Columbia Sportswear 2000 Annual Report Download - page 7

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 7 of the 2000 Columbia Sportswear annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 56

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56

Building a global brand
The Columbia Sportswear brand continues to strengthen in all of the Company’s key markets
around the world, and we currently sell product in over 40 countries, from Argentina to New
Zealand. From 1993 to 2000, our international sales grew dramatically from 12% to 29% of
total corporate sales, and, going forward, the opportunity exists for our international
business to continue growing as a percentage of total corporate sales.
Particularly noteworthy on the international front is the growth of orders in Europe.
Despite the declining Euro in 2000, demand for the Columbia brand is continuing to
escalate as we add new points of distribution. Given the opportunities that
exist for the Company in Europe, we are taking several steps to further
enhance this part of our business.
To better facilitate the growth of our brand in the United Kingdom, we opened a
London office in May 2000. Where we previously had a distributor managing the
brand, now we are able to handle business in the U.K. as we do in our other key
European markets by selling directly to retailers.
Providing a high level of customer service is a hallmark of our business
philosophy. To insure that we are effectively managing the growth of our
European business, we are investing in a new distribution facility in Cambrai,
France, which is expected to be operational for the Fall 2002 season.
We are also enthusiastic about our prospects in Asia, where consumers covet American
brands, and the popularity of outdoor labels is on the rise. We have already built a solid
foundation for the Columbia brand through the implementation of concept shops
throughout key Asian markets. Our subsidiaries in Japan and Korea are well positioned to
enable us to expand our business in these key regions.
We are enthusiastic about our prospects for building a global brand. While overall international
sales continue to increase, there is still much room to grow. Our goal is to continue capitalizing on
the opportunities that are available to the Columbia brand in the international marketplace.