Zumiez Inc. () is an American multinational specialty clothing store founded by Thomas Campion and Gary Haakenson in 1978, and publicly traded since 2005. The company is a specialty retailer of apparel, footwear, accessories and hardgoods for young men and women. Zumiez markets clothing for action sports, particularly

skateboarding Skateboarding is an action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation ...

snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic ...

, and

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...

. Zumiez is based in

Lynnwood, Washington Lynnwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The city is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is located north of Seattle and south of Everett, near the junction of Interstate 5 and Interstate 405. It is the f ...

. The current president and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

is Richard Brooks.Zumiez Investor Relations - Company Profile
/ref> Originally named "Above the Belt" when the first store was opened at

Northgate Mall (Seattle) Northgate Station (formerly Northgate Mall) is an enclosed shopping mall in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is located in the Northgate neighborhood on Interstate 5, adjacent to Northgate Way and Northgate station, a light rail station ...

in 1978, the company grew quickly through the early 1980s with the addition of stores at Everett Mall (Everett, Washington), Alderwood Mall (Lynnwood, WA),

Tacoma Mall The Tacoma Mall is the largest shopping center in Tacoma, Washington, and is owned and operated by the Simon Property Group. Anchor tenants include Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney (originally two levels, but added a third level in 1986), Macy's ( ...

(Tacoma, WA) and

Bellevue Square Bellevue Square is a shopping center in Bellevue, Washington. The mall has over 200 retail stores with anchors Macy's and Nordstrom. Bellevue Square also offers concierge services, valet parking, and a children's play area. It and the connectin ...

(Bellevue, WA). The mid and late eighties brought new stores online outside of the Puget Sound area, and the corporate name changed to Zumiez. The corporate office was moved from Everett to Lynnwood, Washington in 2012.

Stores

As of February 3, 2018, Zumiez operates 726 stores; 608 in the United States, 52 in Canada, 54 in Europe and 12 in Australia. Zumiez is a leading retailer for lifestyle brands, centering on action sports such as skateboarding, snowboarding,

BMX BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation. History BMX began during the earl ...

, and motocross.

Store design

Zumiez stores are designed with an "organized chaos" theme "that is consistent with many teenagers' lifestyles." The stores are stocked with couches to encourage customers "to shop for longer periods of time and to interact with each other and the store associates." To further benefit that thought stores used to have video game stations where customers could chill and spend more time in the store. Each store is approx. 2,900 ft². The stores generally feature a sales floor, couches and action sports oriented video game stations, changing rooms, and a "

skate shop 320px, Ridin' High Skate Shop in Burlington, Vermont A skate shop or skateshop is a store that sells skateboards and skateboarding apparel. When financially possible, skate shops sponsor local riders and promote skateboarding locally through s ...

." However, this plan may be modified based on space restrictions.

Items for sale

Zumiez is targeted toward teens, offering clothing items such as footwear, shirts, pants and sporting equipment. The Sporting equipment they offer is for BMX bikes, skateboards, and surfboards. The clothing offered is for both men and women, with brands sold such as Vans, Burton, Obey, Teddy Fresh, and RipNDip, as well as private-label goods. Selling items in stores and online, Zumiez offers clothing for all seasons including jackets and swimsuits. They also sell items such as bracelets, watches, sunglasses, and stickers. A full list of brands that Zumiez sells in-store and online can be found on their featured brands list.

Couch Tour

For 13 years, Zumiez traveled to 12 "full stops" as part of its annual Couch Tour. Entertainment included live bands, professional skateboarding demos, and a competition featuring local amateurs. The stops usually took place at the mall where local Zumiez stores are located. Entry to the event was always free. As part of the Couch tour, since Zumiez doesn't sponsor riders themselves, they joined up with major players in the skate industry to offer an opportunity where amateur skaters can enter and compete. 2013 sponsors included Bones Bearings, Paramore, Beyonce, Adidas, Deathwish, DGK, Neff, Oakley, and Loser Machine providing the "trophies" for each stop of the contest's winners.

Best Foot Forward

Zumiez Best Foot Forward Am contest series started in 2007 to give back to the skateboarding community on a local level, providing the country's biggest amateur skateboard contest and exposure on a global level. Differentiating itself from other contests, Zumiez Best Foot Forward travels to 35+ cities across the country, and is free to enter. Its purpose to scout and build young skateboarding talent. Previous Zumiez Best Foot Forward winners have gone on to become some of the top names in skateboarding, including Ishod Wair, Tom Asta, Jack Olson, Chris Wimer, and Alec Majerus.

Zumiez Stash

Zumiez allows the option of signing up for the "Zumiez Stash". Signing up allows customers to gain points for each purchase made, in stores or online. "The Stash allows you to earn points for exclusive merchandise and experiences for shopping and engaging with us". With stash points earned from purchases, members can then redeem their points for rewards and items only available for purchase with stash points.

Zumiez Foundation

Zumiez began a charitable foundation in 2002, donating clothing to those in need in over 20 states in the United States. In 2012 over 180,000 items were donated to more than 180 organizations around the nation.

Acquisitions

The company purchased the clothing company Fast Forward in 2006, Blue Tomato in 2012, and Fast Times in 2015.

Store shooting

On January 25, 2014, a gunman, identified as 19-year-old Darion Marcus Aguilar, opened fire with a 12 gauge

shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small pellet-like spherical sub- pr ...

inside of Zumiez at

The Mall in Columbia The Mall in Columbia, also known as the Columbia Mall, is the central shopping mall for the planned community of Columbia, Maryland, United States. It has over 200 specialty stores and the anchor stores are AMC Theatres, Lidl, Main Event Enter ...

located in

Columbia, Maryland Columbia is a census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland. It is one of the principal communities of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. It is a planned community consisting of 10 self-contained villages. Columbia began wit ...

, killing two store employees before taking his own life, according to police. Five other people were injured during the incident. Extra ammunition and crude explosives (all of which were later defused) were found in Aguilar's backpack.