Retailers MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) and Links of London have named NKPR as their public relations agency of record.
NKPR will lead a communications plan for Canadian outdoor retailer MEC and handle North American PR for jewelry brand Links of London as it opens its first freestanding boutiques in Canada and expands in the U.S.
Vancouver-based MEC selected NKPR after a competitive RFP process. The retail co-operative’s previous agency was Media Profile.
NKPR will handle media relations, influencer outreach, strategic partnerships, store openings and community events for MEC.
“Our communications strategy will focus on building awareness for MEC’s expansion, telling the brand story and creating experiences that foster the brand’s loyal community of outdoor enthusiasts while growing their membership base with new audiences,” says NKPR president Natasha Koifman.
Koifman says “there’s this opportunity to really help evolve the perception of the brand to an expanded target audience. I always thought it was a place to go to for outdoor gear but the reality is they have everything there under one roof.”
MEC chief marketing officer Anne Donohoe says NKPR understands “the importance of authentic partnerships and community outreach to support our brand” as it continues to expand. MEC has over 4 million members across Canada.
MEC has 18 stores across Canada and is opening four more this year in Kelowna, B.C., Edmonton, Laval, Que. and North York in Toronto.
Links of London, which was established in 1990, is opening its first two Canadian freestanding retail locations in Toronto this June at CF Toronto Eaton Centre and CF Sherway Gardens and its fourth Manhattan location in August. In Canada, the jewelry brand is sold in several Holt Renfrew stores and Ogilvy in Montreal.
Links of London spoke to other agencies before selecting NKPR, Koifman says.
Leela Petrakis, president of FF Group which owns Links of London, said that NKPR’s “expertise in luxury and contemporary fashion combined with their strategic hands-on approach (and) digital influence” sets the agency apart.
NKPR, which has offices in Toronto and New York, will handle media relations, an influencer program and a store opening strategy for Links of London. It will also work to further awareness for its existing freestanding and concession stores across North America.
Awareness for the brand is already solid in Canada “because we’re so tied with the U.K. and London,” Koifman says. “I feel there is opportunity for more awareness in the U.S. Canada is more of a reconnection of the brand to the consumer.”
Links of London is “the epitome of luxury but it’s accessible luxury. I feel that there’s a tremendous opportunity to tell that story.”
