Blame it on the influence of social media and our beautiful planet, as more people are going outside, venturing, exploring, or at least considering a lifestyle of outdoor adventure.
“We saw a growth of this category (adventure and travel gear) in the local retail—it’s been quite a while,” Martin De Leon, assistant vice president for Outdoors by SM told Manila Standard.
The growth of the traveling market combined with the uptick in demand for outdoor gear encouraged the leading department store to launch a one-stop shop that carries a variety of premium outdoor apparel and accessories brands.
Outdoors by SM recently opened its flagship branch on the second level of SM Makati (where Sfera was previously located). The 900-square-meter lifestyle store is a haven for outdoor and travel enthusiasts, as well as the health-conscious lot, what with its 31 brands—mostly international—curated in one place.
“This is actually the perfect time [to launch this brand] because in the department store, this category is doing well. We wanted to take a step further by making them available in one place. We wanted to build a brand so you don’t have to go from one department to another looking for what you need,” explained De Leon.
Some of the items available at Outdoors include all-weather apparel and accessories from The North Face and Columbia; iconic Kanken bags from Swedish brand Fjallraven; insulated bottles from Klean Kanteen, Stanley, and Contigo; all-terrain footwear from Salomon and Merrell; multi-functional bags from Deuter, Thule, and Osprey; and camping essentials from Sea to Summit and Mountain Hardwear.
In addition, there are top choices from lifestyle brands Birkenstock as well as boots from Palladium and Timberland for urban explorers. Also present is local footwear label Sandugo.
While a few of the brands at Outdoors are also available at The SM Stores, De Leon said majority of the labels offered are new.
De Leon also disclosed plans to bring in more brands and open more Outdoors stores in the future.
“This is just the beginning,” he said, “we have more plans in the coming months, but right now we just want to build the brand.”
He added, “Eventually there’s going to be more offerings; we want to make sure all our outdoor needs are available here. We’re focusing on this branch but expansion is in the pipeline.”
Go to @Outdoors on Facebook or Instagram for updates.