Mountain Warehouse targets 50 new stores amid increasing sales
Mountain Warehouse is planning to open 50 new stores next year, as the outdoors retailer looks to build on record high sales.
The expansion is being driven by a consumer desire for in-store experiences, with the retailer brushing off fears about the British high street, The Times reports.
This year, Mountain Warehouse is set to add around 50 new locations worldwide, creating an estate totalling approximately 370 stores across nine countries.
Mark Neal, Mountain Warehouse founder and CEO, told The Times: “We think there is lots of life left in lots of our high streets.
“All that death of the high street stuff has been a bit overdone. We’re definitely very positive about physical retail at the moment.”
This comes after the retailer reported record high sales of £386m in the year ending 25 February 2024. It also made a pre-tax profit of £26.2m, compared to a loss of £1.5m the prior year.
Neale said Mountain Warehouse’s strong performance was thanks to shoppers heading back to the high street after the pandemic. To capitalise on this shift, the retailer opened 28 stores over course of the year and has opened 20 more since the year end.
The new stores included 21 in the UK, including at Covent Garden – where it doubled the size of its flagship store.