mes over”, according to Byron Dawson, retail manager for ANZ at Amer Sports, which owns Arc’teryx, along with other global brands, including Salomon and Wilson. “There’s a lot of optimism that our supply is catching up, but we’re also seeing demand accelerate,” Dawson told Inside Retail. “Even though we’ve got the new inventory, people want it, and compared to a few of our friends in other industries we’re happy to be in that position.” The Australian outdoor retail sector has emerged as one of the big winners in the ‘post-pandemic’ retail market, with international brands such Canada Goose and Halfdays launching local offers, and National Geographic rolling out experiential retail stores selling a range of premium outerwear and accessories. Inside Arc’teryx’s Bondi Junction store. Though the brand is predominantly known for its technical outerwear, Arc’teryx is making a major move into the footwear category, with its recently launched Portland office dedicated to growing its existing offering in that space. Dawson noted that Arc’teryx will largely focus on footwear for running, hiking, and climbing, and that it has hired a number of former Nike staff to helm the project. As usual, Dawson noted, the difference between Arc’teryx and its competitors is the quality of its product, and its footwear offer will be no different. “We really focus on the longevity of garments, and constructing something in a way that will last for a very long time,” Dawson explained. “In the event that one of our products is damaged, we have in-house repair kits, and in the instance where a product is truly end-of-life, we have a reconstruction partner down in Melbourne that will salvage the material to make something new from it.” These design principles are key to the brand’s ReBird initiative, which encourages customers to repair, reuse and recycle its products, and serves as the starting point for the launch of a more robust second-hand product offer in the near future.  According to Dawson, Arc’teryx is currently in the ‘collection’ phase of that launch, where it is stocking up on preloved products to eventually offer online. Once it has the amount of inventory it needs, it will work on creating a space online to facilitate the secondhand offer for customers across Australia. Arc’teryx’s focus on reuse can also be seen in its store design, with the Bondi Junction store constructed with a “carbon-neutral build”, and offering on-site repairs.  Inside Arc’teryx’s Bondi Junction store. Community, community, community Key to the business’ expanded operations in Australia and New Zealand is the building out the Arc’teryx community, Dawson said, and stores play a key part in that. “You’ll see quite a bit of investment in community activations from the brand, and there’ll be no commercial intent – it’s just about how we can reinvest initially in the western suburbs of Sydney, but that will certainly extend to the CBD and North in the near term,” Dawson said. “For us, it’s about product, product, product, and community, community, community.” Confirmed events at the Bondi Junction store so far include a ski night, a climbing party and a group trail run, with plans in place to connect with more local businesses and athletes.