Rip Curl has announced that it has received a bit of interest in buying into the company. There is speculation that the single brand business, which is pure wholesale outside of Australia where it has some retail stores, could be valued at around $480 million. This comes at the same time as Billabong is being sized up by a couple of private equity firms, they’re looking at around $1.45 a share valuing their business at $695 million – that includes a suite of brands and tonnes of retail (Oh, so much retail). That potentially indicates Rip Curl is in a much stronger position than its rival. It is an interesting time for the industry. Read more over at the Business Spectator.