Zumiez Inc. (‘Zumiez’), through its subsidiaries, operates as a leading specialty retailer of apparel, footwear, accessories and hardgoods for young men and women who want to express their individuality through the fashion, music, art and culture of action sports, streetwear and other unique lifestyles.
The company operates under the names Zumiez, Blue Tomato, and Fast Times. The company operates ecommerce websites at zumiez.com, zumiez.ca, blue-tomato.com, and fasttimes.com.au. As of February...
Zumiez Inc. (‘Zumiez’), through its subsidiaries, operates as a leading specialty retailer of apparel, footwear, accessories and hardgoods for young men and women who want to express their individuality through the fashion, music, art and culture of action sports, streetwear and other unique lifestyles.
The company operates under the names Zumiez, Blue Tomato, and Fast Times. The company operates ecommerce websites at zumiez.com, zumiez.ca, blue-tomato.com, and fasttimes.com.au. As of February 1, 2025, the company operated various stores in the United States (‘U.S.’), Canada, Europe, and Australia.
The company acquired Blue Tomato, which is one of the leading European specialty retailers of apparel, footwear, accessories, and hardgoods. The company also acquired Fast Times Skateboarding (‘Fast Times’), which is an Australian leading specialty retailer of hardgoods, accessories, apparel, and footwear.
The company employs a sales strategy that integrates its stores with its ecommerce platform to serve its customers. There is significant interaction between the company’s store sales and its ecommerce sales channels, and they are utilized in tandem by its customers. The company designs its selling platforms to appeal to teenagers and young adults, and to serve as a destination for its customers. The company’s focus on a diverse collection of brands allows it to quickly adjust to changing fashion trends.
Growth Strategy
The company intends to expand its presence as a leading global specialty retailer of action sports, streetwear, and other unique lifestyles by continuing to generate sales growth through existing channels, enhancing its brand awareness through continued marketing and promotion, and opening or acquiring new store locations.
Merchandising and Purchasing
The breadth of merchandise that the company offers its customers, which includes apparel, footwear, accessories, and hardgoods, exceeds that offered by many other specialty stores at a single location, and makes it a single-stop purchase destination for its target customers.
The company seeks to identify fashion trends as they develop, and to respond in a timely manner with a relevant product assortment. The company strives to keep its merchandising mix fresh by continuously introducing new brands or styles in response to the evolving desires of its customers. The company’s merchandise mix may vary by region, country, and season, reflecting the preferences and seasons in each market. The company supplements its merchandise assortment with a select offering of private label products across many of its product categories.
The company sources its private label merchandise from primarily foreign manufacturers around the world. The company has cultivated its private label sources with a view towards high-quality merchandise, production reliability, and consistency of fit.
Marketing and Advertising
The company’s marketing efforts focus on reaching its customers in their environment, and feature extensive physical and digital grassroots marketing events, which give its customers an opportunity to experience and participate in the lifestyles it offers. The company’s grassroots marketing events are built around the demographics of its customer base, and offer an opportunity for its customers to develop a strong identity with its brands and culture.
The company has a customer loyalty program, the Zumiez STASH, which allows members to earn points for purchases or performance of certain activities. The company’s marketing efforts also incorporate local sporting and music event promotions, advertising in magazines popular with its target market, interactive contest sponsorships that actively involve its customers with its brands and products, the Zumiez STASH, catalogs, and various social network channels.
Distribution and Fulfillment
Domestically, the company’s distribution center is located in Corona, California. At this facility, merchandise is inspected, allocated to stores, and distributed to the company’s stores and customers. Internationally, the company operates distribution centers located in Delta, Canada, Graz, Austria, and Melbourne, Australia, to support its operations in Canada, Europe, and Australia, respectively. Each of the company’s international entities is progressing toward full localized fulfillment, and are in various states of implementation.
Seasonality
Historically, the company’s operations have been seasonal, with the largest portion of net sales and net income occurring in the third and fourth fiscal quarters, reflecting increased demand during the back-to-school and winter holiday selling seasons. During fiscal 2024, approximately 56% of the company’s net sales occurred in the third and fourth quarters (year ended February 1, 2025) combined.
Trademarks
The ‘Zumiez’, ‘Blue Tomato’, and ‘Fast Times’ trademarks, as well as certain other trademarks, including those associated with the company’s private label brands, have been registered, or are the subject of pending trademark applications, with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and with the registries of certain foreign countries.
History
Zumiez Inc., a Washington State corporation, was founded in 1978. The company was incorporated in 2005.