Columbia Sportswear: Columbia Sportswear Company Announces Plans to Open Second Minnesota Store on Hennepin Avenue in Uptown Mi

Published in House and Home on Monday, June 22nd 2009 at 9:16 GMT, Last Modified on 2009-06-22 09:16:59 by Market Wire
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PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwire - June 22, 2009) - Columbia Sportswear Company (NASDAQ: [ COLM ]), a global leader in the active outdoor apparel and footwear industries, announced today it has signed a lease with Urban Anthology for a new 11,000-square-foot Columbia-branded retail store located on Minneapolis' iconic Hennepin Avenue, a popular local shopping and recreational destination. The store will be the first ground-up build-to-suit development for Columbia in the U.S.

The new store, anticipated to open in April 2010, will be Columbia's second branded store in the Twin Cities, joining the company's Mall of America store, which opened in November 2008. The Hennepin Avenue store will reflect a "modern meets rustic" design to present the company's industry-leading Columbia and Sorel brands and to showcase the innovative outdoor technologies that set the brands apart from their competition.

"Minneapolis-St. Paul is renowned for the broad range of outdoor activities that are readily accessible for residents and visitors, making the city a vital market for our Columbia and Sorel brands," said Kerry Barnes, vice president of retail, Columbia Sportswear Company. "We are very excited about the potential of our new Hennepin Avenue store to magnify the message of our innovative technologies and drive demand for our brands among our target outdoor consumers."

According to the Minnesota Star-Tribune, Minnesota has the nation's highest number of bicyclists, sport fisherman, and snow skiers per capita. Minneapolis-St. Paul was also ranked 'The Most Athletic City' by Men's Fitness in 2006, and 'America's sixth best city for runners' by Runner's World in 2007.

Local brokerage and development were handled through Jeffrey Herman of Urban Anthology. National brokerage was handled by Victor Fandel of Fandel Retail Group.

About Columbia Sportswear Company:

Founded in 1938 in Portland, Oregon, Columbia Sportswear Company is a global leader in the design, sourcing, marketing and distribution of active outdoor apparel and footwear. As one of the largest outerwear manufacturers in the world and a leading seller of skiwear in the United States, the company has developed an international reputation for quality, performance, functionality and value. The company manages a portfolio of outdoor brands including Columbia Sportswear, Montrail, Mountain Hardwear, Pacific Trail, and Sorel. To learn more about Columbia, please visit the company's website at [ http://www.columbia.com/ ].

About Urban Anthology:

Urban Anthology is a specialty retail brokerage and development company concentrating on the revitalization of neighborhoods throughout the urban areas of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. Urban Anthology has played a pivotal role in anchoring neighborhood commercial areas with retailers such as Panera Bread Company, Restoration Hardware, Sur La Table, Smith & Hawken and American Apparel.

About Fandel Retail Group:

Established in 1999, Fandel Retail Group provides specialized real estate advisory and transactional services for growing retailers and retail property managers nationwide, from family businesses to large public companies. The firm represents both landlords and tenants and focuses attention on understanding and defining target customers and matching them with appropriate environments and products.