Moondog55 wrote:That's what you get when you abandon your core market and chase the quick dollar. You employ fashion designers and not climbers and bushwalkers
I haven't bought anything at MDs since I had all the trouble with the mattress and the sallopettes 4 years ago, not even socks or jocks
Moondog55 wrote:That's what you get when you abandon your core market and chase the quick dollar. You employ fashion designers and not climbers and bushwalkers
I haven't bought anything at MDs since I had all the trouble with the mattress and the sallopettes 4 years ago, not even socks or jocks
RonK wrote:It may be a bit soon to assert that Mountain Designs are closing down.
The story posted in the OP is behind a paywall so I cannot read it, but of the two stories I can find in the Courier Mail (both published in the last two days), one says Mountain Designs is closing 13 of 39 stores.
The other reports on the company's accounts, but also explicitly states that "The company is still operating and not in administration."
I think the criticism of MD is unfair. The climbing and bushwalking market in Australia is small. Any company both manufacturing and retailing in this market has no choice but to diversify into the travel market or perish. And on the solely retailing side it's not hard to tot up a list of operators that have already closed the doors.
Try to naming another Australian company (or any company for that matter) that is both a manufacturer and a national bricks-and-mortar retailer to only the bushwalking/hiking/climbing market.
And then of course Rick White's former climbing partner (Tim Maccartney-Snape) started his own gear company (SeaToSummit), and has managed to achieve global market penetration while avoiding running a retail operation, which effectively cut MD out of these markets.
And not to forget that MD has been broke before, when Rick White was at the helm, and that saw him forced out of the company for a long time.
My wife and I have been associated with the trekking/climbing world for thirty years and through industry discounts have accumulated an immense amount of gear from many different manufacturers. We have quite a lot of MD gear which we still use to this day and have had few issues of any kind with any of it.
wildwanderer wrote:There are some suunto watches still there (50% off) not many but if your quick pick up a bargain.
RonK wrote:It may be a bit soon to assert that Mountain Designs are closing down.
The story posted in the OP is behind a paywall so I cannot read it, but of the two stories I can find in the Courier Mail (both published in the last two days), one says Mountain Designs is closing 13 of 39 stores.
The other reports on the company's accounts, but also explicitly states that "The company is still operating and not in administration."
I think the criticism of MD is unfair. The climbing and bushwalking market in Australia is small...
Moondog55 wrote:My old Everest duvet is still one of the best climbing parkas ever sewed up and I bought it over 30 years ago...
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