Quiksilver and Plantronics Announce Partnership and New Limited Edition Sports Collection
Alliance Fuses Industry Trailblazers to Develop Premium Bluetooth Enabled Snow Wear and Accessories
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HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. and SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Jan. 22 — Quiksilver (NYSE: ZQK) and Plantronics (NYSE: PLT) today kicked off a new strategic partnership to outfit outdoor sports enthusiasts with a unique array of Bluetooth® enabled sports apparel and accessories. Quiksilver and Plantronics also previewed a new collection of premium snow apparel and accessories providing wireless, high-performance stereo music and mobile phone communications today at the SIA conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The alliance represents an exciting fusion of industry trailblazers – Quiksilver, which includes the Quiksilver and Roxy brands, is known as a leader in the outdoor sports lifestyle industry. Plantronics is recognized as a leader of Bluetooth voice and stereo technology.
“We’re thrilled to be working with Plantronics, a brand that has long been recognized as an industry leader in communications and entertainment,” said Quiksilver CEO, Bob McKnight. “Our company has always sought new and innovative ways to enhance the outdoor lifestyle, and integrating Plantronics technology into our products is a great way to do that.”
“This new premium line of Bluetooth equipped apparel and accessories creates a pure and seamless experience for sports enthusiasts – they can go from one environment to the next while staying continuously connected to their music and friends,” said Renee Niemi, general manager and vice president of Mobile and Entertainment for Plantronics. “This new line also reflects Quiksilver and Plantronics’ commitment to combining style, comfort and technology with great ease of use.”
The new collection integrates Quiksilver’s high-quality outdoor sports apparel with Bluetooth equipped mobile phones, iPods and MP3 players, allowing users to effortlessly access their favorite tunes and mobile calls without the worry of snagging a cord while blazing the slopes. Plantronics’ technology, embedded within the Quiksilver apparel and accessories, enables stereo sound to stream wirelessly from compatible products so that users can play and control music as well as answer incoming calls – all at the touch of a button.
Designed for both men and women under the Quiksilver and Roxy brands, the inaugural collection of apparel and accessories will include:
— Quiksilver Double Daffy Snow Jacket featuring Plantronics stereo sound and voice technology with Bluetooth®: The jacket is part of Quiksilver’s Limited Edition Outerwear Collection and is both iPod and cell phone ready. The Double Daffy will be available in the 2007/2008 Outerwear season and will retail for $370.00 at Quiksilver Stores and better retailers nationwide.
— Quiksilver Pulse Helmet featuring Plantronics stereo sound and voice technology with Bluetooth®: The lightweight helmet, constructed from injected ABS, has adjustable side vents and comes in a black camo print. The Pulse will be available in the 2007/2008 Outerwear season and will retail for $249.95 at Quiksilver Stores and better retailers nationwide.
— Roxy Teen Angel Snow Jacket featuring Plantronics stereo sound and voice technology with Bluetooth®: iPod and cell phone ready, this jacket will be available in the 2007/2008 Outerwear season and will retail for $340.00 at Quiksilver Stores and Roxy retailers nationwide.
— Roxy Shiver Helmet featuring Plantronics stereo sound and voice technology with Bluetooth®: The Shiver Roxy Women’s Ski/Snow Safety Helmet will be available in the 2007/2008 Outerwear season and will retail for $249.95 at Quiksilver Stores and Roxy retailers nationwide.
Quiksilver will provide a sneak peek of the first co-developed products at the SIA conference in Las Vegas, Nevada (January 22-25, 2007), booths #C700 and #C800.
About Quiksilver and Roxy:
Quiksilver and Roxy are brands of Quiksilver, Inc., the world’s leading outdoor sports lifestyle company, which designs, produces and distributes a diversified mix of branded apparel, wintersports and golf equipment, footwear, accessories and related products. The Company’s apparel and footwear brands represent a casual lifestyle for young-minded people that connect with its boardriding culture and heritage, while its wintersports and golf brands symbolize a long standing commitment to technical expertise and competitive success on the mountains and on the links.
The reputation of Quiksilver Inc.’s brands is based on different outdoor sports. The Company’s Quiksilver, Roxy, DC Shoes and Hawk brands are synonymous with the heritage and culture of surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding, and its beach and water oriented swimwear brands include Raisins, Radio Fiji and Leilani. The Rossignol, Dynastar, Lange, Look and Kerma brands are leaders in the alpine ski market, and the Company makes snowboarding equipment under its Rossignol, Dynastar, DC Shoes, Roxy, Lib Technologies, Gnu and Bent Metal labels. The Company’s golf business includes Cleveland Golf, as well as Never Compromise putters and Fidra apparel. Gotcha is the Company’s surf-based European brand addressing street fashion. The Company’s products are sold in over 90 countries in a wide range of distribution, including surf shops, ski shops, skateboard shops, snowboard shops, proprietary Boardriders Club shops, other specialty stores and select department stores. Quiksilver’s corporate and Americas’ headquarters are in Huntington Beach, California, while its European headquarters are in St. Jean de Luz and St. Jean de Moirans, France, and its Asia/Pacific headquarters are in Torquay, Australia.
NOTE: For further information about Quiksilver, Inc., you are invited to take a look at our world at http://www.quiksilver.com , http://www.roxy.com , http://www.dcshoecousa.com , http://www.quiksilveredition.com , http://www.hawkclothing.com , http://www.rossignol.com , http://www.dynastar.com , http://www.clevelandgolf.com , and http://www.fidragolf.com .
About Plantronics
In 1969, a Plantronics headset carried the historic first words from the moon: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Since then, Plantronics has become the headset of choice for mission-critical applications such as air traffic control, emergency dispatch, and the New York Stock Exchange. Today, this history of Sound Innovation(TM) is the basis for every product we build for the office, contact center, personal mobile, entertainment and residential markets. The Plantronics family of brands includes Plantronics, Altec Lansing, Clarity, and Volume Logic. For more information, go to http://www.plantronics.com .
NOTE: Altec Lansing, Clarity, Plantronics, and Volume Logic are trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Plantronics, Inc. is under license.