A sharp rise in international sales and better-than-expected online trading drove Mountain Warehouse to a record Christmas, the outdoor goods retailer said yesterday.
Mountain Warehouse, which ships to more than 100 countries, said total sales went up by 28.6% in the six weeks ended January 3 – despite the mild weather – and online sales were up by 50% year-on-year.
The company has 23 Scottish outlets, including branches in Aviemore, Elgin, Fort William and Inverness.
In Aviemore, the retailer knocked through into the adjacent store in the run-up to Christmas, giving it four times more space.
International sales rose 92%, accounting for a fifth of the total, on the back of new store openings in Germany and Poland and the launch of direct sales in China.
In autumn, the firm announced a deal with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba to sell its range of outdoor gear ahead of “singles day”, a reverse Valentines celebration for singletons, which happens in November.
The group also launched its Zakti brand, which specialises in sporting apparel for women.
Mountain Warehouse’s like-for-like sales, not including trading at outlets opened since Christmas 2014-15, increased by 14.7%.
The company, which was founded by chief executive Mark Neale in 1997, sold 150,000 pairs of socks, 80,000 gloves, 100,000 hats and 100,000 ski jackets during the six weeks.
Mr Neale, who spearheaded an £85million management buyout of Mountain Warehouse in October 2013, hailed the figures and said the firm would continue to open new outlets in 2016.
Two more stores in Germany are currently being fitted out, with their openings slated for later this month.
Mr Neale said: “Our performance over the festive period was outstanding, particularly given the mild winter weather and put the seal on another excellent year for the business.
“I’m pleased to say that we are firing on all cylinders in all our channels: our UK stores, online and internationally.
“It is early days but sales in China via Alibaba’s T-mall website got off to a strong start, with sales on Singles’ Day double our forecasts.
“The online business as a whole continues to surpass all our expectations, with products being shipped to more than 100 countries.”
In October, the company posted pre-tax profits up 31% for the six months to the end of August 2015 on sales of £59.3million.