Mountain Warehouse, the London-based outdoor specialty store with 370 shops across Europe, the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand, reported sales “rebounded strongly” to reach “record” levels of £171 million ($216 mm) in the six months ended August 31.
Underlying profits reached £6.7 million in the half, recovering from a loss of £1.5 million in its fiscal year ended February caused by “soaring freight and energy costs,” according to a press release.
Mountain Warehouse said sales were boosted in the six months by this year’s rainy summer, which led to it selling 350,000 waterproof jackets in July and August alone.
Sales in its February fiscal year grew 22.6 percent to £371 million ($468 mm), the highest in its 26-year history. Mountain Warehouse further said it experienced its busiest Black Friday weekend this year with sales of more than £10 million, and company officials said the business is ramping up store openings as consumers have returned to shopping in-store post-pandemic.
Mark Neale, founder of Mountain Warehouse, stated, “During COVID, there was a belief that nobody was ever going to go to a store again, and their days were numbered, but that’s proved to be completely wide of the mark. Whilst our online business had a big boost during the pandemic and continues to go from strength to strength, our stores have bounced back with gusto, showing that customers want to shop both channels.”
Mountain Warehouse opened 35 stores last year and plans to open 50 next year, including its first stores in Australia.
Photo courtesy Mountain Warehouse
