Columbia Sportswear's New Michigan Avenue Store Celebrates the Greater Outdoors
New Columbia Branded Store Offers Innovative Outdoor Products Active Chicagoans Need to Live, Work and Play Outside in Comfort
PORTLAND, OR -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 03/08/10 -- Columbia Sportswear Company (NASDAQ: COLM), a global leader in the active outdoor apparel and footwear industries, today announced the scheduled opening of its fifth U.S. Columbia branded store Friday, March 12 on Chicago's Magnificent Mile.
Located at 830 N. Michigan Ave., the new 11,000-square-foot store will feature Columbia's innovative and high-performance outdoor apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment, as well as stylish Sorel brand footwear merchandised throughout two stories of glass, reclaimed wood and locally sourced stone.
"We are thrilled to showcase our innovative outdoor products to Chicago residents and the millions of visitors for whom the Magnificent Mile is a must-shop destination," said Tim Boyle, president and chief executive officer, Columbia Sportswear Company. "The Midwest is a great place to hike, bike, ski, fish, hunt, golf or simply enjoy the beauty of the Greater Outdoors, and Columbia offers locals and visitors alike the outdoor products and technologies they need to enjoy all their activities in comfort, rain or shine."
Grand opening events for the new store will begin Friday, March 12 at 9 a.m., and will include a charitable donation to the Active Transportation Alliance (formerly the Chicago Bicycle Federation), a local group that shares Columbia's commitment to helping active consumers get outside, followed by a weekend of live music and prizes.
Columbia will offer opening weekend customers some great incentives to stop by early and often, including free high-tech Mobex backpacks for the first 50 people to enter the store. Customers will have the opportunity to win $500 gift cards and a $5,000 clothing and vacation package which will be presented in the store by WTMX morning team Eric and Kathy on Friday between noon-1:00 p.m. Columbia will also tap into Chicago's music scene, showcasing local bands in a 'mini music festival' inside the store and outdoor street performers along North Michigan Avenue throughout the weekend.
Columbia's Chicago store will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
About Columbia Sportswear Company
Columbia Sportswear Company is a global leader in the design, sourcing, marketing and distribution of active outdoor apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment. Founded in 1938 in Portland, Oregon, Columbia products are sold in more than 100 countries and have earned an international reputation for innovation, quality and performance. Columbia products feature innovative technologies and designs that protect outdoor enthusiasts from the elements, increase comfort, and make outdoor activities more enjoyable. In addition to the Columbia brand, Columbia Sportswear Company also owns outdoor brands Mountain Hardwear®, Sorel®, Montrail®, and Pacific Trail®. To learn more, please visit the company's websites at www.columbia.com, www.mountainhardwear.com, www.sorel.com, and www.montrail.com.
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Contacts: Media: Anna Sanford Columbia Sportswear PR (503) 970.5691 Email Contact Investors: Ron Parham Columbia Sportswear Investor Relations & Corporate Communications (503) 985.4584 Email Contact
Released March 8, 2010