Alpine to urban: Salomon’s Chengdu move signals apparel play

French outdoor brand Salomon unveiled its first global dual-themed flagship for skiing and trail running at Chengdu’s Taikoo Li on December 25, 2025, signaling its strategic shift from product sales to lifestyle ecosystem. The store represents Salomon’s strategic retail upgrade in China. “It’s a breakthrough in translating brand narrative into spatial experience,” John Yin, General Manager for Greater China, tells Jing Daily. “We aim to forge deeper connections through stories and shared value, not just sales.” Designing for resonance, not just retail The 500-sqm, two-floor space uses a “Star Gate” concept with mirrored prism facades and thematic floors — “Earth” on the first floor featuring Sichuan-inspired red stones, “Bamboo” on the second with glazed tile motifs. During the opening, Salomon ran a Resonance Tea pop-up and Go Wild Chengdu · Tea Horse Road hiking activity. The initiative connects the brand’s alpine DNA to Chengdu’s historic role on the Tea Horse Road, an ancient trade route through Sichuan’s mountain passes, aligning outdoor exploration with local heritage. From trail to trend: Salomon evolves its apparel strategy Footwear has been Salomon’s cash cow, successfully bridging performance and style. The brand has collaborated with Sandy Liang and MM6 Maison Margiela to expand from outdoor sports into urban commuting and lifestyle, contexts that Yin calls the “wild yet wearable” philosophy. This strategy resonates in China, where women comprise 60% of Salomon’s consumers versus a 50/50 global split, according to the company. These “Salomon Girls” shape aesthetic trends and give the Alpine brand a distinctly Chinese urban-outdoor character. Salomon is now expanding to a full apparel matrix. According to Yin, clothing will be the key growth driver, with consumer demand for “wild yet wearable” extending beyond footwear to complete head-to-toe outfitting. The Chengdu flagship significantly expanded its apparel display area, using scenario-based merchandising to integrate ski, trail running, and road running collections with activity contexts. The brand launched its Falcon Fly high-performance training apparel series at the 2025 Shanghai Marathon in November. The series debuted at the Chengdu flagship and was slated for nationwide China release in January 2026, according to Salomon. Looking ahead, around 60% of Salomon’s future offline stores will be dedicated to presenting the full apparel range, according to the company. This shift signals the brand’s core strategy of giving apparel equal weight alongside footwear. Building community through sport China’s outdoor sports market shows strong growth potential, with consumers aged 25-34 representing the largest share, according to the China Outdoor Sports Industry Development Report (2024-2025). The consumer base is highly educated and clustered, with elevated expectations for brand philosophy and community. Aligning on this insight, Salomon has developed an ecosystem-driven operating model powered by “community + sports events.” Its core philosophy “lowering the barrier to experience while providing a growth ladder” aims to extend outdoor sports from a professional domain into a lifestyle accessible to everyone. The brand’s user base grew from under 100,000 to nearly 10 million over four years, according to Yin. But he emphasized the importance of building an ecosystem supporting diverse users across different stages. Salomon positions community operations as the gateway for new users, hosting low-barrier activities like urban hikes and light trail running experiences. These activities help outdoor enthusiasts progress from curiosity to brand identification within Salomon’s cultural framework. For core users in trail and road running, Salomon takes a hands-on approach, participating in shaping sports philosophy, co-developing race IPs, and systematically nurturing talent providing professional runners with sustainable growth pathways. Flagship events anchor Salomon’s trail credentials Salomon hosted China’s first large-scale Gravel challenge with no fixed route last year. The event garnered over 40 million views on Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote) and connected professional athletes with the wider running community, according to the company. The label has supported the Tsaigu Trail race held on Mount Kuocang, Zhejiang Province for 10 consecutive years and provides Chinese runners with prize support, training camps, and international opportunities through its Beacon Program, solidifying its authority in China’s trail running sector. Salomon’s Outdoor Performance segment achieved over 35% growth for two consecutive quarters in 2025, making it a strong growth driver for parent company Amer Sports, according to financial reports. The momentum stems from Salomon’s dual DNA: deeply ingrained technical performance providing a foundation for lifestyle expansions, and a boundary-breaking spirit that translates Alpine exploration into contemporary lifestyle. Together, these forces drive rapid growth in China while creating a durable brand position increasingly difficult to dislodge.

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Alpine to urban: Salomon’s Chengdu move signals apparel play