Npd Group

A local surf wear company is about to find out just how far guys will go to indulge their passion for vintage retro-wear. Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp., the Irvine company that caught fire 30 years ago with its corduroy shorts for young men, is increasing production and distribution of the shorts for a new generation. Even company executives concede it's a longshot. At a time when shorts have grown longer and baggier, the 1970s-style Op shorts are short and snug.

Any surfer who has tried to catch a wave will tell you that timing is everything. And Sundek — the once-iconic '70s surf brand known for the rainbow stripe arching across the seat of its swim trunks — seems to have caught a killer curl on its way back to U.S. beaches. Founded in San Francisco in 1958, Sundek was an early sponsor of surfers and became known for its trademark multi-stripe and triple-stitched, two-ply nylon shorts, created specifically for surfing. While the label had faded quietly from the U.S. market by the mid-1990s, it lived on in Europe, licensed by Florence, Italy-based Kickoff SpA, where its American and surfing heritage roots and trimmer cut were a draw.

At first glance there doesn't seem to be much to a swimsuit — a little bit of fabric that the wearer hopes will cover the necessary areas in the most flattering way and that will stay put in pool or surf. But swimwear style changes by the year, however subtly. Pay close attention and you notice that some modern designers are eschewing embellishments, hardware and potentially uncomfortable details in favor of streamlined, seamless and versatile suits. And quite a few women seem to be paying attention.

The Walt Disney Co. executive who oversaw a vast expansion of the studio's online and gaming ventures, but struggled to achieve profitability, is leaving the company. Steve Wadsworth, president of Disney Interactive Media Group, sent an e-mail to his staff late Thursday, saying he had decided to leave after 11 years. He gained broad oversight of the media giant's sprawling digital operations in a 2008 reorganization, which combined the games group with the company's online operations.

Boom! Not even John Madden and his trademark expressions could avert the crash in video game sales in August, which fell 16% from last year. The drop was the industry's sixth consecutive monthly decline, according to a report released Thursday by market research firm NPD Group Inc. That means sales of games and game consoles must grow 14% in the last four months of the year for 2009 sales to be flat with 2008, NPD analyst Anita Frazier said....

The food truck revolution is moving indoors. The owners of some of the most successful trucks are using the knowledge, fame and bankability gained from operating their mobile eateries to start sit-down restaurants. "To grow a restaurant from the ground up is impossible," said Eric Tjahyadi, who with his brother Erwin and two other partners started the Komodo Truck with its Asian-influenced food two years ago. That was in the middle of a recession, when it was tough to start any business, let alone one as notoriously vulnerable as a restaurant.

Fries have been getting downsized. The introduction of dollar menus, effects of the recession and the end of super-sizing have taken a toll on French fry consumption at restaurants. Fries are a part of 13.2% of restaurant meals today, down from 14.5% in 2004, according to NPD Group. But fast-food giants haven't been taking this lying down. Many have been finding ways to offset the decline in fry sales. McDonald's Corp., the longtime king of fries, has cited breakfast business and the introduction of frappes and smoothies for helping the chain score 31 consecutive quarters of same-store-sales gains.

For the first time, more smartphones were sold than any other type of mobile phone, according to a new study. Sales of smartphones rose 8% during the first three months of 2011 from the same period in 2010, research firm NPD Group said. Smartphones accounted for 54% of all mobile phone sales for the period. However, overall mobile phone sales, which are made up of sales of smartphones and standard cellphones, fell 1% during the quarter from a year earlier, the research firm said.

Sanuk, the Irvine footwear firm known for selling its quirky sandals in surf specialty shops, is coming to beachy Santa Monica this week with its first-ever company-owned store. The flagship shop on the Santa Monica Promenade opens Friday. The lo-fi design is meant to evoke a garage - inspired in part by the space out of which Sanuk founder Jeff Kelley first started crafting shoes in 1998. Jake Brandman, Sanuk's president, said in an interview that he considers the store “a place to play.” The 1,000-square-foot location features a wall display crammed with a hodgepodge of yard-sale and thrift-store finds, including a guitar, a surfboard, a Buddha statue in a fish tank and a pile of videotapes such as “Pulp Fiction” and “Free Willy.”  “Consumers are looking for a diversion from all the serious brands they see in a marketplace,” Brandman said.

Worried by the worsening economy, Kristen Olson decided she'd better start saving money. She tallied her expenses and was walloped by sticker shock: She and her roommates were spending $900 a year for cable TV. "I'm not watching $900 worth of cable," said the 25-year-old advertising account coordinator, who lives in North Hollywood. She's trying to persuade her roommates to drop the service.