Outdoor attire, high-tech clothing designed for use in
outdoor sports, "has caught fire with the general public,"
as sales have grown from an estimated $1B 15 years ago to
$5B today, according to Martin Forstenzer of the N.Y. TIMES.
The outdoor-gear industry is undergoing a "metamorphosis, as
corporate giants prowl around for acquisitions" while
designers like Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger "expand
their offerings, flooding the market with stylish high-
priced limitations." Forstenzer wrote that some of the
original outdoor-gear companies "are meeting the competitive
challenges by expanding," including Columbia Sportswear,
which had $353M in '97 sales and went public this year. The
evolution of CA-based North Face, however, "most clearly
illustrates the industry's transformation." North Face went
public in '96, raising $56M in two offerings that it used to
erase debt and increase research spending. Last year its
revenues increased 32%, to $208.4M, and North Face has set
"an ambitious" sales goal of $1B by 2003. To meet that
target, the company plans to expand distribution in Europe
and has extended its product line (N.Y. TIMES, 5/16).
A LOVE OF THE OUTDOORS: Outdoor Life Network has
awarded its estimated $4M account to NY-based Burkhardt &
Hillman, which will handle advertising and integrated
communications for the network (N.Y. TIMES, 5/18).
