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Columbia Sportswear (ticker: COLM) makes a line of boots with an electric cord that you plug into a wall socket. The footwear stores thermal energy – wearers release that with the press of a button – so feet stay warm while the wearer is slogging through snow-covered fields or sitting in a duck-hunting blind.
Columbia also makes a line of jackets with its patented Omni-Heat technology – basically a series of little silver dots lining the interior of the garment, which absorb ambient heat and help keep the wearer warm and dry while regulating body temperature.
The products are an important component of the bullish argument for Columbia's weakened shares. Plug-in boots and Omni-Heat jackets – as well as a host of other new products – have established Columbia as the leading innovator in the high-end outdoor apparel and accessories business, while allowing the company to push the envelope on the price-point that its customers are willing to pay for high-quality merchandise.
It used to be that apparel makers couldn't get their customers to go much higher than, say, $200 per item,
Thomas sabo Silver With 3 Charms, for rugged outdoor clothing. Today, though, Columbia customers – who spend something along the lines of $1.4 billion a year for products in this category according to analysts – can be enticed to spend upward of $1,200 for its sophisticated garments.
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