Snow Peak, an outdoor gear and apparel company originally from Japan and sold all over Asia, in the U.S. and the UK, reported that it has opened its U.S. headquarters and a retail flagship store at 404 NW 23rd Ave. in Portland, Oregon. The brand, founded in 1958, has grown its U.S. presence from a distributorship 20 years ago to a 40-person team with retail locations on both coasts and plans for growth in the next two decades.
Tohru Yamai, chairman of Snow Peak Inc. and CEO of Snow Peak USA, said: “In 2011, we opened HQ1, our first headquarter location, in Niigata, Japan and combined a retail store, campground and headquarters. Nothing like it had existed before, and it transformed the way we did business.” Snow Peaks HQ2 and HQ3 are also located in Asia. Yamai continued to explain that the company’s fourth headquarter (“HQ4”) is now also merging the brand offices, a flagship store and a restaurant on a total of 1,400 square meters and thus offering “new avenues for connecting with customers and furthering our mission.” Designed to be a playground of outdoor equipment, the space invites customers to touch, feel and test products, with demos and space for interactive camp exhibits. Construction on the project began in October of 2019 and continued under changing safety protocols throughout the pandemic. The grand opening will be on Sept. 11, with the restaurant opening as soon as indoor dining becomes safer again.
