Brief: Kathmandu Apparels Kathmandu is an iconic New Zealand travel and adventure brand with multiple retail chains around Australia, NZ and distributions in the UK. In Australia and NZ, Kathmandu has outnumbered competitors having stores across major shopping centres and suburban areas. In late August 2019, the company has entered the US market. In 2020, COVID-19 has presented challenges and opportunities within the retail sector. Some of the challenges include drop in sales due to restrictions in the number of customers in the stores and store closures in some cities. On the other hand, the rise of transaction facilities (e.g Afterpay) supported the boom in online sales. Given the current economic climate in the USA and the infancy of Kathmandu as a brand in the US market, you have been appointed to identify ONE core branding problem. Based on this problem, provide a roadmap to that will lead brand growth. Criteria: 1. Identified and justified core branding problem Discussed why this is a problem with support from literature. 3% 2. Provided a roadmap to brand growth. Listed at least 3 strategies to address the identified problem. Discussed the implementation of strategies by providing an estimate and justification of success and failure and justify. 7% 3. Use of key theoretical concepts 3% 4. Presentation and References 2% TOTAL 15%