Rab and Lowe Alpine open service centre in Canada
British outdoor brands Rab and Lowe Alpine (owned by Equip Outdoor Technologies Ltd.) have opened their Canadian Service Centre in Quebec. The Service Centre will be open to retailers and end consumers in Canada and is part of the brands’ strategy to drastically reduce their carbon emissions and reach Net Zero by 2030.
The Service Centre will offer repair and wash services for waterproof shells and GORE-TEX items, insulated gear, sleeping bags and equipment. Additionally, the centre will run Rab’s Second Stitch Programme, which offers expert repairs using recycled fabric and offcut materials that would otherwise have been sent to landfill. The contrasting fabrics and trims make Second Stitch repaired items completely unique, whilst at the same time reducing material waste.
Making gear that performs and lasts has been Rab’s unofficial motto since founder Rab Carrington hand sewed the first sleeping bag back in 1981. But no outdoor kit is indestructible. Over the years the company has refined and developed their repair and wash services to give customers confidence in their products, whilst lowering each item’s carbon footprint. By giving gear a second chance, the brands are keeping valuable resources in action and out of landfill.
The opening of the Canadian branch follows the great success of Equip’s existing Service Centres in the UK and The Netherlands, which have recently seen a huge demand for professional maintenance services for outdoor apparel and equipment. In the last year, the UK centre repaired and washed over 15,000 items, evidence that accepting a quality repair over a new warranty replacement is widely appreciated by customers.
Equip aims to locate repair centres as close as possible to their consumer bases to increase shipping efficiency, minimising time, costs, and carbon impacts for all stakeholders. The company has plans to open more Service Centres in the US and Norway soon.
Robert Brunet, Equip Country Manager Canada, said: “We are delighted about the opening of the Rab Service Centre Canada. With our highly experienced team we can help end consumers to keep their gear in peak condition, thus extending its lifetime and reducing the amount of waste going to landfill. We are looking forward to introducing our retail partners to the Service Centre offerings and to share efforts towards a more environmentally conscious use of outdoor gear.”
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