Columbia Sportswear Announces Plans for Construction of New European Distribution Facility.

Business Editors

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2001

New Facility Underscores the Growing Importance

of the Company's European Business

International outdoor apparel and footwear leader Columbia Sportswear Company(R) (Nasdaq:COLM) today announced that it has reached an agreement of understanding to acquire property in Cambrai, France, for the construction of a new distribution facility.

The new facility will distribute Columbia's products to all markets in the European Union.

The Company currently distributes products to these markets through an independent logistics company based in The Netherlands. Columbia intends to build and operate the Cambrai distribution center, which in its first year of operation will add approximately 155 employees to Columbia's existing European staff.

"The construction of this new facility underscores our commitment to our European business and our dedication to customer service," said Tim Boyle, Columbia's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are pleased with the outcome of our search for a new site and look forward to working with the people of Cambrai on this exciting project."

Once the appropriate agreements are finalized, Columbia expects the construction of the distribution center to begin in late Summer 2001, and anticipates the facility will be operational in Summer 2002.

The new facility will be approximately 269,000 square feet and will be used for the distribution of Columbia's apparel and footwear lines. The Company anticipates that total costs for the project will be approximately $30 million. A substantial portion of these costs are scheduled to be incurred during the first half of 2002.

Columbia Sportswear has identified Europe as one of the key international regions where outdoor activities are consistently popular, and where the Company can promote its active, outdoor, authentic and distinctly American brand image and reputation for value.

From 1995 to 2000, direct net sales for the Company's products in Europe increased at a compound annual growth rate of 61 percent. Columbia's European business grew 42.5% in 2000, from revenues of $41 million in 1999 to revenues of $59 million in 2000. The Company sells products directly to approximately 4,200 retailers throughout Western Europe. Independent distributors are used to sell products in Greece, Norway, Switzerland, Russia and Eastern Europe.

Founded in 1938 in Portland, Ore., Columbia Sportswear Company is a global leader in the design, sourcing, marketing and distribution of active outdoor apparel and footwear. As one of the largest outerwear manufacturers in the world and the leading seller of skiwear in the United States, the Company has developed an international reputation for quality, performance, functionality and value. To learn more about Columbia Sportswear, please visit the Company's Web site at www.columbia.com.

This press release contains forward-looking information regarding the anticipated costs of the facility and the Company's expectation that the facility will be operational by Summer 2002. This forward-looking information is subject to many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks and uncertainties, some of which are described in more detail in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 30, 2000, under the heading "Factors that May Affect our Business," include but are not limited to the Company's ability to finalize appropriate agreements to complete the land acquisition and construction of the new facility, to manage expansion effectively, the ability to continue operating and expanding the Company's computer systems, the Company's ability to integrate a new facility with existing operations, the availability of labor, raw materials and other inputs on anticipated terms, the Company's ability to obtain any necessary governmental approvals in a timely fashion, and uncertainties associated with doing business abroad, such as exchange rate fluctuations. The Company does not undertake any duty to update any of the forward-looking information after the date of this release, to conform it to actual results or to changes in our expectations.