New Zealand outdoor brand Kathmandu has appointed Bill Chandler to the newly created position of vice president of sales and marketing for Kathmandu North America.
“Kathmandu is a very exciting new challenge for me,” said Chandler, “and it is also an incredible opportunity to bring the unique story and products of this very successful New Zealand brand to our market.”
Kathmandu North America will be based in Bozeman, Montana, alongside recently acquired Obōz Footwear. Chandler will report to John Connelly, CEO of Obōz Footwear and president of Kathmandu North America.
“We are extremely pleased and excited to have Bill join our team in Bozeman and we look forward to introducing the Kathmandu brand to the US outdoor specialty market,” said Connelly.
“We share the same values and business philosophy for creating authentic brands, controlling distribution, growing sustainability and focusing on the best possible relationships with our retail customers.”
Before joining Kathmandu, Chandler was the director of North American sales at Osprey, a Colorado-based pack brand, as well as at Sherpa Adventure Gear, and was the founder and president of Nomad, Inc.; an independent sales agency that served the Southeast United States with top outdoor brands.
Chandler will begin his role in mid-July, while Kathmandu North America will debut its offerings at the Outdoor Retailer Show in Denver, Colorado in November.
The addition of the North American market is likely to assist the company’s earnings, with Kathmandu recently revealing it expected full year earnings to rise after recording increases in revenue and profit.
“Our second half so far has been strong across both Australia and New Zealand, with Australia experiencing double digit same store sales growth,” said Kathmandu’s chief executive officer Xavier Simonet.
“The successful launch of innovative new products, enhanced in-store customer experience, inspiring content and engagement on social media and digital channels, have contributed to the performance.”
Access exclusive analysis, locked news and reports with Inside Retail Weekly. Subscribe today and get our premium print publication delivered to your door every week.
