Kolon Sports Celebrates 50th Anniversary: "Expanding Global Territory with North America Entry Following China"

1973 Launch, Korea's First Outdoor Brand
Plans to Target North America with Trekking and Backpacking Products

Kolon Sports, the first outdoor brand in Korea, has celebrated its 50th anniversary. Based on its heritage as the longest-standing outdoor brand in the country and its continuous research and development (R&D) capabilities, Kolon Sports plans to expand its market reach beyond Korea and actively target overseas markets.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kolon Industries FnC division (Kolon FnC)'s outdoor brand Kolon Sports held a 50th anniversary press conference on the 26th in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, revealing plans to enter the North American market and expressing its ambition to grow into a global brand.

Starting with its first store opened in 1973 in Mugyo-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, Kolon Sports has since led the domestic leisure culture and grown into a brand that accompanies customers' leisure time. Having driven the growth of the domestic outdoor market, Kolon Sports is now turning its attention to overseas markets. Previously, in 2017, Kolon Sports established a joint venture with China's largest sportswear company, Anta Group, and currently operates 160 stores in major hub cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, including department stores and large malls. In May of this year, it opened its first flagship store (experience store) in Shanghai, China. In the first half of this year, Kolon Sports recorded sales of 200 billion KRW in the retail sector in China, and it is expected to achieve its annual target of 400 billion KRW.

Building on its success in the Chinese market, Kolon Sports plans to actively enter the North American market as early as next year. Since last year, the company has been organizing a dedicated team to promote its North American entry, starting with defining the brand identity and introducing it to the market. Currently, it is expanding research, development, and technology investment related to products suited to the natural environment of North America, which differs from Korea, and has selected product categories to be launched in North America.

Kolon Sports will initially penetrate the North American market focusing on trekking and backpacking products. Kim Jeong-hoon, Executive Director of Kolon Sports Digital Marketing Office, explained, “We are concentrating on R&D because we need to prove that we are the best by competing with products positioned in each local category. In particular, we place great importance on R&D investment in material lightweighting and strength, which are the most critical aspects of backpacking.” The company considers lightweight technology its greatest weapon and plans to target the market by sequentially launching lightweight trekking poles, backpacks, tents, and more.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.