Columbia Sportswear's Business Segments

Founded in 1938 in Portland, Oregon, as a small, family-owned, regional hat distributor and incorporated in 1961, Columbia Sportswear Company has grown to become a global leader in designing, sourcing, marketing and distributing outdoor and active lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment.

As one of the largest outdoor and active lifestyle apparel and footwear companies in the world, our products have earned an international reputation for innovation, quality and performance. We design, source, market and distribute outdoor and active lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment under four primary brands.

Columbia®
The Columbia brand is our largest brand, offering performance and casual products, including apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment, for a wide variety of activities and consumers.

Sorel®
Acquired in 2000, the Sorel brand offers premium fashion, casual and cold weather footwear, apparel, and accessories for a wide demographic, with a primary emphasis on young, fashion-forward female consumers.

Mountain Hardwear®
Acquired in 2003, the Mountain Hardwear brand, headquartered in Richmond, California, offers premium apparel, accessories and equipment primarily for the high performance needs of mountaineering enthusiasts, as well as for consumers who are inspired by the outdoor lifestyle.
prAna®

Acquired in 2014, the prAna brand, headquartered in Carlsbad, California, offers stylish and functional active lifestyle apparel and accessories designed and manufactured with an emphasis on sustainable materials and processes.

Other Brands
The Montrail® brand, acquired in 2006, offers high-performance running footwear, with an emphasis on trail-running. In February 2016, the Company announced the decision to realign the Montrail brand in spring 2017 as a sub-brand of the Columbia brand. The new sub-brand will expand its offerings to include full head-to-toe assortments of performance footwear, apparel and accessories designed specifically for running on the trail.

The OutDry® brand, acquired in 2010, holds various patents pertaining to processes for manufacturing waterproof and breathable apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment. We have incorporated OutDry in select Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, Sorel and Montrail products, and also license the product to other parties.
The Pacific Trail® brand, acquired in 2006, is licensed to third parties across a range of apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment.
Our brands complement each other to address the diverse performance needs of a wide variety of outdoor and active lifestyle consumers.

We distribute our products through a mix of wholesale distribution channels, our own direct-to-consumer channels (retail stores and e-commerce), independent distributors and licensees. In 2015, our products were sold in approximately 100 countries. In 71 of those countries we sell to independent distributors to whom we have granted distribution rights. Substantially all of our products are manufactured by contract manufacturers located outside the United States.

Consumer desire for our products is affected by a number of variables, including the popularity of outdoor activities and active lifestyles, weather, changing design trends, consumer adoption of innovative performance technologies and the availability and desirability of competitor alternatives. Therefore, we seek to drive, anticipate and respond to trends and shifts in consumer preferences by developing new products with innovative performance features and designs, creating persuasive and memorable marketing communications to generate consumer awareness, demand and retention, and adjusting the mix and price points of available product offerings. Failure to anticipate or respond to consumer needs and preferences in a timely and adequate manner could have a material adverse effect on our sales and profitability.
Our business is subject to many risks and uncertainties that may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We are committed to designing innovative and functional products for consumers who participate in a wide range of outdoor activities, enabling them to enjoy those activities longer and in greater comfort by keeping them warm or cool, dry and protected. We also place significant value on product design and fit (the overall appearance and image of our products) that, along with technical performance features, distinguish our products in the marketplace.
Our research and development efforts are led by an internal team of specialists who work closely with independent suppliers to conceive, develop and commercialize innovative technologies and products that provide the unique performance benefits needed by consumers during outdoor activities. We have established working relationships with specialists in the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, engineering, industrial design, materials research, graphic design and related fields. We utilize these relationships, along with consumer feedback, to develop and test innovative performance products, processes, packaging and displays. We believe that these efforts, coupled with our technical innovation efforts, represent key factors in the past and future success of our products.

Apparel, accessories and equipment
We design, develop, market and distribute apparel, accessories and equipment for men and women under our Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, Sorel and prAna brands, and for youth under our Columbia and Mountain Hardwear brands. Our products incorporate the cumulative design, fabrication, fit and construction technologies that we have pioneered over several decades and that we continue to innovate. Our apparel, accessories and equipment are designed to be used during a wide variety of outdoor activities, such as skiing, snowboarding, hiking, climbing, mountaineering, camping, hunting, fishing, trail running, water sports and adventure travel.

Footwear
We design, develop, market and distribute footwear products for men and women under our Columbia, Sorel and Montrail brands and for youth under our Columbia and Sorel brands. Our footwear products seek to address the needs of outdoor consumers who participate in activities that typically involve challenging or unusual terrain in a variety of weather and trail conditions. Our footwear products include durable, lightweight hiking boots, trail running shoes, rugged cold weather boots for activities on snow and ice, sandals for use in amphibious activities, and casual shoes for everyday use. Our Sorel brand primarily offers premium cold weather and casual footwear for men, women and youth, with a focus on young, fashion-conscious female consumers.