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More than 100 Billabong, Quiksilver, Volcom retail shops closing in US, several in Orange County

February 7, 2025

Surf industry heavy-weight brands Quiksilver, Billabong and Volcom suffered another major blow this week after Liberated Brands filed bankruptcy. It is shutting more than 100 retail store locations across the country.

The news comes just weeks after an announcement that Liberated – the retail and e-commerce operator for several of the Authentic Brands Group labels – shuttered its Costa Mesa headquarters and laid off 400 employees.

Employees at Southern California stores learned of the news of the retail closures about a week ago and the doors will be shut in about 10 weeks, said Reese Rowbotham, assistant manager at the Volcom shop at Irvine Spectrum.

“All of them are shutting down,” she said of the retail stores.

Liberated, since 2023, has overseen the retail operations for Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, RVCA, Honolua and Boardriders in the United States and Canada, and was the licensing partner and wholesale distributor in the two countries for Billabong, RVCA and Honolua adult sportswear, activewear, swimwear, outerwear, headwear and base-layer products.

Liberated was already the core licensee and operating partner for other Authentic-owned action and outdoor sports brands Volcom, born and based in Costa Mesa, and Spyder, a snow and ski company.

Liberated Brands announced its Chapter 11 bankruptcy “to implement an orderly monetization and disposition of its businesses,” a statement from the New York-based company said.

“The company has been in the process of transitioning its brand licenses to new license holders as part of a management transition to ensure continuity for the brands and their success moving forward,” the statement said.

The filing “does not impact the future of the brands, as they have already transitioned to new, well-capitalized partners who are actively investing in their growth and long-term success,” the company said.

Aaron Pai, owner of Huntington Surf & Sport, said the incoming owner of the brands, O5 Apparel, is supporting the Billabong shop on Main Street and Walnut Avenue, which is a collaboration with HSS, and that store will remain open.

“A forest burns over and new growth happens,” Pai said. “The new company is taking care of us for the Billabong store. We will live on.”

Pai said brands Quiksilver, Volcom and Billabong are still top sellers among customers. Billabong is the third-highest grossing brand at the flagship store at Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway, he said.

“I just look at what’s going on inside our store, our sales say they are still strong,” said Pai, who has been in the surf retail business for 47 years. “I hope that the new brands and the legacy brands all make it out alive, because they are not just brands, but our friends and families work for the brands.”

While Liberated’s 100-plus retail locations in the U.S. will be closing, the status of the company’s nine retail locations in Hawaii is currently being negotiated.

“The Liberated team has worked tirelessly over the last year to propel these iconic brands forward, but a volatile global economy, consumer spending changes amid a rising cost of living, and inflationary pressures have all taken a heavy toll,” Liberated Brands said in a statement. “Despite this difficult change, we are encouraged that many of our talented associates have found new opportunities with other license holders that will carry these great brands into the future.”

A sale in 2018 brought together some of the most iconic surf and skate brands under the Boardriders Inc. umbrella, including Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, RVCA, DC Shoes, Element, VonZipper and Honolua.

Authentic Brands Group then purchased the mega Orange County surf brands in 2023, causing nervousness in the surf industry, with long-timers weary of a corporate takeover that would put profit over its core customers.

On all three websites for the surf brands, a notice to customers states that gift cards and loyalty points will not be honored after Feb. 16. There are retail shops throughout Orange County, including the Irvine Spectrum, Laguna Beach and the Outlets at Orange.

Bloomberg News contributed to this story.

Orange County Register

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More than 100 Billabong, Quiksilver, Volcom retail shops closing in US, several in Orange County

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