Mountain Warehouse, a leading UK outdoor retailer, continues to expand its Canadian presence with the opening of its latest store in Banff, Alberta.
This new location strengthens the brand’s footprint in Canada, where it already operates 43 stores, making Canada its second-largest market after the UK.
The 6,980 square-foot two-storey store is located at 127 Banff Avenue, right next to the former Hudson’s Bay location which closed in 2023.
Retail Insider has learned that a portion of Hudson’s Bay space on Banff Avenue has been leased to Vancouver-based Arc’teryx, as that brand continues to expand rapidly across Canada. In addition to a renovated Queen Street storefront and new location at CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Arc’teryx also celebrated the grand opening of its Bloor Street location last Saturday.
We have also been told that Vancouver-based athleisure brand lululemon has leased the other part of the HBC, with the existing store getting set to relocate to this new space. The official outfitter of Team Canada for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics is set to open its new flagship at the corner of Yonge and Bloor in June.
Mountain Warehouse opened in Banff with a full lineup of products and will cater to the tourist-centric market, including men’s, women’s, and kids’ apparel, alongside essentials that will enhance the outdoor experience in the National Park.
“We’re thrilled to be opening our new store in Banff, and excited to share our passion for adventure and great value outdoor gear for all the family,” said Mark Neale, CEO and Founder of Mountain Warehouse. “We hope we can help people explore the beautiful lakes and mountains of Canada’s first established and the greatest National Park.”
Founded in 1997, Mountain Warehouse has grown significantly, with 362 stores across eight countries.
The Banff location represents the third Canadian store opening for the company in 2024, following launches in Richmond BC and Kingston, Ontario. The retailer plans to continue its expansion with a new store set to open in Markham, Ontario later this month.
Retail Insider has also learned that the brand recently shuttered its location in West Edmonton Mall, and will be following up with the brand for next steps in the Alberta market.
Banff is seeing a number of retailers express an interest in opening on Banff Avenue as the tourism industry continues to rebound from years of dealing with fallout from the pandemic. This includes seeing brands like Herschel Supply Co, which debuted on Banff Avenue in the summer 2023, opening up a location with significant investment in the in-store customer experience.
