Mountain Warehouse has reported fast growth in online and international sales as it unveiled record first-half results.
The outdoor retailer, a Top250 trader in IRUK Top500 research, showed sales reached £91.6m in the first-half of the year, with pre-tax profits of £4.7m up by 18% on last time.
Major contributors to that growth included online sales, which grew by 18.5% to account for 20% of sales. International sales grew by 50.3% to reach 25% of overall revenue.
Mountain Warehouse, which started trading from one store in Swindon in 1997, opened 18 new stores during the year, including in Poland, Canada and Limerick, as well as three in the UK. It now has 270 stores including 70 abroad and is on track to open ten more before the end of its current financial year. The retailer, which employs more than 2,250 people, is now looking at opening stores in new markets of Holland and the Czech Republic next year. It also trades overseas through dedicated websites for markets including Australia, Canada, Germany, Poland and France.
The retailer says what sets it apart in the outdoor gear market is that almost all of its stock is exclusive to it and made to its “exacting standards”. It sells more than 15m items a year from jackets and fleeces to rucksacks and sleeping bags, and also sells equipment for running and cycling.
Mark Neale, Mountain Warehouse founder and chief executive, said: “We are investing in new stores, expanding our online offer and exploring new territories. We have also taken the decision to roll out our popular Zakti brand to stores across the country. We believe this will help widen our appeal still further and reach new customers.
“Finally, we are also gearing up for Black Friday which we expect to be incredibly busy and fire the starting gun in the run-up to Christmas.”
