Arc’teryx sets up shop on Burrard Street

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 outwear and apparel design since its start in 1989. Now, it’s set to expand its foothold in its 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. Q For those who aren’t familiar, what does Arc’teryx offer?

A 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.

Q Who is the target customer?

A 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. Q What made this the right time to open up a shop on Burrard?

A 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.

Q What will make it different from other locations?

A 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 really important that we created an experience that was different from our neighbourhood store on 4th Avenue in Kitsilano. Q What’s next for the brand? Any further expansion plans or exciting announcements to keep an eye out for?

A Beijing, Los Angeles La Brea! Arc’teryx is committed to retail and we will continue to grow our retail footprint with stores opening 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.