wow £399 doenst exactly sound mid priced to me!
I know theres a shop in town which has some but its not really a surf shop - just a clothes shop with a small handfull of surf gear to make it look more credible. Dont be fooled by buying a brand, like brian said they are made under license by shapers not some bong factory, so the brand name doesnt mean that much, worry more about the shape and size (and condition if its 2nd hand).
I used to know a guy who bought a billabong 6-0 for his first board cos he thought it would be good cos of the brand, I never saw him catch a wave on it in 2 years

. Saw him a few months ago and he now has a minimal.