Rip Curl Add Four New European Stores To Kick Off 2018 With More In The Pipeline

Rip Curl have consolidated their network of European stores with the addition of four new stores since the start of 2018. With new retail locations in Tenerife, France, Spain and Portugal Rip Curl’s European store count now sits at 47 with more openings in the pipeline. Below are full details of the new locations including shop fit info and more on their roll out strategy for the next 18 months where they look to underline their slogan, “The Ultimate Surfing Company”.

Press Release:

Rip Curl is consolidating its network of stores in Europe, with a store opening almost every month since the start of the year.

4 new stores will open their doors in the first half of 2018:

• Tenerife(February-Canaries)
• Hyères (March-France)
• Matosinhos (April-Portugal)
• San Sebastián (May-Spain)

  

At present, there are 47 stores under the Rip Curl banner across Europe (UK, France, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, etc.), with other projects to come in the second half of 2018.

On a like-for-like basis, sales in the retail network are continuing to increase, bolstering Rip Curl’s desire to refocus on its original values. Part of this strategy means choosing the best locations for the sale of all its products.

In Tenerife, the Rip Curl Beach store opened in the center of Playa de Las Americas, the star surfing location in the Canaries, with particular focus on boardshorts (MIRAGE), women’s swimwear (MY BIKINI) and accessories.

Rip Curl has also joined forces with the iconic Welcome surf shop to refit a concept Store on the main street leading to the town’s famous bay. It is linked with a restaurant on the second floor, overlooking the bay. The fullest range of neoprene is available, with the best wetsuits and the latest innovations. And we’ve added a great range of surfwear and bikinis to make for an outstanding collection.

The latest opening to date was in April, in Matosinhos, near Porto (Portugal). This small but fast-growing town runs along the edge of a breathtakingly large bay, scattered with waves and surf schools. Our 120 m2 flagship store offers all of the Rip Curl products, and a full range of surfboards and accessories.

Finally, in May, a new flagship store will open right in the center of the town of San Sebastián, overlooking the sea, in Zurriola Bay. It will offer all of the Rip Curl surfwear product ranges, in addition to a full neoprene range.

The consumer experience in a Rip Curl store reveals the brand’s DNA in an instant.

In store you can admire the team’s surfers in action, such as the famed World Champions Gabriel Medina, Mick Fanning and Tyler Wright. Surfboards and lycras they have used in competition are exhibited, alongside images of undiscovered virgin waves, representing every surfer’s dream, and also Rip Curl’s raison d’être from the time it was founded: the endless quest for the perfect session, a concept called “The Search”.

The “Historical wall” mural is a giant patchwork displaying images of the brand’s iconic surfers and unforgettable advertising campaigns going as far back as its creation in 1969. The famous bell from the Bells Beach competition, the oldest professional surfing competition in the world, takes pride of place in every Rip Curl store.

The different display stands are differentiated by lightboxes with graphics displaying Rip Curl marketing messages. Behind each counter, a large “sense of place” photo shows the most beautiful local wave.

Wilco Prins, CEO of Rip Curl Europe commented: “Intensive openings of Rip Curl stores since the start of the year are part of a development and expansion program focusing on our retail network in Europe. Our goal is to further strengthen our brand positioning (The Ultimate Surfing Company) and become the best network of Core surf shops in Europe by choosing strategic locations. This will be achieved by properly aligning our store environments and our product range with the needs of our customers.” He added: “Our development will be mainly focused on France, Spain and Portugal, and will be staggered across the next 18 months. In this context, in May we will unveil a new direct sales outlet in San Sebastián, in Spain, and we have other projects in the coming months with the aim of offering the Rip Curl experience to as many people as we can.”