Half-year core store report from ActionWatch

ActionWatch plugs into the point-of-sale systems at 150 boardsport stores and extracts and aggregates sales information.

Here are some interesting nuggets Cary pulled out for me.

"Product class performance:

1) Board shorts (male) = +6.5%

2) Sandals = +2.4%

3) Shoes = +12.6%

"Notable brand performances, ranked by dollar market share, aggregated from the full panel (currently includes over 150 stores):

1) Billabong was the best performing brand in:

a. Men's/boys' board shorts

b. Women's/girls' swimwear

c. Dresses

2) Nike SB dominated the male shoes category.

3) Spy was the top brand in sunglasses. Oakley came in second, which was a strong increase from last year. Oakley is doing very well with sales of the Frogskin and Gascan models in 2008.

"4) June was the first month for Sanuk to break into the top-10 brands in the very competitive male shoes category. Note: ActionWatch classify their Sidewalk Surfer series of closed-toe footwear as "shoes" despite their marketing campaign."

Overall, sales for all genders and product categories rose 1.3 percent in the first six months of the year. Sales in June slipped 1.1 percent compared to June, 2007.