Hunter has announced the appointment of Vincent Wauters as Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 March 2016.
Wauters joins the outdoor clothing retailer from Arc‘teryx, where he was President of the outdoor and lifestyle brand, headquartered in Vancouver. He was a member of the Executive Board of Amer Sports Corporation, in charge of the apparel and gear category. With experience in building consumer brands and optimising operational efficiency, Wauters has been brought in to drive Hunter forward during its next stage of development.
Prior to Arc‘teryx, Wauters served as Senior Vice President Operations within Amer Sports Corporation. Previously, he worked for Newell Rubbermaid in various operational roles from 2002-08, and for Amazon in France, where he was one of the company’s first employees.
“I am honoured to join such an iconic brand, said Wauters. “The combination of heritage, performance and fashion is what makes Hunter so unique. What has been accomplished in the last few years is remarkable and I look forward to building on this, realising Hunter‘s global potential and setting the path towards an ambitious and inspiring brand future.”
Hunter‘s first global flagship store opened on London‘s Regent Street in November 2014. The brand‘s second flagship will open in Tokyo in March 2016. Flagships will follow in key locations, including Hong Kong and New York.
In January 2012, funds managed by Searchlight Capital Partners L.P., a private investment firm operating in Europe and North America, became majority shareholders in the Company. Turnover in 2014 reached £95.7m, a 17% increase year on year, with pre-tax profits of £15.4m.
