Surf maker skis on

Dave Brooks

One of Huntington Beach’s largest companies could soon become one of

the world’s biggest sports retailers.

Officials with Surf City-based Quiksilver Inc. have confirmed

rumors that the company is in talks with French ski manufacturer Skis

Rossignol over a potential merger or acquisition, one of the largest

of its kind in the outdoor sports industry.

If the deal goes through, it would mean the combination of one of

the largest surf and skateboard companies with one of the world’s

best known ski manufacturers. It could also make Huntington Beach,

where Quiksilver is the city’s second-largest employer behind Boeing,

a new Southern California hub for the extreme sports industry.

The nearly 2,000 employees at Quiksilver’s Graham Street

headquarters could not comment on the possible merger, but company

spokesman Jeff Rose confirmed that Quiksilver was considering a deal.

“Until we have something happening, however, I can’t really say

much more,” Rose said.

News of the merger first appeared in the French financial daily

Les Echos, when Rossignol chairman Laurent Boix-Vives announced he

had received offers from Quiksilver and other companies about a

possible merger.

In response, Quiksilver President Bernard Mariette, who also is

French, issued a Jan. 3 statement telling shareholders he and

Boix-Vives were longtime family friends musing over several potential

deals.

“Over the years, we have shared our views on our business and have

discussed mutual opportunities in the outdoor market, and even though

we have no formal agreement, I’m sure our relationship will

continue,” he wrote.

A 100-year-old company, Rossignol is one of the world’s largest

ski manufacturers, according to a Motley Fool financial report, but

has struggled in recent years with declining revenues and flat sales.

Quiksilver has fared much differently, reporting a 43% boost in

sales worth $28.9 million in profit for a recent three-month period

ending on Oct. 31, according to financial filings. In 2003,

Quiksilver pulled in about $975 million in revenues.

The acquisition of Rossignol would be one of the largest in a

recent string of purchases for Quiksilver that include the popular

women’s clothing line Roxy and recently acquired Australian shoe

company Ug.

Huntington Beach’s economic director David Biggs said the possible

merger wouldn’t likely bring any more jobs to the area, “but would

reinforce the image” of Surf City as a center of the extreme sports

world.

“We’re seeing more and more sports folks relocate to Huntington

Beach,” Biggs said. “A lot of it is a quality of life issue.

Huntington Beach has a certain image that they want to be associated

with.”

Huntington Beach is home to a number of well-known surf companies

including the Surfline wave forecast website and HSS surf.

Cleveland Golf, an American golf club company owned by Rossignol,

also recently relocated to Huntington Beach. Officials with that

company were not available for comment.