Regatta to double Irish workforce through retail expansion

Regatta Outdoor, the outdoor clothing brand beloved of Irish hillwalkers, plans to double its Irish workforce to more than 100 in coming months.

The chain currently operates a €10 million-a-year wholesaling business and 10 concession outlets based in Shaws department stores, together with a standalone retail outlet in the Crescent shopping centre in Limerick.

It will boost its staff numbers through the opening of at least two more standalone stores and five concessions in a partnership with Elverys sports stores.

Regatta will today open a flagship store at the Pavillion shopping centre in Swords, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by the well-known mountaineer Pat Falvey.

Brian Fox, who is Ireland country manager for the UK-headquartered Regatta, said it also hopes to open a new store next month in Athlone shopping centre. Mr Fox said the first of the the new concessions will also open shortly within a large space at Elvery's in Fonthill, west Dublin.

“If Christmas wasn’t in the way, I would open up all the new concessions much more quickly,” he said. “We hope to have about 20 Regatta retail operations by the end of next year.”

Mr Fox said Regatta grew strongly throughout the recession, with annual sales growth of up to 20 per cent between 2009 and 2013. He said the growth rate has since slipped back, but he still expects it to be 12 per cent this year.

He said the company is mainly targeting “aspirational” outdoors people, in addition to the niche market of hardcore climbers.

“I’m a little bit of a couch potato, myself. I like to wear good outdoors gear when I go out walking, but I am aspirational about it rather than hugely committed to it as a sport. That’s the sort of customer I am targeting,” he said.

Mr Fox started wholesaling Regatta’s products from his garage in Cork almost 15 years ago, before building its network across the country.

The company is headquartered in Manchester with a warehousing operation near Liverpool. It exports its wares to more than 55 countries, through a network of sales offices across Europe.

In Britain, it owns the Hawkshead retail network, although Mr Fox said it would not introduce this name into Ireland, leaving its shops here branded as Regatta.