Anaconda (retailer)

Last updated
Anaconda
Industry Retail
FoundedNovember 2004;20 years ago (2004-11) [1]
Headquarters
Number of locations
88 stores (2025)
Area served
Australia
Products Sporting goods
Owner Spotlight Group
The interior of an Anaconda store in Canberra Anaconda Gungahlin June 2022.jpg
The interior of an Anaconda store in Canberra

Anaconda is an Australian outdoor retailer and sporting goods retailer which sells a wide range of outdoor equipment and apparel in Australia. [2] The range includes camping and hiking equipment, outdoor clothing and apparel, hiking footwear, fishing equipment and clothing, 4WD and caravan equipment, snow equipment and clothing, water sports equipment, beach furniture, boating gear and cycling equipment. 

Contents

Anaconda, listed as The Trustee for Anaconda Unit Trust in the Australian Business Register [3] and Dun and Bradstreet, [4] is one of several retail businesses comprising the Spotlight Group family of stores.

ZoomInfo lists Anaconda as the second largest outdoor goods retail employer in Australia with 1,200 employees and a revenue of A$760 million annually. [5]

As of May 2023, there are 78 locations across the country. [6]

History

Anaconda was founded in November 2004.

In 2010, nearly six years after the company's founding, Anaconda only had 19 locations nationally. [7]

The first large-format store opened in Sydney in July 2022. Spotlight Group continued to focus on property and physical locations, using interactive experiences to draw customers to physical locations. [8]

In March 2023, the Bundaberg Regional Council approved a measure that allows for Anaconda to construct a store in the Fantastic Furniture and OMF complex, the twenty-first location for Anaconda in Queensland. [9]

Keeping the idea of an immersive shopping experience, CEO Chris Lude has announced plans for an Anaconda Adventure HQ to be opened in Brendale in 2025. It will not only provide the usual retail experience, but will also include what Lude is touting as the world's first barramundi fishing dam inside the complex property. He expects this feature to attract shoppers not only across Australia, but to increase the number of tourists venturing to the Moreton Bay region. [10] The Moreton Bay Regional Council approved construction in August 2022. [11]

Operations

Despite fifteen to twenty percent of Spotlight Group's sales revenue resulting from online sales, the conglomerate continues to pursue opportunities to open physical locations for their various brands. [12]

The company has outlets in Western Australia, [13] Victoria, [14] the Northern Territory, [15] Nowra, [16] [17] Brisbane, [18] Albion Park, [19] Cannonvale, [20] Rockhampton, [21] and Hervey Bay [22] on Fraser Coast. [23]

Product Categories

Anaconda sells a broad range of outdoor equipment categories in their retail stores and on their website.

Camping & Hiking Equipment: tents, sleeping bags & sleeping mats, swags, camp furniture, hiking backpacks, hiking poles, camp lighting, portable cookware, portable fridges, and power generators.

Outdoor Clothing, Footwear & Accessories: Hiking shirts, hiking pants & shorts, rain jackets, puffer jackets, fleece clothing, insulated down jackets, thermals, activewear, swimwear & surf wear. Footwear includes hiking boots, trail running shoes, sports shoes, thongs, sandals, slides and clogs.

Fishing Equipment & Clothing: Fishing shirts and hats, fishing rods, fishing reels, fishing line, fishing bait, fishing tools, fishing storage and fishing accessories.

4WD & Caravan Equipment: 4WD recovery gear, roof racks, satellite radios & communications, 4WD lighting, 4WD storage solutions, caravan equipment, portable solar panels, towing accessories, rooftop tents and car awnings.

Snow Equipment & Clothingfor Skiing and Snow Boarding: Snow jackets, snow pants, snow boots, snow gloves & mittens, snow helmets, snow goggles and snow socks.

Water Sports Equipment: Kayaks, stand up paddle boards (SUPs), surf boards, paddles, snorkelling gear, pool toys & inflatables and boating accessories.

