The North Face® Opens Zermatt Flagship Store
Located in the world-renowned health haven of Zermatt, the store will offer a complete selection of innovative and technically advanced exploration apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories for men, women and youth.
SAN LEANDRO, California, September 28, 2006 – Friday, September 29th, The North Face®, the world’s premier supplier of technically innovative outdoor apparel and equipment, will open its first flagship store in Switzerland. The opening marks the Company’s twenty-second retail store in Europe.
“Zermatt, at the foot of the majestic Matterhorn in the Valais Alps of Switzerland, is the ideal location to present the entire range of The North Face® products” said Topher Gaylord, President Outdoor International, comprising The North Face® and JanSport®. “Surrounded by 38 of Europe’s 76 four-thousand-metre peaks, Zermatt is also the optimal environment to put into practice The North Face® philosophy Never Stop Exploring™,” Gaylord added.
Featuring The North Face® Summit Series™, expedition-proven apparel and equipment from base camp to summit, and Prodigy collection, designed for progressive snowsports athletes on the cutting edge of sport and style, the 106-square-meter retail space will be situated in Zermatt’s environment-friendly town center.
In its twenty-second project with the Italian design firm Brombini & Saccardo, The North Face® has transformed the space into a world-class destination for outdoor enthusiasts and retail shoppers. With a second entrance accessible directly from Zermatt’s central train station, the store, with its life-size graphics and natural and innovative design, will immediately transport the visitor into a world apart.
Customers will be able to find product highlights combining the lightest materials and latest technologies, such as Polartec® Power Shield® and Gore DryLoft® technology in outerwear, HyVent™ materials in Prodigy, X-Static® textile fibres in Tekware®, BOA® lacing system in footwear, and E-VAP™ technology in backpacks.
About The North Face®
The North Face®, a subsidiary of VF Corp., was founded in 1966. Headquartered in San Leandro, California, the Company offers the most technically advanced products on the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, extreme skiers and explorers. To meet the growing demand for The North Face® products from consumers on the Old Continent, the Company began its European operations in 1983. Today The North Face® is distributed worldwide, including the following European countries: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The Company’s products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking and skiing retailers, premium sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains. Additional information about The North Face® can be found on the Company’s website at www.thenorthface.com.
European Press Contact:
Francesca Nalesso, francesca_nalesso@vfc.com
Local PR Offices:
-France: Peter & Associés (++33) 1 42597340
-Germany/Austria/Switzerland: Krauts PR (++49) 89 346966
-Italy: Sound Public Relations Srl (++39) 02 806491
-Spain: Nota Bene (++34) 91 3081604
-Sweden: Hedberg Co (++46) 8 54677700
-U.K.: Brazen Ltd (++44) 161 9234994
-Other Europe: (++39) 0423 683100
