Outdoor clothing retailer Kathmandu went to the biggest fashion event of the year to release its latest clothing range and announce a new global expansion into the UK, Europe and North America.
The outdoor apparel and gear brand partnered with the internationally renowned French retailer Leclaireur, based in Paris, to debut its autumn and winter 2022 collection.
Kathmandu’s global chief customer officer Eva Barrett said the collaboration with Leclaireur heralded the start of an exciting period for Kathmandu.
“We’re thrilled to announce that Kathmandu is now available in Europe, the UK and Canada,” Barrett said.
“We’re Australia and New Zealand’s favourite outdoor brand, and we look forward to seeing outdoor enthusiasts around the world discover our innovative and sustainable gear.”
The retailer said in its statement that there has been “growing demand” for Kathmandu’s apparel and gear overseas and the launch will focus on large cities with an already-active outdoor population, such as the Canadian city of Vancouver, Munich in Germany and Denver in the US.
Following the launch period, which will focus on e-commerce and wholesale, Kathmandu plans to include the opening of around 10 flagship stores in Canada, the US and Europe – alongside continued growth in Australia and NZ.
Sales from Kathmandu’s outdoor equipment chain edged up by 6.8% to $381.6 million in its full-year results in September, which was welcome after last year’s covid lockdowns and travel restrictions caused 2021’s full-year sales to fall 17%.
The company’s full-year earnings were heavily impacted by lockdowns and the loss of 11,000 trading days across its Australasian stores, which caused net profit to drop by a third.
