Laguna Surf & Sport Joins Up With Swell
Laguna Surf & Sport’s owner has sold his two surfwear shops for a stake in San Juan Capistrano-based Swell Inc.’s online retail operation.
Specifics of the deal weren’t disclosed, and officials from both companies couldn’t be reached last week.
Laguna Surf owner Eric “E.J.” John told trade publication Transworld Surf Business he’s gone from “being the 100% owner of Laguna Surf & Sport to being a part owner of Swell Commerce.”
Swell Commerce is Swell’s online retail arm, which sells surf and skate apparel, accessories and gear online and via catalogs.
Laguna Surf has stores in Laguna Beach and Aliso Viejo. A store in Rancho Santa Margarita formerly under John now is independently owned.
Nicolas Nathanson, Swell’s president, told TransWorld the combination gives Swell “a launching pad for a larger retail presence.”
Swell and Laguna Surf plan “to create continuity between the stores, catalogs and online business,” John said.
“Through these channels people can buy something in the catalog and bring it back to the store and return it if it didn’t work out right,” he said. “We want complete continuity to the ‘nth’ degree.”
,Jennifer Bellantonio
Western Digital Sees More Drives For Xbox
Western Digital Corp. is looking to boost disk drive shipments for Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox video game console this quarter, Chief Executive Matt Massengill told Dow Jones.
Drives for Xbox made up 7% of Western Digital’s 8.6 million drives shipped in the quarter ended Sept. 27.
“There’s no doubt we’ll ship more XBox drives this quarter,” Massengill said. “They’ve got new titles, new price points worldwide, and that will drive demand.”
In all, Western Digital expects to ship 9.3 million to 9.6 million drives this quarter. The company has turned to game consoles and other consumer devices for growth amid a downturn in its core personal computer market.
