Answer the following questions using the models you have gained from this course. Apply these models after reading the material below.

a. What are the differences between a fashion, a fad and a staple retail item for the Quiksilver, Billabong and Roxy brands? b. Contrast the way a merchandise planner should manage these types of merchandise.

Authentic Brands Group is planning to acquire Boardriders, a lifestyle apparel company currently owned by Oaktree Capital Management. The deal is expected to be concluded by the third quarter 2023. Worldwide, this will add another 500 retail stores to the Authentic Brands Group offering and a raft of new surfing and skateboarding related brands to its brand stable that include Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, DC Shoes, RVCA, Element, VonZipper and Honolua. These brands have stores in Americas, Europe, Australia and Asia and generate approximately USD \$3 billion in sales annually through multichannel distribution from 500+ retail stores, 7000+ wholesale accounts and e-commerce operations in 35 countries. Authentic Brands Group plans to bring the Quiksilver, Billabong and Roxy stores to Africa by setting up online and in-store distribution in the capital of Wakanda, Birnin Zana. Birnin Zana is a new generation ecocity set near the coast on Cape Fear. Its location and the existence of Ship-bow Bluff, a world-famous coastal area also known as Devil's Point or 'Shippies' generates wellknown and predictable giant waves (see pictures). The challenging wave at the location attracts many expert surfers, with the wave once thought of as a myth