Quiksilver Suspends ‘Alex Goes’ Line

Sportswear maker Quiksilver Inc., seeking to trim spending, will suspend production of a women’s line it launched last year to target “soccer moms” and other active young women, the company said Tuesday.

The “Alex Goes” line largely met the company’s expectations, Chief Executive Robert B. McKnight Jr. said in a statement. “However, considering today’s economic climate, Alex’s small sales volume and start-up spending associated with the building of the brand, we had no choice but to send her on sabbatical for a while,” he said.

The move comes weeks after the Huntington Beach company warned that its fourth quarter earnings would fall below estimates.

Quiksilver’s stock closed Tuesday at $11.60, down 45 cents, after hitting a 52-week low of $11.35 earlier in the New York Stock Exchange session. The statement was released after the market closed.

Alex Goes was one of several new ventures for Quiksilver. Last year, the company bought Hawk Clothing, which caters to skateboarders. And early this year it teamed with golf wear pioneer John Ashworth to produce golf apparel under the Fidra brand.