Floods boosts sales at Mountain Warehouse

The outdoor retailer Mountain Warehouse made a splash on Friday as profits boomed following the flooding this year and it unveiled a step-up in its international growth plans.

Its founder and chief executive Mark Neale said better-quality, premium own-brand products and appealing to “everyday people walking the dog, not people climbing Mount Everest” had spurred sales.

The 186-stores retailer sold 1m waterproof jackets and a bucketful of waterproof trousers and wellies during the year as floods submerged the south of England in February and gave the company a fillip.

The walking boots-to-backpacks specialist posted a 44 per cent increase in operating profit to £8.2m as sales at shops open longer than a year shot up 13 per cent in the year to 28 February.

The company intends to invest in expansion overseas and is searching for shops in the Netherlands and Germany to add to its stores in Poland, Austria and Ireland. Mr Neale led a management buyout in an £85m deal in October.