Columbia Sportswear Company announced plans to expand its e-commerce operations to Canada and up to eight key markets across Europe this fall.
The company plans to launch new e-commerce sites for its flagship Columbia brand, as well as for its rapidly growing Sorel brand, enabling customers in Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, and Spain, to buy Columbia and Sorel brand products online directly from a company-managed e-commerce site for the first time.
Both sites will also offer interactive tools to experience the brand, learn about product features and benefits, and find nearby independent retailers and online retailers that also carry the brands' products.
“We see e-commerce as an important tool that helps us fulfill our responsibility to build a strong brand for the benefit of customers and all of our business partners,” said Christian Finell, general manager of Columbia's Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region. “E-Commerce is an essential brand platform that allows us to bring our brands to life and help people find the styles they need to enjoy the outdoors.”
Doug Morse, general manager of Columbia's Canada operations added, “Our e-commerce platform is designed to perform as much more than a sales vehicle, providing information about our innovative technologies and directing customers to hundreds of leading independent brick-and-mortar and online outdoor retailers that support our brands.”
The company first launched U.S.-only e-commerce sites for the Columbia and Sorel brands in Fall 2009.