Beach Furniture: Beach chairs, beach umbrellas, beach trolleys and beach shade tents.

Boating Gear & Accessories: Life jackets (PFDs), outboard motors & fuel, boat electronics, boat fitouts and trailer accessories.

Bikes and Cycling Equipment: Bikes, children's bikes, mountain bikes, electronic scooters, bike racks, bike spare parts, bike helmets and bike accessories.

Brands Within the Collection

They offer 436 brands. [24] One of those listed is Mountain Designs, a competitor for Anaconda in 2007 [25] and originally based in Brisbane that Spotlight Group acquired on May 3, 2018. [26] [27] [28]

Another former competitor that is listed as a brand on Anaconda's extensive list is Gondwana Outdoor, listed as just Gondwana on Anaconda's site. The company stopped selling through their website sometime between February 4, 2017 [29] and February 18, 2017. [30] Gondwana also actively encouraged its customers to show them what they did on outdoor adventures, hosting the Inspiring Gippsland Walks competition in 2010. [31] They were also a partner with Bush Heritage in 2009, donating $1.50 from the sale of each item containing recycled fleece. [32]

Gondwana directed customers to Rainbird Clothing's website when they closed their online portal. Rainbird is another brand Anaconda sells, though the parent company for both, Textile House, [33] still appears to be in business as a separate entity. [34] [35] Gondwana is listed under "The Trustee for Summit Outdoor Clothing Trust" in Dun and Bradstreet [36] and the Australian Business Register. [37] It is unclear as to whether Spotlight Group acquired these brands as they did Mountain Designs.

Anaconda is an authorised retailer of well known outdoor brands and fishing such as The North Face, Helly Hansen, Garmin, Abu Garcia and Shimano.

Loyalty Program

Their Adventure Club loyalty program is unlike the average discount membership program. They not only offer member-only discounts, but also offer nights where the stores are only open to members of the club and occasionally hold competitions and giveaways that only members can enter. In 2008, [38] 2009, [39] and 2010, [40] the company hosted the Anaconda Adventure Racing Series in Western Australia, increasing 'adventure tourism'. [41] As of July 2023, membership in the program is free. Spotlight credits the program as "fundamental to Anaconda's success." [2]

Awards

Anaconda received recognition for their store design and concept in 2023, making the list of finalists, [42] though the award for the category went to BCF. [43]

However, Anaconda did not score well on the annual Ethical Fashion Report in 2022, which assessed 581 brands. Alongside Harris Scarfe and Mountain Designs, also owned by Spotlight, Anaconda received a score of 1/100. [44]

