West 49 Inc. provides update regarding proposal from Zumiez, Inc.

Toronto Stock Exchange Symbol: WXX

BURLINGTON, ON, July 14 /CNW/ - West 49 Inc. (TSX: WXX) (the "Company"), Canada's leading action sports retailer, today announced that Zumiez, Inc. ("Zumiez"), a U.S.-based action sports retailer, has advised the Company that it has elected to discontinue its pursuit of an acquisition of the Company. As previously disclosed by the Company on July 9, 2010, Zumiez had advised the Company that, subject to a satisfactory due diligence review in its sole discretion, it would be prepared to make an offer, that would not be subject to a financing condition, to acquire all of the outstanding common shares and preferred shares of the Company for a cash price in excess of C$1.30 per share. Following receipt of Zumiez's proposal and in accordance with the terms of the existing acquisition agreement between the Company and Billabong International Limited ("Billabong"), the special committee of the board of directors offered to allow Zumiez to review the same information that was made available to Billabong and in the same manner as it was made available to Billabong, subject to Zumiez entering into the form of confidentiality agreement required by the existing acquisition agreement with Billabong. However, Zumiez has advised the Company that it is not prepared to proceed with the due diligence process on that basis at this time. Accordingly, the Company's board of directors has concluded that there is no longer a reasonable expectation that Zumiez will make a proposal that is financially superior to the Billabong transaction.

The special committee and the board as a whole reiterate their continued support for the Billabong transaction and confirm their unanimous conclusion and recommendation that the Company's securityholders should vote in favour of the Billabong transaction, under which the Company's common shares and preferred shares would be acquired at C$1.30 per share. The agreement with Billabong remains in effect, and further details of the Billabong transaction are expected to be included in a proxy circular to be mailed to shareholders in due course.

About West 49 Inc.

West 49 Inc. is a leading Canadian specialty retailer of apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment related to the youth action sports lifestyle. The Company's stores, which are primarily mall-based, carry a variety of high-performance, premium brand name and private label products that fulfill the lifestyle needs of identified target markets, primarily tweens and teens. At May 1, 2010, the Company operated 138 stores in nine provinces, under the banners West 49, Billabong, Off The Wall, Amnesia/Arsenic and D-Tox. The Company's common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol WXX. The Company has approximately 64 million common shares outstanding.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release may be considered forward-looking statements, which reflect the board and management's current beliefs and expectations and which involve assumptions about expected future events or results that are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. There is significant risk that assumptions and other forward-looking statements will not prove to be accurate. Many factors could cause actual future results, conditions or events to differ materially from the results or outcomes expressed, including risks related to competition, changes in demographic trends, changes in consumer preferences and discretionary spending patterns, changes in business and economic conditions, human resource matters, legal proceedings, challenges to intellectual property rights, availability of credit facilities, and changes in laws, regulations, and accounting policies and practices. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company includes in publicly available documents filed from time to time with securities commissions and the Toronto Stock Exchange, a thorough discussion of the risk factors that can cause anticipated outcomes to differ from actual outcomes. Forward-looking information is provided as of the date of this news release only, it should not be relied upon as of any other date, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise this information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as expressly required by law. There can be no assurance that the Billabong transaction, or any other transaction, will be completed.

For further information: Rhonda Biddix, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary, West 49 Inc., [phone] ext. 224, E-mail: [email protected]; Lawrence Chamberlain, Investor Relations, The Equicom Group Inc., [phone] ext. 257, E-mail: [email protected]