Industry News

Rossignol Announces New Worldwide Headquarters near Voiron, Isere in France

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 23, 2005--Quiksilver, Inc. (NYSE: ZQK) announced today that its Rossignol subsidiary has selected the Centr'Alp 2 site near Voiron in Isere, France to build Rossignol's new worldwide headquarters. The inauguration is scheduled for the end of 2007 coinciding with celebrations of Rossignol's 100-year anniversary.

The choice of a new corporate headquarters in the Voiron region meets the dual goal of giving Rossignol employees optimal working conditions in order to boost future growth while providing a long-term future for the company's presence in its historical home in the French Alps. In bringing together all company departments, which are currently fragmented over many sites, into a single 15-acre campus, Rossignol aims to promote synergies and creativity among staff by offering an environment conducive to better internal communication.

Jean-Francois Gautier, President of Skis Rossignol SA, stated, "The choice of Centr'Alp 2 for our worldwide head office is consistent with the vision I share with Bernard Mariette for the group's new mission in the outdoor and winter sports world. It is essential that we enable local employees and craftsmen to pursue their work under the best conditions possible, and we are very encouraged by the proposal put forward by the Voiron region. Together, we are developing a long-term solution with prospects for a strong partnership between the company and the local communities involved."

The choice of location is also in line with the strategy that Quiksilver has always followed--to develop its brands as near as possible to the natural environment they are linked to. Quiksilver's European headquarters are located at St. Jean de Luz in France's surf region on the Atlantic coast, the location for Rossignol's new American headquarters is planned for Park City in prime Utah ski country, while Rossignol's worldwide head office will be located in the heart of the Alps.

Gerard Simonet, Chairman of the Voiron Regional Community commented, "As soon as we were notified of Quiksilver's plans, the Voiron Region and the town halls of the communities concerned teamed up to enable the company to pursue its development in its historical home. It was therefore an immense pleasure that we heard of Quiksilver's decision to choose Centr'Alp 2 as the location for the new corporate head office of Rossignol. The Mayor of Voiron, the General Councilor of Voiron and Mayor of St. Etienne de Crossey and I would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Quiksilver/Rossignol group for the confidence it has placed in the Voiron region. We will of course work alongside Rossignol so that our whole region fully benefits from the economic dynamism and boost generated by this new head office, near which we also plan to develop a 15-acre snow center dedicated to the world of outdoor sports".

Bernard Mariette, President of Quiksilver, Inc., summed up, "While all communities and regions submitted excellent proposals - and I thank them warmly for this - the creation of Rossignol's new worldwide head office in the Voiron region particularly pleases me. It is a key step in the integration of Rossignol within the Quiksilver group, providing a long-term future for the Rossignol group's presence in its home region, as Laurent Boix-Vives wished. Our choice enables us to look forward to a long-term partnership between the region and the company based on a real development project benefiting the Company, its employees and the region. This will give us the opportunity to create a dynamic economic infrastructure around Rossignol's historical location at Centr'Alp 2, similar to what we managed to create in the Basque region surrounding our European headquarters at St. Jean de Luz."

A process for the appointment of architects will be conducted in the near future with the target of opening the new head office to coincide with Rossignol 100-year celebration in 2007.

About Quiksilver:

Quiksilver, Inc. (NYSE:ZQK) is the world's leading outdoor sports lifestyle company, which designs, produces and distributes a diversified mix of branded apparel, wintersports and golf equipment, footwear, accessories and related products. The Company's apparel and footwear brands represent a casual lifestyle for young-minded people that connect with its boardriding culture and heritage, while its wintersports and golf brands symbolize a long standing commitment to technical expertise and competitive success on the mountains and on the links.

The reputation of Quiksilver's brands is based on different outdoor sports. The Company's Quiksilver, Roxy, DC Shoes and Hawk brands are synonymous with the heritage and culture of surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding, and its beach and water oriented swimwear brands include Raisins, Radio Fiji, Leilani and Island Soul. The Rossignol, Dynastar, Lange, Look and Kerma brands are leaders in the alpine ski market, and the Company makes snowboarding equipment under its Rossignol, Dynastar, DC Shoes, Roxy, Lib Technologies, Gnu and Bent Metal labels. The Company's golf business includes Cleveland Golf, as well as Never Compromise putters and Fidra apparel. Gotcha is the Company's surf-based European brand addressing street fashion.

The Company's products are sold in over 90 countries in a wide range of distribution, including surf shops, ski shops, skateboard shops, snowboard shops, proprietary Boardriders Club shops, other specialty stores and select department stores. Quiksilver's corporate and Americas' headquarters are in Huntington Beach, California, while its European headquarters are in St. Jean de Luz and Voiron, France, and its Asia/Pacific headquarters are in Torquay, Australia.

NOTE: For further information about Quiksilver, Inc., you are invited to take a look at our world at www.quiksilver.com, www.roxy.com, www.dcshoecousa.com, www.quiksilveredition.com, www.hawkclothing.com, www.rossignol.com, www.dynastar.com, www.clevelandgolf.com and www.fidragolf.com.

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