Mountain range grows

Outdoor gear chain Mountain Warehouse is creating another 400 jobs over the next year. The firm plans to open 40 new stores, half of them in the UK. It follows a similar number last year, when profits jumped 22% to a record £19.8million. The company – which uses former Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt (left) to plug its Zakti clothing range – has enjoyed 20 years of unbroken sales growth. Founder Mark Neale says he has shelved any plans to revive a stock market flotation – branding it too much of a hassle. He added: “If you are a public company there is a lot more scrutiny and I don’t want the distraction.”