Retailers speak, TransWorld Business listens and Mervin WINS

Seattle, WA (January 18, 2012) — Retailers nationwide choose Mervin as the action-sports brand of the year in polling by TransWorld Business. Retailers point to Mervin as the brand that created the best partnerships and products, while also doing the most to support shops. The award comes courtesy of Transworld Business who reached out to over 5,000 retailers across surf, skate, snow, wake, moto, and BMX posing open-ended questions about which companies have done the most this year to foster their stores’ growth, goals, and continued success.

“The entire Mervin team feels truly grateful to be recognized for doing what we love,” says Ryan Hollis, GM of Mervin Mfg. “We’ve been building boards since 1977 and have always had our retail partners first of mind. We feel lucky to be able to maintain a healthy business for them and us, especially in rough times.”?
The men and women working at Mervin are true board builders with a mission to innovate and improve the sports they participate in and love. Mervin brings real innovation including Magne-traction and banana technology, making snowboarding, skiing, skating and soon surf, easier and more fun for everyone. The company has been building ecoMotional boards near Canada in the USA since 1977.

“Mervin was the clear winner for brand of the year – it was an open ended survey and they dominated with responses such as ‘anything Mervin,’” says Mike Lewis, Editor-in-Chief of TransWorld Business. “Mervin crushed it in 2011, helping keep specialty retail special.”

Specific to supporting specialty retail, Mervin uses Shopatron, which sends online orders directly to shops. The company also actively enforces minimum advertised pricing and Internet sales in an effort to protect specialty retail.

According to SIA RetailTRAK™ data produced by the Leisure Trends Group, Mervin brands have the highest sell-through of major snowboard brands with very strong margins and enjoyed the most volume growth of any other snowboard brands on the market last season. Both Lib Tech and Gnu moved into the top five snowboard brands sold at retail last season with early season sales indicating that they will both keep their top five positions for the current season. The study also states that Mervin dominates price-points between $400 and $699 at retail.

Retailers can preview Mervin Mfg products from Lib Tech, Gnu, Roxy, Bent Metal and Freedom Dolly during SIA at the following booths: Lib Tech 1307, GNU 1507 and Lib Tech NAS 4235.