Outdoor retailer Mountain Warehouse is looking to open its first store in Aberdeen this spring.
A city centre location is “still under negotiation”, a spokesman for the company said yesterday.
Mountain Warehouse – whose Scottish business already includes two outlets in Inverness and one each in Elgin, Aviemore, Fort William and Oban – plans to grow its 340-strong branch network by opening 60 stores over the next 18 months.
The expansion could include up to 10 new shops across Scotland, the spokesman said.
In a trading update yesterday, Mountain Warehouse reported record festive-season sales.
A surge in demand for socks, fleeces and gloves helped revenue jump nearly 12% year-on-year, to £84.7 million, during the 13 weeks to January 6.
The privately-owned group enjoyed a bumper Black Friday, with total sales up 20% and online sales passing £1m on a single day for the first time in its history.
Chief executive Mark Neale said the festive season performance put the business on track for record full-year profits.
He added: “The business is continuing to perform strongly despite the economic backdrop.
“The prior year’s performance was exceptional due to the cold weather and widespread snow we saw in the run-up to Christmas 2017.
“I’m therefore really pleased to report this year’s strong performance despite the unusually mild weather we have been experiencing. This puts us well on course for another record year.”
Mountain Warehouse sold more than 500,000 pairs of socks, nearly a million fleeces, in excess of 500,000 winter jackets and 400,000-plus pairs of gloves during the 13-week festive period.
The chain, which Mr Neale founded with a single store in Swindon in 1997, opened a new customer services centre in Coventry in November to support online growth.
Last year the retailer, which employs around 3,000 people, grew sales by 22% to £225.3m and booked earnings of £32.6m.
Mr Neale sold a 20% stake to private-equity firm Inflexion during the year, for £45m, in a deal aimed at helping the firm push ahead with expansion.
It has shops in the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Austria, Canada, the US and New Zealand.
