Do we like them?

Do we like Kathmandu?

Outdoor clothing and gear retailer and brand, founded in New Zealand, owned by KMD Brands (NZ/Australia).

Our score: 6 out of 10. A decent, fairly ethical outdoor brand with real sustainability credentials, but a past pricing fine and weak recent sales leave us lukewarm. We'd back it cautiously.

Kathmandu is the outdoor gear chain that started in New Zealand and now sits inside KMD Brands, which also owns Oboz and Rip Curl, according to RNZ. It's listed on the stock exchange, so there's no single owner behind it.

In 2015 Briscoe Group, run by Rod Duke, built a 19.9% stake and planned a full takeover. The bid failed, and BusinessDesk reported that Kathmandu then sued Briscoe for the costs of fending it off.

On the good side, it became a B Corp in 2019. Fibre2Fashion called it the largest Australasian retailer to get that certification. The Circular Economy News report says it hit carbon neutrality years ahead of target.

It hasn't been spotless. The NZ Herald reported Kathmandu was fined for misleading sale prices. The reports we found don't give a clear date, and Ragtrader's coverage looks like around 2008. That's why we land at a cautious 6.