The key goal for Norwegian outdoor-wear business Helly Hansen is to have 12 stores opened and operating in the Australian and New Zealand market by the end of 2024.
Helly Hansen’s ANZ general manager Luke Bennett confirmed the goal with Ragtrader, saying its recent boom in the retail space here follows a flip on its strategy post-COVID.
“From a retail perspective, we worked on developing a ‘premium’ retail concept with the strategy to flip the store profile in favour of more ‘premium’, full-price stores after opening a handful of outlets during COVID and then hunting down locations where we feel the brand can prosper,” Bennett said.
“Since then, we’ve rolled out that concept at Chadstone, Chatswood Chase, Warringah Mall, World Square, Galleria Melbourne, a ‘pop-up’ in Mosman and entered the New Zealand market starting with Christchurch and now Queenstown which opened mid-July.
“eCommerce-wise, we invested in a site rebuild which we rolled out early 2023 and brought in some additional expertise to bolster the digital team and are continually working on optimising.”
According to Bennett, Helly Hansen has existed in the region in various forms for around 20 years. “The current distribution has been in place for 7 years now and it’s really been post-COVID that we’ve rapidly scaled the brand in Australia and New Zealand.”
Bennett added that despite the macroeconomic challenges facing many retailers, its consumer base doesn’t have an issue paying for its products, which sit in the mid-to-higher price bracket. Jackets on its website, for instance, are priced roughly between $200-$700.
“We continually see the consumer being prepared to pay for great product,” he said. “Our winter footwear has been very strong of late, led by the Kelvin LX. Boots that are equally great for winter in the city or a trip to the mountains.
“Like most, we’re just controlling what we can control, while trying not to stifle growth. There are elements of our business that aren’t impacted as heavily by the macroeconomic conditions as others, so we’re giving those areas some extra focus right now.”
Looking ahead, Bennett said the main priority for the brand is customer experience.
“We have some plans in place that will come to fruition in the back half of 2024 that takes us another step forward in that process,” he said.
“These include redesigning our physical stores to create a more engaging and immersive environment, bolstering our omnichannel strategy to provide a seamless shopping experience across all platforms, and refining our product assortments to meet customer needs better.”