OREGON Company sells sporting life affordably

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Lloyd Randal fingered a crisp yellow Titanium Flexi-Alpine jacket at the Columbia Sportswear Co. store on a soggy afternoon.
Randal said he was shopping at the Columbia store because the jackets, which are coated in a material similar to Gore-Tex and compete with high-end outdoor apparel, are about $100 less than those from rivals including The North Face Inc., Mountain Hardware and Patagonia Inc.
"Unless you're doing some extreme adventure excursion, you don't need to spend that kind of money," the 38-year-old contractor said. "It's the same style, and you'd pay more someplace else."
Since starting out as a hat distributorship 65 years ago, Columbia has become a powerhouse in the outdoor-apparel market. It has carved out a niche for itself by selling apparel that appeals to outdoor enthusiasts and the masses.
Staying affordable
The leading seller of skiwear in the United States, Columbia has thrived during the economic slump as outdoor enthusiasts look for ways to pinch pennies. The company's sales have more than doubled over the last five years from $299 million in 1996 to $780 million in 2001.
"Maybe in times that are terrific, people can buy a Prada purse that costs $1,900," Columbia CEO Tim Boyle said. "But if they can get a Columbia backpack for $19.95, it's much more functional and they still know the brand.
"We do all of our business in that middle area," he said.
The North Face, based in San Leandro, Calif., has now launched a less expensive line of casuals called A5, and is branching into the broader market of weekend getaway clothes designed for the beach or lake more than Mount Everest base camp.
Columbia's strategy is not just to charge less, but also to sell in a wider range of stores -- from department stores such as J.C. Penney Co. to specialty stores including REI, or Recreational Equipment Inc.
"Columbia is one of the few companies that I have seen in my career that has been able to sell the same brand at Nordstrom's and G.I. Joe's. It's very rare," said Jennifer Black, an apparel analyst with Wells Fargo Securities.
Going for the look
Only about 20 percent of the $34 billion in outdoor apparel sold annually in the United States is used regularly for the type of sport for which the clothes were designed, such as rock climbing, Black said.
The remaining sales are called aspirational purchases, to people who like the outdoorsy look but whose needs are more leisurely than those of hard-core enthusiasts.
This is the market Columbia has been able to tap. People wear Columbia jackets not just into the woods, but also when they go shopping, out for coffee or to work.
Columbia's success is also attributable to Gert Boyle, Tim Boyle's 78-year-old mother, who has been the public face of Columbia Sportswear for more than three decades.
She is Ma Boyle, the cantankerous-seeming woman in Columbia ads who has coined mottos like "Don't forget who makes the pants in the family," meaning herself.
Family business
Gert Boyle's parents launched Columbia as a hat distributorship in 1938 after immigrating from Germany. Her husband, Neal, took over when her father died in 1964. Columbia was in bad shape when Neal Boyle died in 1970. A mother of three, Gert Boyle knew little about running a business. But with the help of her son, Tim, she brought Columbia back from the brink of bankruptcy.
Earlier this year, Gert Boyle was elected to the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame.
The image of a mother with exacting standards has helped sell Columbia products. In some of the company ads, Gert Boyle upbraids Tim to ruthlessly test the durability of Columbia products.
"The key is being different," Gert Boyle said about her advertising persona. "We're the company that has that mother who puts her son through so much. I'm not that mean in person, really."
Tim Boyle has inherited her savvy. In October, the magazine Sports Edge named him among the "25 leaders to watch" in the sporting goods industry, crediting him with innovative marketing strategies and cutting-edge merchandising programs.
Key factor
Smart marketing has been a key to Columbia's success, analysts say.
To boost sales during the summer and in warmer climates, for example, Columbia has diversified to a line of shirts and cargo pants. It has also targeted styles specific to the female angler.
In the early 1980s, Columbia designed the Bugaboo jacket with removable liners, and it became an overnight hit. The design derived from a Columbia jacket previously sold only to hunters and in a camouflage pattern.