Quiksilver, Billabong, and Volcom To Close 100-Plus US Stores as Liberated Brands Files for Bankruptcy

Major bummer, dudes and dudettes: skater and surfer brands Quiksilver, Billabong, and Volcom will be shuttering U.S. stores — of which there are currently more than 100 — as a result of a bankruptcy filing made by operator Liberated Brands.

Quiksilver, Billabong, and Volcom Will Live on Through New Retail Partner

According to CNN, the process will take several weeks as inventory is cleared out or removed for sale through other channels.

While Liberator, as the operator responsible for selling the three brands, is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Authentic Brands Group — the parent company responsible for them — will be transitioning the license to a new operator. So, despite the troubles currently facing Quiksilver, Billabong, and Volcom, it’s very likely that fans of the trio of surf-skate apparel brands will still be able to buy their favorite threads.

Liberated Brands named competition from fast-fashion retailers and associated labels as being an instigator for the proceedings, per CNN and KTLA’s David Lazarus.

CNN quoted CEO Todd Hymel as stating that a “dramatic rise in interest rates, persistent inflation, [and] supply chain delays” was responsible for a great deal of pressure on Liberated’s bottom line. Additionally, Hymel blamed fast-fashion brands, which allow shoppers to “cheaply, quickly, and easily order low-quality clothing garments” and detract from the company’s ability to compete in a profitable manner, while also being more agile in responding to fashion trends that brick-and-mortar retail was slower to take advantage of.

“The Liberated team has worked tirelessly over the last year to propel these iconic brands forward, but a volatile global economy, consumer spending changes amid a rising cost of living, and inflationary pressures have all taken a heavy toll,” Liberated Brands said in a statement published by Shop Eat Surf Outdoor.

“Despite this difficult change, we are encouraged that many of our talented associates have found new opportunities with other license holders that will carry these great brands into the future,” the statement continued.

100+ Billabong, Quiksilver, Volcom Stores Closing Doors in U.S. https://t.co/3sQEVz8KY0 pic.twitter.com/khcKeAcKZt

— GearJunkie (@TheGearJunkie) February 7, 2025

Lazarus suggested that the above statement from Liberated may eventually ring true, as Authentic Brands Group seeks new avenues through which to distribute the iconic counterculture clothing labels.

“The owner of the brands, a company called Authentic Brands, says it’s looking for a new operator to bring these brands back to the marketplace, but don’t expect to see them as mall staples anytime soon,” Lazarus said. “Authentic says it’ll mix it up a little bit and instead go for specialty stores, department stores, and, of course, focus on online sales.”

While all Quiksilver, Billabong, and Volcom stores are closing in the contiguous United States, the fate of nine stores located in Hawaii is, as yet, undecided.