West 49 Inc., is a Canadian specialty retailer of fashion and apparel, footwear, accessories, and equipment related to the action sports lifestyle. The company was founded in 1987 as Jumbo Entertainment, Inc. to manage the Jumbo Video franchised video stores. It adopted its current name in 2004 following the sale of its entertainment assets to Quebecor.
The retailer, founded in 1995, operates more than 100 stores across the country[1] and is Canada's largest skateboard and snowboard chain. In 2005, it was ranked the 82nd fastest growing company in Canada.[3][4] West 49 Inc. operates stores under several names: West 49, Billabong, Element Canada, and Amnesia/Arsenic.[1] On November 4, 2013, YM Inc. was confirmed as the new parent company of the retail chain.