Kathmandu backs Christchurch with new HQ

Clothing and outdoor retailer Kathmandu has moved into Christchurch's new downtown innovation precinct.

Kathmandu has opened its new Christchurch headquarters this morning, with the company backing the quake-damaged city.

Its first New Zealand store was launched in Christchurch in 1991 and Kathmandu spokesperson Fiona Sutherland said the company had a long history with the city.

"Our head office has been in Christchurch since day one," Sutherland said. "So we decided after the earthquake and the rebuild that Christchurch is where the brand has come from, where it started," she said.

"We just wanted to keep that heritage within the city and support the Christchurch that we love, so we didn't see any reason to move on from here and when the opportunity came up to be in the innovation precinct we thought it was a really good idea to move back into the city centre."

The company has a 10 year lease on the building and has spent around $4 million on its fit out. The new three-storey headquarters would be home to around 180 people including the company's product design, systems and online development teams.

Based in the city's innovation precinct, the building has been designed with a number of environmental, sustainable and energy efficient features, including using recycled timber from buildings destroyed in the Christchurch earthquakes. According to Sutherland, the precinct was a good fit for Kathmandu.

"The innovation precinct is for businesses who are pushing their innovations, so there's a specific centre for startup businesses [as well]," she said.

"They've invested that space for small businesses or people that are starting up and need a place to get going, so it's all about innovation, new ways of thinking and bringing retail and Kathmandu into the future really."

Clothing and outdoor retailer Kathmandu has moved into Christchurch's new downtown innovation precinct.

The building is targeting a five star green star rating and will be opened with a powhiri and speeches from chief executive Xavier Simonet, chairman David Kirk and Minister for Economic Development and Science and Innovation Steven Joyce.