9 Jul 2019

Local business Cactus Outdoor expands

From Nine To Noon, 9:09 am on 9 July 2019
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Photo: SUPPLIED

The outdoor clothing brand Cactus Outdoor says its acquisition of the country's last large-scale domestic apparel producer shows the local manufacturing industry is far from dead.

Christchurch based Cactus Outdoor - which primarily makes outdoor clothing and equipment, has bought Albion Clothing - which manufactures garments for the New Zealand Defence Force, Fire and Emergency New Zealand the Police and others.

In recent years a series of New Zealand outdoor brands have moved some or all of its manufacturing offshore including Macpac, Icebreaker, Fairydown, Swazi and Swandri. Ben Kepes, part-owner and director of Cactus, says the acquisition will give Cactus the scale and technology to maintain and grow the apparel manufacturing sector in New Zealand and he hopes other brands will return all or part of their manufacturing here.