finish looked fine and the bindings, while More…
The Joys of Consolidation; Managing the Transition from Growth to Maturity
Wednesday, January 4th, 1995It happened to skate boards and surf boards. Now, it’s the snowboarding industry’s turn. The transition from a fast growing, hot trend to a mature industry is about more than consolidation to fewer players. It means lower margins, slower growth for many companies and aggressive competition increasingly based on price and service, not to mention savvier consumers who may care less about image and more about price. This transition will happen quicker than More…
