Surf City-based Quiksilver is on the rise

Paul Clinton

Huntington Beach-based surf retailer Quiksilver, Inc. said sales

jumped 10.6% during the second quarter.

Surfers and other beach goers have begun shopping for summer, yet

company officials said the jump in sales isn’t necessarily tied to just

one season.

Quiksilver, the city’s No. 2 employer, announced the earnings June 5.

A day later, the company’s stock, which trades on the New York Stock

Exchange under the symbol ZQK, ran up 3% from $24.50 to $25.30. The stock

is up 47% since the beginning of the year.

In its earnings, covering the fiscal-year quarter ending April 30,

Quiksilver also said its fall bookings were up 18%. The surf shops and

other clothing retailers have already begun ordering clothing from the

company’s back-to-school line, said Steve Brinks, the company’s chief

financial officer.

“Clearly, our roots are in surf,” Brinks said. “But the clothing has

been so broadened . . . The sales are not really responding to any one

season.”

Quiksilver, which employs 1,950 at its Graham Street headquarters,

produces clothing for young men and women under the Quiksilver, Roxy,

Raisins, Radio Fiji, Hawk Clothing and Gotcha labels.

The company also makes snowboards, boots and bindings under various

subsidiaries.

Quiksilver also owns Board Riders Club surf shop, located Downtown.

The leader in manufacturing surf apparel, Quicksilver has been based

in Huntington Beach since the late 1990s, when it moved from Costa Mesa.