Travel and adventure brand Kathmandu is opening a new flagship store in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The new store on the corner of Colombo Street and Cashel Street, previously the Pagoda Court building, is expected to open mid-2019.

Xavier Simonet, Kathmandu chief executive, said the company had been looking for options for a new CBD store for some time and considered the site to be one of the best retail locations in Christchurch because of its prominent corner site and the high levels of pedestrians from The Crossing and surrounding stores.

“This is a very visible and accessible site in the CBD which will showcase Kathmandu’s distinct product offering in our hometown,” Simonet said.

“Christchurch is a very special place for Kathmandu as we are headquartered here, our product design, engineering and testing are all based here, and it’s where we opened our first New Zealand store.”

Philip Carter, Carter Group managing director, said it is great to see growing confidence in the CBD and successful businesses like Kathmandu committing to bringing life back into the city centre.

“Kathmandu is a global brand with iconic status in New Zealand, and we know that visitors to Christchurch will be drawn to this flagship store,” Carter said.

The Colombo and Cashel Street site had been vacant since the earthquakes which destroyed much of the Christchurch CBD in 2011, and it was purchased by Carter Group in 2016.

Carter Group and Kathmandu have a longstanding relationship, with Carter Group being the landlord of Kathmandu’s pre-earthquake location on Cashel Street.

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