Mountain Warehouse to Rebrand High Road Store
Relaunching under surf culture label Animal
A poster in the window announces the shop's new identity. Picture: ChiswickW4.com
April 14, 2026
The Mountain Warehouse store on in Chiswick has closed ahead of a refitting to allow it to reopen in a new format. The shop at 264-266 Chiswick High Road is scheduled to relaunch as an Animal-branded store on Friday 15 May. Window displays announcing the change appeared this week, signalling a shift in focus from outdoor gear to surf-inspired lifestyle clothing.
Mountain Warehouse owns Animal, having acquired the brand in 2021 after Animal collapsed during the pandemic. Since then, Mountain Warehouse has been steadily relaunching Animal as a standalone label, opening new stores and converting selected Mountain Warehouse sites into Animal outlets. The Chiswick branch is the latest in this rollout.
Animal, founded in 1987 and long associated with surf culture, skatewear and coastal lifestyle fashion, has been repositioned under Mountain Warehouse’s ownership with a renewed emphasis on casual clothing, accessories and sustainably sourced materials. While Mountain Warehouse specialises in technical outdoor kit — waterproof jackets, hiking boots, camping equipment and travel accessories — Animal’s range is more fashion-led, focusing on everyday wear such as hoodies, graphic tees, swimwear, backpacks and relaxed leisure clothing.
Customers in Chiswick can therefore expect a noticeably different product mix once the store reopens. The new Animal shop will stock fewer performance-oriented outdoor items and instead offer a broader selection of casual clothing aimed at adults, teens and children. The brand’s signature surf-influenced designs, bold prints and lifestyle accessories are likely to feature prominently. Mountain Warehouse has also been expanding Animal’s use of recycled fabrics and eco-friendly materials.
The shift is part of a wider strategy by Mountain Warehouse to diversify its retail footprint. In some locations, the company has opened dual-brand stores combining both Mountain Warehouse and Animal ranges under one roof. In others — including Chiswick — it has opted for a full conversion.
This is the second rebrand under the same corporate umbrella for the unit. In 2016 the former Superdrug premises were taken over by another Mountain Warehouse brand, Zakti, but, by 2019 the store had switched to be a Mountain Warehouse.
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