Mountain Warehouse partners with Alibaba in time for China's Singles Day

The retailer has tied up with Alibaba (Mountain Warehouse)

The outdoor clothing and equipment retailer Mountain Warehouse is to launch in China in time for Singles Day – the anti-Valentine’s celebration which is the country’s biggest online shopping day.

The privately owned retailer is to sell direct to Chinese consumers through T-Mall, the online platform owned by ecommerce giant owned by Alibaba. Singles Day takes place on 11 November.

Mountain Warehouse today posted a 24.7 per cent increase in first-half sales to £59.3m as pre-tax profits rose 31 per cent to £4.3m.

The retailer’s founder and chief executive Mark Neale said: “We have been sourcing products from China for over 10 years but this is a huge opportunity for us and demonstrates out flexible approach to international expansion.”

Kate Calvert, an analyst at Investec, said: “Another impressive set of results with the UK firing on all cylinders both in-store and online. Launch in China on T-mall seen as a low cost way to get the brand out there and an interesting way to see its international appeal.”

Mountain Warehouse – which is at the value end of the market – has more than 200 stores in the UK, as well as shops in Poland, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands.

Mr Neale led a management buyout of the retailer for £85m from Lloyds Banking Group’s private-equity arm in 2013.

Mr Neale said trading in the summer had been helped by the wet August while cycling and running ranges had performed strongly.