麻豆传媒

Skip to main content

MEC is bringing back its old logo

MEC is returning to its old logo. (Photo: Hulse&Durrell, CNW Group/MEC) MEC is returning to its old logo. (Photo: Hulse&Durrell, CNW Group/MEC)
Share
TORONTO -

When Eric Claus took over as CEO of Mountain Equipment Co. in late 2020, it didn鈥檛 take long for the issue of the logo to come up. Seven years earlier, the company had changed its familiar mountain logo to a plainer green square with the MEC acronym.

鈥淓veryone was like 鈥榗an't you bring back the mountain, bring back the peaks鈥,鈥 Claus told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Monday.

As of Tuesday, the square logo is officially history, as the company brings back the mountain peak logo, part of a current year-long repositioning effort aimed at returning MEC to its roots as a retailer of outdoor activity gear.

鈥淲e're really focused on the things that are the outdoors, for paddling, cycling, climbing, backcountry skiing, hiking,鈥 said Claus.

The former Mountain Equipment Co-op filed for credit protection in September 2020, struggling with mounting debt and growing losses exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sold to U.S.-based private investment firm Kingswood Capital Management, MEC was reborn as a company, ditching its former co-op structure.

However, MEC had been losing its way long before the pandemic and the eventual sale, says Claus. Some of that involved behind-the-scenes inefficiencies in areas, such as warehousing and logistics, that damaged the retailer鈥檚 bottom line. But more visible was the shifting focus at the stores, where the outdoors gear gave way to casual clothing and other products.

鈥淭here was a move towards more lifestyle as opposed to technical gear,鈥 said Claus. 鈥淭hen there was also getting into certain categories that we had no business in, like we have no business in pet food. And yoga is a great thing, but we鈥檙e not a yoga store.鈥

The company is now refocusing its products on outdoor activities, and is bringing back once-popular products such as colourful nylon 鈥淩ad Pants鈥 made for climbing.

Claus says the company is also redirecting its efforts on sustainability. It is developing a climate action plan and has set a goal to ensure 50 per cent of MEC label clothing is manufactured in certified fair trade factories by 2025.

The company has already finished the physical rebranding of its flagship Vancouver store and will roll out new signage and labels at its other stores through the rest of the year and into 2022.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.

Toronto police say they are searching for a suspect who allegedly shot and killed his brother in an argument at a Scarborough housing complex late Saturday night.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected