Salomon Plants Flag in Italy with First Store in Milan
Salomon has opened its first store in Italy unveiling a unit in Milan’s Corso Garibaldi, few steps away from the city’s arty Brera district.
Following in the footsteps of recent store openings in New York City, Paris, London, Shanghai and Tokyo, the 968-square-foot space features minimal interiors hinged on metallic and wooden elements and spotlighting the French outdoor brand’s running and hiking gear, including footwear, apparel and bags.
A full wall of the Amer Sports-owned brand’s Sportstyle footwear is offered to sneakers aficionados, too, along with free services including 2D foot scanning and the Tap2Pay system on smartphones reducing waiting times in completing transactions. Products and colorways not available at the store can additionally be ordered on-site and shipped directly to locations across Italy.
“As a premium partner of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic and Paralympics Games, [this] marks a defining moment for the Salomon brand as we open our first Salomon store in Milano,” said Paolo Parmeggiani, the brand’s director of countries and managing director Italy.
“We are extremely proud and focused on offering an amazing experience and service to consumers. Milan is only a couple hours from the mountains and nearby ski resorts, but it’s also the home of the September fashion week, which makes it perfect to showcase Salomon’s modern mountain sports lifestyle, from winter sports equipment to running products to fashion-inspired sneakers,” he added.
To mark the opening, the brand staged an initiative last week involving the local running communities, which the company invited to run a specific 8-mile route shared only on the day of the event. After the run, attendees eventually gathered at the store for an aperitivo, DJ set and to collect some goodies.
The Milan opening is part of a bigger retail rollout strategy that comes after Amer Sports raised $1.37 billion in its initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange earlier this year.
As reported last week, Amer Sports raised its guidance for fiscal year 2024 after posting strong Q3 results and announced a new chief executive officer and president for Salomon.
The public Finnish company – which also owns the Arc’Teryx, Wilson, Peak Performance and Atomic brands – reported a 17 percent increase in sales in Q3 to $1.35 billion. Net income increased 257 percent to $56 million, or 11 cents diluted earnings per share.
The outdoor performance segment, which includes Salomon, saw revenues grow 8 percent to $534 million in Q3. The brand announced that it has elevated chief product officer Guillaume Meyzenq to the role of president and CEO of Salomon, effective Jan 1, 2025. He replaces Franco Fogliato, who stepped down from the role in April for personal reasons after about three years at the helm of the brand.