Canada Goose has appointed highly respected executive Christian Konrad as senior vice president of travel retail worldwide, amid a concerted expansion drive in what the company has identified as a key growth channel.
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Founded in Toronto over 65 years ago, Canada Goose has grown into one of the world’s leading makers of performance luxury apparel, driven by its core down-filled product made in Canada.
The company currently has travel retail doors at the CDF Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex in Hainan province (pictured below) and with DFS Group in Macau and is targeting key global airport hubs and selected downtown stores for further expansion.
The brand plans to offer travel retailers an assortment of its top-performing styles from best-selling categories in a store format.
Konrad, who joined the company last month, has more than 20 years’ experience in the luxury sector. Prior to joining Canada Goose, he served as vice president of Henry T. Segerstrom Management, where he was responsible for project development. Earlier, he spent nearly 25 years at Bvlgari across a variety of roles.
As president of Latin America & the Caribbean, Konrad managed the Bvlgari brand for the region across multiple product categories including jewellery, watches, accessories and perfumes.
During his tenure at the Italian luxury house, he gained experience in finance, marketing, business development and commercial strategy, as well as travel retail channel management. That experience strengthened his knowledge of how to develop brands in various distribution channels, including travel retail, Canada Goose noted.
“Travel retail is a new and particularly fitting channel for Canada Goose as we continue our trajectory towards our five-year strategic growth plan,” said Canada Goose president, APAC & travel retail worldwide, Paul Cadman.
“We are embracing the opportunity of travel retail to meet our luxury consumers where they are – and bring more Canada Goose to more of the world. This year, we will open at least two travel retail shops within Europe, Middle East and Asia, with continued international expansion in the coming years.
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“As a performance luxury lifestyle brand, our products inspire consumers to ‘Live in the Open’ and truly explore the world around us. By engaging with consumers across the busiest travel hubs, we can seamlessly equip them with the products they need to carry on their journey and thrive in the world outside,” Cadman concluded.