Another part of analyzing the statistics of your industry, involves seeing how many surf shops are there in Virtual Enterprise Network. These are your main competitors. Looking at last year’s Virtual Enterprise companies, there was only one other board shop and they did not sell and clothing. We plan to sell board shorts, hoodies, T-shirts, and sandals in addition to surfboards. Industry Analysis - Trends in Surf Industry The industry has changed significantly since the inception of the Southern California culture. Surfer was mainly teenagers in the 1960's. They followed a beach lifestyle. Their clothes consisted of baggies or board shorts as they are called today. The bikini was popular with the girls who admired the surfers. They were called beach bunnies. Very few women surfed in the early 60’s. Today’s top surfers earn millions of dollars in surf competitions and product endorsements. Surf music was born with groups like Dick Dale and The Deltones. They played instrumental surfing music. The Beach boys group was formed. Jan and Dean sang songs about surfing and skateboarding. Surfing Safari, Surf City, Surfer Girl, Wipe Out. Skateboards became popular with surfers since they became a way to surf on land and become part of the surfing culture. Retailers have more brand choices but are carrying fewer brands and product categories. While only 23% of core retailers use Internet/Catalog sales, those who use it have seen a 29.5% increase in sales. Overall shoe sales are down, but sandals sales are up to over $300 million - an increase of over $50 million since 2004. Apparel is the largest product category with an increase of 9.9% in sales in 2006 and currently has sales over $8 billion. Men's board shorts have continued to see strong growth. Wetsuits represent a small percent of core sales, dollars are up 30% due to price points.
Another part of analyzing the statistics of your industry, involves seeing how many surf shops are there in Virtual Enterprise Network. These are your main competitors. Looking at last year’s Virtual Enterprise companies, there was only one other board shop and they did not sell and clothing. We plan to sell board shorts, hoodies, T-shirts, and sandals in addition to surfboards. Industry Analysis - Trends in Surf Industry The industry has changed significantly since the inception of the Southern California culture. Surfer was mainly teenagers in the 1960's. They followed a beach lifestyle. Their clothes consisted of baggies or board shorts as they are called today. The bikini was popular with the girls who admired the surfers. They were called beach bunnies. Very few women surfed in the early 60’s. Today’s top surfers earn millions of dollars in surf competitions and product endorsements. Surf music was born with groups like Dick Dale and The Deltones. They played instrumental surfing music. The Beach boys group was formed. Jan and Dean sang songs about surfing and skateboarding. Surfing Safari, Surf City, Surfer Girl, Wipe Out. Skateboards became popular with surfers since they became a way to surf on land and become part of the surfing culture. Retailers have more brand choices but are carrying fewer brands and product categories. While only 23% of core retailers use Internet/Catalog sales, those who use it have seen a 29.5% increase in sales. Overall shoe sales are down, but sandals sales are up to over $300 million - an increase of over $50 million since 2004. Apparel is the largest product category with an increase of 9.9% in sales in 2006 and currently has sales over $8 billion. Men's board shorts have continued to see strong growth. Wetsuits represent a small percent of core sales, dollars are up 30% due to price points.