It was weird walking past the Quiksilver shop last week. The lights were out, the giant wave decals were peeling off the glass, and there was a neon-yellow "Everything Must Go" sign taped to the door. Honestly, it felt like the end of high school. If you grew up anywhere near a coast—or even just a suburban mall—those logos were the uniform of a specific kind of cool.
But now, the rumors have turned into reality. The physical stores are basically gone.
If you've been seeing headlines about quiksilver billabong volcom closing, you might think the brands are dead. You might think the "Stone" and the "Mountain and Wave" are entering the history books next to Blockbuster and RadioShack.
That’s not actually what’s happening. It’s way more complicated, and kinda corporate.
The Bankruptcy That Cleared the Shelves
Here is the deal: The brands themselves aren't out of business, but the company that was running the stores in the U.S. definitely is. A company called Liberated Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early 2025. They were the ones signed on to operate the actual brick-and-mortar locations for Quiksilver, Billabong, and Volcom.
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When they hit the wall, they didn't just scale back. They folded.
We’re talking about over 100 stores across the United States. Poof. Gone. From the flagship spots in Huntington Beach and Manhattan to the small mall outlets in the Midwest, the liquidation was fast and brutal. By the time the dust settled in mid-2025, nearly 1,400 people had lost their jobs.
Why did it happen? Todd Hymel, the CEO of Liberated, basically blamed a "lethal combination" of things.
- Inflation: People have less "fun money" for $60 hoodies.
- Fast Fashion: Why buy a $40 Billabong tee when you can get a generic one for $8 on a trendy app?
- The "Asset-Light" Model: This is the big one.
Who Actually Owns Your Favorite Surf Brands?
To understand why your local store vanished while the website is still up, you have to know about Authentic Brands Group (ABG).
ABG is a massive juggernaut. They don't really make clothes in the traditional sense; they own the "intellectual property." They bought the Boardriders empire (which included Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, and DC Shoes) back in 2023 for about $1.2 billion. They already owned Volcom.
Their whole strategy is being "asset-light." They own the name, the logo, and the vibe, but they let other companies—licensees—worry about the headaches of paying rent, hiring cashiers, and shipping boxes.
Liberated Brands was their primary partner for the U.S. stores. When Liberated couldn't make the math work anymore, ABG didn't step in to save the stores. They just pulled the licenses and started looking for new partners.
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Is Quiksilver Billabong Volcom Closing for Good?
No. But the way you buy them has changed forever.
You’ll still see the clothes at places like Nordstrom, Tillys, or even some big-box retailers. The e-commerce sites are still running because ABG moved those operations to new partners like The Levy Group and others almost immediately.
Basically, the era of the "Mega Surf Shop" in the mall is dead.
It’s a bummer for the culture. Those stores were where you’d go to watch a skate video on a loop or talk to someone who actually knew which wax to use for 60-degree water. Now, these brands are becoming "labels" you find on a rack between other random brands.
What most people get wrong
A lot of people think the "surf industry" is dying. That's a bit dramatic. People are still surfing. People are still skating. But the business of surf evolved into a corporate licensing game.
The brands are now stable because they are backed by ABG’s billions, but they’ve lost that "local shop" feel. You’re more likely to see a Quiksilver logo on a pair of headphones or a suitcase now than you are to find a dedicated Quiksilver store in your town.
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The Surprising Survival of Hawaii
If you live in the islands, you might have noticed things are different. While the mainland stores were getting gutted, the Hawaii locations—like those in Waikīkī and Haleiwa—actually stayed in negotiations longer.
In late 2025, Authentic even celebrated the opening of new flagship stores in Hawaii. It seems they realize that if you’re going to have a physical store, it has to be somewhere people actually live the lifestyle, not just somewhere they're killing time before a movie at the mall.
What This Means for You Right Now
If you have a gift card from a year ago, it's probably junk. Most of those were tied to the previous operators and expired during the bankruptcy proceedings in February 2025.
But if you’re looking for gear, here is the reality:
- Check the Big Sites: The official websites are the safest bet for the full range of products.
- Support Local: Real surf shops (the independent ones) are still carrying these brands. They aren't part of the "closing" because they aren't owned by the corporate entities that went bust.
- Expect "Collaborations": Expect to see more weird partnerships. Kevin Hart just became a shareholder in Authentic Brands Group in early 2026. You might see surf brands popping up in places you never expected—like entertainment and "lifestyle" events—rather than just at the beach.
The quiksilver billabong volcom closing saga is really just a story about the death of the middle-man retailer. The brands are fine; it's the buildings that are gone.
Next Steps for Surf Fans:
If you want to keep these brands alive in a way that matters, stop buying them at the mall or on Amazon. Go to a local, independently-owned surf or skate shop. They are the only ones left keeping the actual culture—not just the logo—alive.
Check your local listings for "Core" surf shops in your area to see who still stocks the latest drops from the new licensees.