Mountain Warehouse peaks at £85m The company enjoyed its best online sales day so far last Sunday, as customers worried about the predicted storm in the UK flocked to the website and sparked a 160pc increase in sales of waterproofs and wellington boots. Mountain Warehouse has 169 stores and its like-for-like sales are up 10pc this year. Lloyds" private equity arm, LDC, has held a minority stake since August 2010, when it backed a £47m buyout. Since then, Mountain Warehouse has increased its annual sales by 60pc to £76m in the most recent financial year and opened 60 new stores. Mr Neale said he received "fantastic support" from LDC in helping the retailer to expand despite "tough market conditions." But the 45-year-old, who founded Mountain Warehouse as a factory outlet store in Swindon in 1997, said he was glad to have regained control of the company. "The problem with the private-equity boys is that when they walk into a room, they ask where the exit is," Mr Neale said. I wish our talented young people didn't just get sucked into the world of finance. Mr Neale said Mountain Warehouse could expand to 300 stores across Europe and also hopes to increase its online sales.