Billabong

The first month of winter over and we are dreaming of summer days at the beach ….

Billabong, a surfwear and accessories retailer, started on the Goldcoast in 1973 by Gordon Merchant making board shorts from home. The company started to export in the late 1990s and to acquire other products and brands in the following decade.

Over expansion had lead to unsustainable debt.  Profits crashed. Stores were closed and brands sold off. Takeover bids were offered and contested. In 2018 it was acquired by Boardrider Inc., owners of rival Quicksilver.

The Canberra Times, 12th December 1986 page 22. Billabong sponsors surfing contests.

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