The North Face to Add 70 US Stores

Specialty outdoor retailer The North Face is planning a major global expansion, including adding 70 new stores in North America and 300 outlets overseas.

The retailer will open new stores in Schaumburg, IL and Portland, OR this year. Stores slated to open in 2023 include Minnetonka, MN.; Lone Tree, CO; Indianapolis; and Wauwatosa, WI.

The stores will have a “movable point-of-sale area”—the checkout area is designed to be moved and configured to allow for in-store community, outdoor education and athlete events.

The new stores will facilitate online purchases, pick-up in-store orders, ship-from-store orders and other omnichannel services the retailer is planning to introduce.

“As consumers want to engage with The North Face physically as well as digitally, we want to create consistent and welcoming experiences across all our retail locations for both new and established explorers,” Jason Thomas, The North Face’s senior director of retail, said in a statement.

“This growth strategy will allow us to share our values and connect with customers on a deeper level in multiple different locations and touch points across the globe,” Thomas said.

In July, North Face parent VF Corp., whose other brands include Timberland and Vans, reported that its first-quarter revenue rose 3% to $2.26 billion,  driven by a strong performance at The North Face,  whose sales jumped 31% to $481.1 million.

To reflect The North Face heritage’s of inspiring exploration, the new locations will balance approachability for customers new to the outdoors, while bringing to life stories that demonstrate the “athlete-tested, expedition-proven” quality of its high-performing products, the retailer said, in a report in chainstoreage.

The new stores will highlight The North Face footwear line that is targeting triple-digit growth during the next five years. To help break down barriers between digital and physical touchpoints, the stores will also offer mobile point-of-sale, and serve as a key touch point for bringing new consumers into the brand’s XPLR Pass loyalty program., the report said

In the spirit of The North Face brand mantra to “Never Stop Exploring,” the stores will work to serve as a place of inclusion and community for all. This will be accomplished through employee training, “thoughtful” consumer engagement and localized community events and activations, the company said.