据国外媒体报道，近日全球户外行业巨头美国哥伦比亚公司公布了对旗下公司Mountain Hardwear和Montrail的重组方案，以此扩展市场，增加产品销量，提高效率。
此方案于2008年5月1日开始生效，届时Montrail品牌下的所有的相关销售、市场营销及服务项目皆由Mountain Hardwear 进行统一管理运营。但Montrail产品的采购工作仍由位于波特兰市的哥伦比亚公司总部进行统一管理，而其美国境内的产品分销及物流工作继续在哥伦比亚肯塔基州的仓储基地完成。Montrail美国知名的跑步及徒步鞋品牌，2006年被哥伦比亚收购；Mountain Hardwear登山及户外装备的高端品牌，总部位于加州的里士满市，于2003年被哥伦比亚公司收购。
Mountain Hardwear董事长Mike Wallenfels将负责Montrail品牌海外市场的运营工作。“Montrail的加入将进一步扩展和填充Mountain Hardwear服饰之外的市场份额。两大品牌的目标客户群非常相似，直指户外动精英及户外高端商品的发烧友，因此此次联手将充分调动两方资源，优化市场资源配置，大大促进双方的长期繁荣发展。”Mike说道。
哥伦比亚公司董事长兼首席执行官Tim Boyle对此项方案也大加称赞；“我们觉得这是一次完美的联姻，Mountain Hardwear和Montrail的目标客户群基本相同，在统归Mountain Hardwear管理之后，将会大大提高市场运营效率，便于数据统计； 在加大产品研发力量的同时，能更好的向各零售商服务。”
重组后， Mountain Hardwear和哥伦比亚公司将共同负责Montrail鞋类产品的生产和发展。目前，Mountain Hardwear和Montrail的重点国外市场像欧洲、韩国、加拿大已开始优化重组，这一举措将大大巩固他们在当地的市场地位，并提高运营效率。2008年5月1日后Montrail的销售服务工作将正式划归到Mountain Hardwear旗下，届时各零售商可以了解更多相关细节。
背景知识：
Columbia（哥伦比亚）品牌创立于1938年，她的名字起源于美国波特兰Columbia（哥伦比亚） River，当时的俄勒冈州经常下雨，所以早年的Columbia（哥伦比亚）是以生产雨衣、雨帽起家，时至今日经过不断发展各类户外运动服装及研究高科技布料已经发展成为全球最大的户外服装品牌，其卓越的产品品质超越考验，得到世界人们的认同。
Mountain Hardwear1993年由数位户外资深人士在加州的里士满市联合成立，专业生产各种高端的登山、户外装备、服饰及其配件，品质优良，经受极端条件的考验。产品遍及全球40多个国家，为哥伦比亚的全资子公司。
Montrail成立于1993年，其跑鞋及徒步鞋以先进的技术，良好的性能受到广大户外运动爱好者的青睐，其零售商遍布美国各地，并出口到全球29个国家。1996年推出专利技术IntegraFit，大大提高了户外鞋的舒适标准。
原文：Columbia Sportswear Realigns Montrail
Brand Management Under Mountain Hardwear Subsidiary
PORTLAND, Ore., February 29th, 2008 - Columbia Sportswear Company (Nasdaq: COLM), a global leader in the active outdoor apparel and footwear industries, today announced management and operational changes within the company's Mountain Hardwear and Montrail subsidiary brands designed to elevate consumer awareness, increase sales and improve efficiency.
Effective May 1, 2008, all sales, marketing and service functions for Montrail Inc., a leading trail running and hiking footwear maker acquired by Columbia in 2006, will be realigned under the management team of Mountain Hardwear Inc., a subsidiary acquired by Columbia in 2003. Mountain Hardwear is well known in the outdoor industry as a leading manufacturer of high-end mountaineering and outdoor equipment, apparel and accessories. Montrail product sourcing functions will remain under Columbia Sportswear corporate management in Portland, Oregon and US product distribution and shipping will continue to be processed through the company's Kentucky facility.
Mike Wallenfels, president of Mountain Hardwear, will be responsible for overseeing operations of the Montrail
brand from Mountain Hardwear's Richmond, California offices. "The Montrail
brand is a natural extension of Mountain Hardwear's growing performance apparel categories and both brands will work together to share retailers, athletes, events and promotions," Wallenfels said. "We share similar target consumers in elite outdoor athletes and others seeking superior performance products. The move is designed to better align the two brands and streamline operations by maximizing marketing resources for long-term success. We believe that our reputation for retailer service and marketing will help make this an easy transition."
"We see this as an ideal marriage of two specialty brands," said Tim Boyle, president and CEO of Columbia Sportswear. "The Mountain Hardwear customer and the Montrail customer are often the same and the management team at Mountain Hardwear knows that demographic very well. By moving Montrail under Mountain Hardwear's leadership we can best serve our retailers while keeping a focus on creating innovative products."
Mountain Hardwear and Columbia Sportswear will work together on product direction and development using the established Montrail footwear team in the Columbia Sportswear headquarters in Portland, Oregon. Mountain Hardwear and Montrail already share resources for international sales management in key markets such as Europe, South Korea and Canada and this change will help consolidate and streamline their efforts. Service and sales operations will formally transition after May 1, 2008. Retailers will be contacted directly regarding details at that time.
About Columbia Sportswear Company:
Founded in 1938 in Portland, Oregon, Columbia Sportswear Company is a global leader in the design, sourcing, marketing and distribution of active outdoor apparel and footwear. As one of the largest outerwear manufacturers in the world and a leading seller of skiwear in the United States, the Company has developed an international reputation for quality, performance, functionality and value. The Company manages a portfolio of outdoor brands including Columbia Sportswear, Montrail, Mountain Hardwear, Pacific Trail, and Sorel. To learn more about Columbia, please visit the Company's website at www.columbia.com.
Mountain Hardwear:
Mountain Hardwear makes cutting-edge mountaineering and outdoor equipment, apparel and accessories for the most extreme conditions. Mountain Hardwear was established in 1993 by a group of outdoor industry veterans and is based in Richmond, Calif. The company distributes its products through specialty outdoor and sporting goods retailers in the United States and over 40 countries worldwide. Mountain Hardwear has won numerous product and customer service awards since its inception, reflecting the company's commitment and passion toward innovation. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Columbia Sportswear Company. For more information about Mountain Hardwear, visit the company's Internet home page at mountainhardwear.com"www.mountainhardwear.com.
About Montrail:
Established in 1993, Montrail is a premium outdoor footwear brand known for its technical, high performance trail running and hiking footwear for outdoor enthusiasts. Montrail sells footwear to retailers in the United States and in 29 countries worldwide. In 1996, Montrail embarked on a mission to improve the standard for comfort and fit in footwear by creating IntegraFit?, its proprietary fit technology. To learn more about Montrail visit www.montrail.com.
