Arc’teryx sets up shop on Burrard
Outerwear brand to open second location in city, hold Climbing Academy in Squamish
Vancouver has long been a mecca of outdoor beauty, outdoor adventure — and outdoor clothing.
And one brand that’s boosting the locale’s latter element is Arc’teryx.
The North Vancouver-based business has been at the forefront of technical outerwear and apparel design since its start in 1989.
Now, they’re set to expand their foothold in their hometown with a new location on Burrard Street.
Megan Cheesbrough, the brand’s director of global retail, chatted with Postmedia News about the new store and what shoppers can expect to find inside.
For those who aren’t familiar, what does Arc’teryx offer?
Our design and development centre in North Vancouver has consistently set the industry standard globally for technical innovative outdoor product. We’ve built our brand loyalty over the last 25 years by staying focused on quality and building the best.
Who is the target customer?
We target outdoor consumers who need or want the best possible product solutions. We’ve built our brand around the world by consistently enabling people to explore wild places.
What made this the right time to open up a shop on Burrard?
The downtown retail sector has been re-energized over the last couple of years, which coincides with us growing our retail footprint as the brand grows locally and globally. Our Burrard Street store is an opportunity to reach new consumers visiting Vancouver but also an opportunity to serve existing consumers who work or live downtown.
What will make it different from other locations?
With each new store we evolve the concept based on learnings we’ve gained from our growing fleet. Our approach to our retail stores is to create an experience that is unique to the market, the space and the community we are joining, which inherently makes each new store a little different from the last. This will be our second brand store in Vancouver, so it was important that we created an experience that was different from our neighbourhood store on 4th Ave in Kitsilano. The Burrard store is much larger than our 4th Ave store, which allowed for more brand storytelling, a community space, product care and warranty service desk and a separate space for Arc’teryx Veilance, our men’s city collection for the urban astute consumer. We believe stores provide a unique opportunity for like-minded people to connect with the brand, with the product and with each other.
What exactly can shoppers expect to find in the new store?
Consumers will find product solutions represented from all categories, including apparel, footwear, backpacks, climbing harnesses and accessories. Our brand and product specialists in store are eager to connect with consumers, help them find the right product for their needs and talk about any of the local trails or adventures that exist just beyond the store’s front doors. Our community area has a ton of resources to help locate a new trail, get up-todate beta on trail conditions, or spend some time reading one of our many books from our library while charging your cellphone.
Aside from the new shop, what else is new with the brand for summer?
This summer our Climbing Academy returns to Squamish; it’s a great community event in our backyard bringing climbing enthusiasts together with mountain guides and professional mountain athletes. It creates the opportunity for dedicated individuals to advance their climbing skills through top flight clinics, speaker series and shared experiences. This year, as part of the Academy, we’re excited to offer some mountain running clinics that coincide with our launch this summer into the running category with our new Norvan VT trail running shoe.
What is the price point of Arc’teryx designs?
Our products range in price from $15 to more than a thousand dollars.
Lastly, what’s next for the brand? Any further expansion plans or exciting announcements to keep an eye out for?
Beijing, Los Angeles La Brea! Arc’teryx is committed to retail and we will continue to grow our global retail footprint with stores opening all around the world. We will be opening a store on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles at the end of the month and a store in Beijing later this year.