Dublin retailer, Great Outdoors has opened Columbia’s first brand store in Ireland, as a partnership venture.
The store is located on Dublin’s iconic Trinity Street and is 120 square meters of ground floor retail space with an additional 40 square meters of storage space in the basement.
Co-Director of Great Outdoors, Derek Moody said;
“This venture with Columbia has taken three years to come to life. Over the past three years we have worked with local property agents and Columbia’s own retail team, viewing over 20 properties to ensure we found the perfect location”.
The new store uniquely captures Columbia’s U.S. Pacific Northwest heritage, but, with a gracious nod to Dublin. The first thing visitors will notice when they walk through the door is the beautiful landscape picture of the Samuel Beckett Bridge.
The store is an immersive experience for shoppers and includes a large history wall that takes visitors on a journey through the family archives, and the brand’s pinnacle moments of evolvement.
Sales Manager of Columbia Ireland, TJ Bradley, said;
“We are very excited about this partnership with Great Outdoors.Irish people have a wonderful affinity towards the brand and we felt the time was right to open a partner store with an Irish retailer who truly understands the people of Ireland. We acknowledge the challenge with the current restrictions in place, but we can honestly say that Columbia has faced bigger challenges in its 82 years of business, and we have persevered. We have many strong partners like Great Outdoors, who share our values and that makes all the difference. Pair that with hard work and you’re in a very good position to succeed into the future. We hope the store becomes a cherished destination for outdoor enthusiasts not only in Dublin, but across Ireland”
As an industry leader in outdoor apparel, the new store offers a full collection of premium apparel, footwear and accessories to help make the outdoors accessible to everyone who wishes to embrace what our world has to offer, while staying warm, dry, cool and protected.
Co-Director of Great Outdoors, Ken Costigan said;
“When Columbia approached us with this partnership opportunity three years ago, it was an instant yes from us. We have a great relationship with Columbia and visit their headquarters in Geneva several times each year. Columbia go above and beyond to support us here, at Great Outdoors as well as the wider sporting community in Ireland. We have met each member of the Boyle family, including the late Gert Boyle, whose father founded the company. Columbia is a family business and we at Great Outdoors have been made to feel part of the family.”
The brand’s local involvement in Ireland spans over many years. Columbia currently supports Irish Ultra Runners, Eoin Keith, Gavin Burn, and Richard Nunan, as well as organisations including, The Irish Mountain Running Association.