See also

References

  1. "About Anaconda - Discover Australia's Leading Camping Store!". Anaconda.
  2. 1 2 "Spotlight Retail Group: Anaconda". Spotlight Group . Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  3. "ABN Lookup". abr.business.gov.au. 2014-11-01. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  4. "Dun & Bradstreet Business Directory - Company Profile: The Trustee for Anaconda Trust". Dun & Bradstreet . Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  5. Cannot cite ZoomInfo as they are on the Wikipedia Blacklist.
  6. "The Anaconda brand experience: creating a destination for adventure-seekers". Inside Retail . Commonwealth Bank sponsored article. 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  7. Thomson, James (2010-05-18). "Influencers & Profiles: Peter Birtles". SmartCompany. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  8. Schlesinger, Larry (2022-06-21). "Spotlight opens super-sized Anaconda stores" . Australian Financial Review . Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  9. Dean, Megan (2023-03-31). "Outdoor activity giant approved for development". Bundaberg Now. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  10. Knight, Kylie (2023-07-13). "New details on three mega projects". Moreton Daily. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  11. "Development Applications Tracker". Moreton Bay Regional Council. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  12. Schlesinger, Larry (2022-04-27). "Bricks-and-mortar revival drives Harris Scarfe expansion plans" . Australian Financial Review . Archived from the original on 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  13. "Anaconda opening creates jobs in Butler". PerthNow. The Sunday Times (Western Australia). 23 August 2019. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  14. "Outdoor sports store targeted in brazen ram-raid". Nine News . 2018-07-11. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  15. Manicaros, Ashley (2016-06-09). "New Anaconda store at Jape Homemaker Village sets retail records". Northern Territory News . Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  16. Ellard, Glenn (2023-03-23). "Huge offering ranges from e-bikes to kayaks on new store" . South Coast Register. The Canberra Times . Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  17. Ellard, Glenn (2023-03-28). "Big crowd helps new store open with a bang" . South Coast Register. The Canberra Times . Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  18. "Anaconda Adventure HQ in Brendale shows future" . The Courier-Mail . 2022-05-02. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  19. Humphries, Glen (2022-11-02). "Spotlight, Anaconda and more heading to Albion Park Rail site" . South Coast Register. The Canberra Times . Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  20. "EXCITED: Shoppers flock to Anaconda for grand opening" . The Courier-Mail . 2019-11-23. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  21. "Retail shake-up as $20M new shopping precinct plans revealed" . The Courier-Mail . Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  22. Pallisco, Marc (2021-10-15). "Spotlight buys into Hervey Bay with development plan". Real Estate Source Australia. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  23. "Hervey Bay Spotlight, Anaconda development to open in mid-2023" . Townsville Bulletin. The Courier-Mail. 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  24. "Our Brands". Anaconda. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  25. Carter, Janelle (2007-05-29). "New retail adventure". Business News (Australia) . Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  26. "ABN Lookup". abr.business.gov.au. 2014-11-01. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  27. "Mountain Designs sold to Anaconda owner Spotlight" . The Courier-Mail . 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  28. Koehn, Emma (2018-03-29). "Troubled outdoor retailer Mountain Designs bought by Spotlight Group". SmartCompany. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  29. "Gondwana Outdoor (via Wayback, 2017-02-04)". Gondwana Outdoor, via Wayback Machine . Archived from the original on 2017-02-04. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  30. "Gondwana Outdoor (via Wayback, 2007-02-18)". Gondwana Outdoor, via Wayback Machine . Archived from the original on 2017-02-18. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  31. "Oberon image wins prize". The Great Southern Star. Victor Harbor Times. 2011-01-05. p. 30. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  32. "A partnership with Gondwana Outdoor Clothing". Bush Heritage News . 2009. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  33. "Melbourne Website Design | Website Development | Search Engine Optimisation - Online Works® Melbourne, Sydney, Australia". www.onlineworks.com.au. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  34. "Textile House | Rainbird Clothing & Rainbird Workwear" . Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  35. "Dun & Bradstreet Business Directory Listing - Textile House Proprietary Limited". Dun & Bradstreet . Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  36. "Dun & Bradstreet Business Directory Listing - The Summit for Outdoor Clothing Trust". Dun & Bradstreet . Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  37. "ABN Lookup". abr.business.gov.au. 2014-11-01. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  38. Orlando, Adam (2008-10-15). "Event marketing the main game". Business News (Australia) . Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  39. "Winners of the 40 Under 40 Award". Business News (Australia) . 2009-02-18. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  40. "40 Under 40 winners". Business News (Australia). 2010-02-18. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  41. Quinn, Russell (2009-05-14). "Who's up for some adventure". Business News (Australia). Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  42. Pattabiraman, Rakshnna (2023-01-17). "Finalists revealed for Inside Retail's Retailer Awards 2023". Inside Retail . Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  43. Stockdill, Robert (2023-03-02). "Jax Tyres & Auto heads the winners' list in the Retailer Awards 2023". Inside Retail . Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  44. Elsworthy, Emma (2022-10-18). "From Target to Sheike: Australia's most and least ethical fashion brands, ranked". SmartCompany. Retrieved 2023-07-22.