The rumors were true. Quiksilver has officially announced that they are selling Mervin Manufacturing. Before your palms get all sweaty and your heart starts to race, Mervin will still be manufacturing Lib Tech and Gnu snowboards, Quiksilver just won’t oversee the brands anymore. Mervin will also continue to make Roxy snowboards for Quik as part of the agreement.
In my humble opinion, I think it’s a bummer to see Mervin leave the Quiksilver umbrella. I looked into the company that purchased them, Extreme Holdings, Inc., who is “an entity advised by Altamont Capital Partners.” To me, it just seems like another massive investor group looking to make an extra buck off our passion as snowboarders. I know I don’t have all the details, but being a part of Quiksilver just seemed right for Mervin. They were tied in with a company that was founded out of a love for surfing, and helped spread that love to snow surfing. I’m glad Lib Tech, Gnu, and Roxy will still be a part of the industry, as they have always been innovative and well-manufactured brands, but my hope is that Mervin will be able to stay true to their roots and not be bullied by a monstrous corporation that knows nothing of action sports except for what they read on their spreadsheets. They will at least remain the worlds most environmentally friendly factory and continue make the same technological advances to snowboarding, so that’s good.
But enough of my whining. For the official statement from Quiksilver, head to Transworld Business. Cheers.
