Don't say I never gave any info to you "fundamentalists", ha!ha!....
I live about 15 miles from Oakley in So. Cal. Here is some news, doesn't effect price, but I thought you might want to know.
Oakley, has just moved their headquarters (last weekend) from Irvine, to Foothill Ranch. This past Monday was their first day of business in the new building. For all of you who that doesn't mean a thing to, Foothill Ranch is a newly developing, upper scale, residential/coprorate area. Many of the major players that are based in OC have offices or are building offices there. The new Oakley building is supposed to be ultra-high tech, and Oakley owns it and the land it sits on outright. After talking to some of the guys who are in the new building, they say it is "absolutely amazing."
As to X-Metals. Believe it or not, Oakley's in house customer service actually told me that I would be able to see an X-Metal today, and they knew what mall the store was in, but for some reason, couldn't tell me what store it would be in (odd, but par for the course for Oakley). I made a couple of calls, and located the store, L.A. Eyeworks, in South Coast Plaza. Now here is the in interesting part......
There has been a rumor going around in the shops I have asked about X-Metals. I've heard it at two different Sunglass Huts' and three individual sporting stores. It goes like this......
One of the stores in the Santa Ana/Costa Mesa area already got a pair of X-Metals. They were for display, but someone wanted to buy them bad, and did......
FOR TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!!!
I couldn't believe this, so I called the store that it was rumored to have happened at. Unfortuantely, they had no idea of what I was talking about. I thought, well, that's another rumor...until I talked to L.A. Eyeworks today.
Not only are they recieving an X-Metal sample today (by UPS), but, they in fact were the store that sold the $2,000.00 pair (which is why they are getting another). Apparently, the guy who bought them, was from back East, and wanted to get one of the first pairs (Oakley numbers all of their glasses, on the lens), and dropped the money on them.
Just so you don't think I am kidding, You can call L.A. Eyeworks if you want, I spoke to Joel, and their number is (714) 957-8255.
Back to Oakley...the word I get from them is that pairs are going to be sent out to stores as demo, for people to try on, and order from. Apparently, the X-Metals, are made from a metal blend and because of that, they can only makr 150-200 per day (in contrast to about 4000 "frogskins" a day). Production said that until they fine tune the process, it will be hard to find X-Metals in quantity.
As you know, I am interested in X-Metals, because I want to buy a pair, and I don't trade on fundamentals alone. having said that, I am truely amazed at the buzz that is going on for X-Metals. One of the store managers I talked to told me candidly, that he has never been a fan of Oakley's. He said that their frames had never fit him well,, he didn't like the styles, etc.....and then he told we that he put his name first on the waiting list for X-Metals, because he "had to have a pair."
Another at Sunglass Hut told me that only 5% of their business is in the $250.00 or more price range. But he felt that X-Metals would acutally push that perecntage higher. Everyone I have talked to that has seen X-Metals has been blown away. Unfortunately, none of that means a things as the stock hangs around nine (the point here is to make money right). And X-Metals, if they ever come out, are not designed to be a mass appeal item a la, "jackets," "M-frames," "frogskins," etc.....
so get your X-Metals and look good, but wait for the stock price to do the same before you "buy the story"...........
BCL |
