Salomon opens first own brand store in Japan

Salomon has opened its first own brand store in Japan. The 173.66 m2 store is located in the famous Mori Park Outdoor Village. Mori Park is a 21,000 m2 area located just one hour from Tokyo and close to the popular hiking areas Mitake Mountain, Odake Mountain and Kimotori Mountain.

“We already have a good Amer Sports retail network in Japan with a total of 21 branded stores. The network consists of one Arc’teryx brand store and a factory outlet opened last year, 17 Salomon partner stores and two factory outlets, one own shop-in-shop as well as now also our own brand store”, describes Hiroshi Kishino, Country Manager, Amer Sports Japan.

“This new brand store is a great step to showcase the Salomon brand to the outdoor enthusiast in Japan. The location in the Mori Park is ideal for Salomon, as a lot of people go to the park to practice outdoor sports”, Kishino describes.

The Mori Park concept is all about enriching the quality of life with focus on outdoor brands and experience of outdoor sports. The facilities include, among others, a climbing wall, trekking course, yoga studio, camping and canoeing equipment for various outdoor and hiking events and seminars.
“We are planning to utilize the excellent location of the store to attract consumers also by organizing various events focused on hiking and running, also in collaboration with Suunto”, Kishino highlights.
In 2014, the sportswear market in Japan grew by 5% and is expected to continue growth in terms of both volume and value. In particular, outdoor apparel and footwear are outperforming other categories. For example, ever since the recognition of Mount Fuji as a UNESCO World Heritage site in June 2013, the trend for mountain climbing has become increasingly popular among young female consumers.
  
Winning in Go to Market and growing faster in softgoods

The opening of Salomon’s first brand store in Japan is yet another step towards Amer Sports strategic goals to grow faster in softgoods and to further accelerate its Business to Consumer (B2C), i.e. own retail and e-commerce. In five years, Amer Sports has built its B2C to 5% of the Group sales, up from below 1% in 2010. Amer Sports has a global presence of approximately 250 retail stores and more than 60 e-commerce stores.

Amer Sports B2C strategy complements the traditional wholesale model by offering the consumer a great brand experience, communicating the brand essence and offering a wider set of choices of when, how and where to buy.

“We continue to evolve the company toward a balanced wholesale and B2C model, engaging the consumer at multiple touchpoints and reinforcing our brand demand, with a proven positive impact on the wholesale business”, said Victor Duran, Senior Vice President, Marketing & B2C at Amer Sports in an interview in November 2014.


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