Just got the news from a VERY reliable source in the US – Quiksilver (that owns DC Shoes) has dropped DC’s whole Auto Division and let Ken Block go.
For those who aren’t clear about Ken Block’s relationship with DC Shoes – he co-founded the company with Damon Way in 1994. In 2004, they sold the company to Quiksilver for USD87 million. However, Ken Block was retained by Quiksilver as DC’s Chief Branding Officer.
No one from Quiksilver had the balls to call Ken and tell him and passed the responsibility to DC’s VP of Marketing to do the honors.
DC Shoes will also be discontinuing their Surf and BMX lines too as part of a company-wide cost-cutting exercise.
Travis Pastrana’s under-performing line has not been spared the axe either as had DC’s very generic-looking women’s line.
DC’s Southeast Asia HQ, situated in Singapore, is also shutting down. Southeast Asia will be managed by Australia from now on.
I honestly can’t say that I didn’t see this coming. In fact I did voice my concern to some of the higher-ups at DC a while back, but my opinions/advice fell on deaf ears.
A company can’t possibly be profitable if you hire too many incompetent people for the job.
Or people who aren’t qualified.
The people working at DC Singapore know absolutely nothing about skateboarding or motorsport.
Neither do the distributors in Malaysia.
In fact, DC’s Malaysian brand manager had NEVER EVEN HEARD OF DC SHOES before being transfered from another department in the company to oversee DC Malaysia.
This pattern is repeated in many of DC’s offices and subsidiaries all over the world.
How can you possibly do anything good for the brand if you don’t understand it’s core values?
Holy gymkhana!
Remember – you heard it HERE first!
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