The North Face was founded in 1966. In 2000, after facing serious financial and distribution problems, the company was acquired by VF Corporation. Today, as a subsidiary, the outdoor and action sports company headquartered in San Leandro, California, has approximately 860 employees and accounts for
40% of VF’s total sales. The North Face offers technically advanced products to extreme athletes and explorers throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia. The company has specialty and outlet stores and sells its products to different sporting goods and outdoor retailers. The market share of the company in the United States is currently 16%.
Internal Strengths
The North Face’s brand reputation, especially within the outdoor community, is definitely the most significant strength of the company. The North Face is widely recognized for the quality of their products designed to provide high performance and comfort even under the most extreme conditions. Its focus on product technology allows The North Face to constantly create innovative, authentic, and technically advanced products. Besides the superiority of their products, The North Face’s commitment to sustainability and the community is another attribute that encourages a positive attitude toward the brand. More recently, the improvement of customers’ in-store experience attained with the creation of innovative kiosks and an emphasis on employees’ friendliness, represents another strength of the brand. The North Face’s internal strengths have led to significant sales growth in the past two years.
Also, last year’s reports show that there was a 20% higher demand for its products.
Internal Weaknesses
Even though technological innovation is one of the strengths of The North Face, sometimes it is difficult to communicate it to consumers. The North Face’s technological innovation is also reflected in the brand’s pricing which can become a weakness when customers perceive The North