Rays (retailer)
 |
 | |
| Industry | Retail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1958 Geelong, Australia |
| Defunct | 2018 |
| Fate | Merged with Macpac |
| Successor | Macpac |
| Headquarters | |
| Owner | Super Retail Group Limited |
| Website | raysoutdoors.com.au |
Rays was an Australian chain of retail stores in 40 locations across Australia, selling camping, hiking and kayaking equipment, as well as outdoor clothing and footwear.
It was founded as Ray's Tent City in Geelong in 1958 by Ray Frost, as a single camping and army disposals store.[1][2] It rebranded as Ray's Outdoors in 2003. The chain was then acquired by the Super Retail Group in 2010, which said 12 of the 38 former Ray's Outdoors outlets would be converted to BCF (Boating Camping and Fishing) stores, an existing Super Retail Group business, and a further 15 would be converted to a new Rays brand.[3]
Beginning in about April 2018, several Rays stores were closed, with the profitable ones becoming Macpac Adventure Hubs, using the name of the New Zealand chain recently acquired by the Super Retail Group.[4] Unlike Macpac stores, Adventure Hubs stocked brands Ray's Outdoors was renowned for selling. They combined the Macpac range of technical outdoor gear, with a selection of apparel, equipment and accessories from some of the world's leading brands: Patagonia, Columbia, Keen, Sea to Summit, Yeti, Scarpa, Coleman, Weber and Wanderer.
References
[edit]- ^ "Super Cheap to buy Ray's Outdoors". Sydney Morning Herald. 2010-04-27. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
- ^ http://www.superretailgroup.com.au/about-us/our-journey/
- ^ "Refreshed Super Retail lifts FY profit 62%". SBS News. 2017-08-25. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
- ^ "Ray's Outdoors has a 60-year history, but its closing in Ballarat". Ballarat Courier. 2018-04-17. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
External links
[edit]
 | This backpacking related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |