In a strategic move to broaden its portfolio and further its mission of community and inclusivity, Local Laundry has announced the acquisition of alder, a female-focused brand that aligns with the company’s core values. This marks Local Laundry’s third acquisition in the past three years, continuing its growth trajectory in the Canadian retail landscape.
“We’ve been on a path to growth through acquisition for the last couple of years,” said Connor Curran, founder and CEO of Local Laundry. “We’ve been working with strategic partners who align with our values and community, and along came alder, a female-founded brand that is all about community, inclusivity, and getting women outdoors.”
It previously purchased two brands CDN, in Kelowna, and WEST, in Calgary.
alder which is primarily an online, e-commerce business, was founded with the goal of providing clothing that works for women of all body types, with a focus on casual outdoor recreation. Its community-driven approach to fashion made it a natural fit for Local Laundry, which has always prided itself on building meaningful relationships with its customers.
“We struck the deal and took over the company,” said Curran, explaining the acquisition. “They were looking for an exit, and we felt it was a really good opportunity to partner with them.”
With this acquisition, Local Laundry has moved operations from Toronto to a Calgary warehouse, where the brand will continue to operate under its own name but within the Local Laundry umbrella.
“Everything will remain the same,” Curran noted. “alder will remain its own separate brand under the Local Laundry umbrella. We’ll continue to grow it on its own and maintain the community and legacy that the original founders had. It’s all about inclusivity and clothing that works for all women to get outdoors.”
As Local Laundry continues to expand, the company has made a concerted effort to diversify its offerings. Over 75% of Local Laundry’s online customers are women, but the company had yet to offer a female-focused brand until now.
“We’re looking for companies that align with our values,” Curran said. “They have to be about building community, giving back to the community, and making clothing that has a purpose. We’re not looking for other clothing brands that are just carbon copies of Local Laundry. We want brands that offer something to our customers that we currently don’t offer.”
The acquisition of alder is part of Local Laundry’s broader strategy to diversify its product lineup. Previously, Local Laundry had acquired two other companies: CDN, a Canada-focused, hockey-themed brand, and West, a Calgary streetwear company. While CDN is now a custom hat company, West has turned into a custom clothing line, providing merchandise for the Calgary Wild FC, a professional women’s soccer team.
“Our first acquisition was CDN. They were a lot more hockey-focused and Canada-focused,” Curran explained. “We turned that company into more of a custom hat company. Moving forward, it’s going to focus primarily on custom hats.”
Curran continued, “West was a Calgary streetwear company, and we’ve turned it into one of our custom clothing offerings. We do all the merchandise for the Wild FC women’s soccer team, and all their merch is done under the West label.”
The acquisition of alder marks the largest of the three, and Curran is confident that the brand will play a pivotal role in Local Laundry’s growth moving forward. “This is definitely our biggest acquisition to date,” he said. “It’s going to take some time to digest, for lack of a better word. We’re not actively looking for more acquisitions in the near future, but long-term, as our team grows and as all the brands continue to do well, we want to stay open to future opportunities.”
As Local Laundry integrates alder into its portfolio, the company remains committed to its values of community building, inclusivity, and sustainability, values that have resonated strongly with Canadian consumers.
“It’s all about the community and giving back,” said Curran. “We want to offer clothing that has a purpose and speaks to our values. We’re excited to see where this partnership with alder takes us.”
The acquisition of alder further solidifies Local Laundry’s position as a leader in the Canadian retail space, and this move is a key step in its ongoing mission to create more meaningful, purpose-driven brands.
Local Laundry started in Calgary in 2015.
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