Salomon targets $3bn revenue

Salomon is targeting more than $3 billion in annual revenue by 2028 as it seeks to turn its success in technical footwear and fashion-led “Sportstyle” products into a broader global growth story. The ambition was outlined by Amer Sports chief executive James Zheng ahead of the group’s Salomon-focused Investor Day in Annecy, where executives set out plans to expand the French brand across footwear, apparel, running, outdoor equipment and lifestyle.

The target would represent a significant increase from the company’s expected 2026 performance. Salomon chief executive Guillaume Meyzenq told investors that revenue is expected to exceed $2.5 billion by the end of 2026, putting the brand within reach of the $3 billion milestone in just two years.

The strategy depends on maintaining strong momentum in performance footwear while using Sportstyle—the category built around technically inspired footwear for everyday wear—to reach younger and more diverse consumers.

From ski workshop to global brand

Salomon was founded in Annecy in 1947 by François Salomon as a small workshop specialising in ski edges. The business later developed bindings, boots, skis, trail-running shoes and outdoor equipment, becoming one of the most recognisable technical brands in mountain sports.

Its origins remain important to the company’s identity. Salomon’s products are still associated with alpine skiing, trail running and mountain performance, but the brand now operates across categories that reach far beyond the ski resort. Its XT-6 trail shoe, originally designed for demanding mountain use, has become a prominent lifestyle product in cities and fashion markets.

That transition has created both opportunity and tension. Salomon has gained visibility among consumers who may never ski or run a trail race, but its leadership insists the company should not become simply a fashion label. Instead, the stated aim is to connect technical credibility with broader everyday use.

Sportstyle becomes the growth engine

Sportstyle is central to the $3 billion plan. The category includes footwear rooted in outdoor and technical design but adapted for streetwear, travel and daily comfort.

The XT-6 and XT-Whisper franchises are currently the most visible examples. Amer Sports says they are attracting a younger and more diverse audience, moving between mountain activities, urban culture and everyday use.

The XT-6 has become particularly influential in the so-called gorpcore movement, in which trail and outdoor products are adopted as fashion items. Its distinctive profile, technical outsole and outdoor visual language have helped it stand apart from conventional lifestyle sneakers. Fashion collaborations have further increased its visibility.

For Salomon, the opportunity is to use that cultural attention to introduce new customers to the wider brand. A consumer who first encounters Salomon through an XT-6 may later buy trail-running shoes, hiking footwear, apparel, packs or ski equipment. The company is effectively using one technical product as an entry point into a broader outdoor ecosystem.

Meyzenq indicated that Sportstyle currently represents around 40% of Salomon’s business, while performance footwear accounts for approximately 30% and winter sports about 15%. The figures show how far the brand has evolved from its ski-first origins, although winter remains an important source of credibility and technical expertise.

Performance remains the foundation

Salomon’s expansion into lifestyle does not mean abandoning the products that built the company’s reputation. The brand continues to invest in ski boots, skis, bindings, trail-running products and technical apparel, with executives describing performance footwear as a major part of the growth story.

In ski boots, the new S/Pro Alpha C BOA illustrates the company’s approach. The boot combines a narrow performance fit with ExoDrive construction, a lower Powerlink pivot and a cuff-mounted BOA closure intended to improve wrapping and micro-adjustment.

The design reflects a wider technical direction across the ski industry: use advanced fit systems and shell construction to improve power transfer without making the boot harder to live with. It also reinforces Salomon’s claim that technical innovation can create products with relevance beyond a single sport.

The same principle applies to trail footwear. Salomon’s products are developed for mountain use but increasingly marketed in a way that makes them appropriate for multiple environments. Technical details become part of the brand’s visual and cultural identity rather than remaining hidden features understood only by specialist athletes.

A changing business mix

Amer Sports’ financial results show why Salomon has become a major focus for the group. In the second quarter of 2026, Amer’s Outdoor Performance segment—which includes Salomon—grew 37% to approximately $569 million, driven by footwear and apparel.

Direct-to-consumer sales in the segment increased 52%, while wholesale revenue grew 25%. The company said the performance reflected strong demand across both Sportstyle and performance products, with wholesale growth supported by reorders and additional retail distribution.

Amer Sports raised its full-year 2026 revenue-growth guidance to approximately 24% after the strong second quarter. The company also expects Salomon and its outdoor performance business to deliver annual growth in the mid-teens over the longer term.

The numbers indicate that Salomon’s expansion is not based only on fashion collaborations or a single successful sneaker. Growth is being supported by a combination of:

• Performance footwear.

• Sportstyle footwear.

• Technical apparel.

• Direct-to-consumer retail.

• Wholesale expansion.

• Greater international distribution.

• New customers entering through urban and lifestyle channels.

China and direct retail

China is one of the most important markets in Salomon’s expansion plan. Amer Sports said the brand opened 13 net new stores in Greater China during the second quarter of 2026, bringing the total to 315 locations.

The country offers Salomon a combination of growing interest in outdoor recreation, strong urban consumer culture and a large market for premium international brands. Outdoor footwear can be positioned simultaneously as technical equipment, lifestyle product and status item, helping Salomon reach consumers through several routes.

Direct-to-consumer retail is especially important because it gives the brand greater control over presentation, product education and customer data. It also allows Salomon to show the relationship between its technical and lifestyle collections rather than relying on third-party stores to explain the brand.

The strategy carries risks. China remains a competitive and economically sensitive market, while rapid store expansion can create higher operating costs and the danger of overexposure. The company will need to ensure that additional stores generate healthy sales rather than simply increase its physical footprint.

Balancing fashion and authenticity

Salomon’s growing presence in fashion has raised questions about whether the brand risks losing its technical identity. Its footwear now appears in urban street-style coverage, fashion collaborations and celebrity campaigns, while its traditional audiences remain focused on grip, fit, durability and mountain performance.

The company’s leadership is attempting to resolve that tension by presenting fashion relevance as a consequence of technical design rather than a replacement for it. The argument is that strong performance products can become cultural icons when they offer a distinctive appearance and genuine utility.

That position also influences product development. Rather than designing a lifestyle shoe and adding an outdoor aesthetic, Salomon wants to create technically credible footwear that can move naturally into everyday use. The objective is to make the line feel coherent from mountain to city.

The appointment of Jisoo, the South Korean singer and actor, as a global ambassador also illustrates the brand’s attempt to connect outdoor performance with wider cultural reach. Amer Sports said the announcement generated substantial global social-media exposure.

A broader Amer Sports strategy

Salomon’s growth plan sits within Amer Sports’ wider strategy of developing several premium brands with strong technical foundations. The group owns Arc’teryx, Salomon, Wilson, Atomic and Peak Performance, with each brand operating in a different part of the sport and outdoor market.

Arc’teryx has shown how a technical mountain label can grow into a high-value global apparel and lifestyle business through premium positioning, direct retail and strong brand control. Salomon is attempting a related expansion through footwear, but with a broader blend of ski, trail, running and Sportstyle categories.

The brands also create opportunities for cross-category consumers. A skier may buy Atomic equipment and Salomon boots, wear Peak Performance clothing and later purchase Arc’teryx outerwear. A runner may enter through Salomon trail footwear and later buy hiking products or Sportstyle shoes.

For Amer Sports, the objective is not simply to sell more products to existing skiers and hikers. It is to find more occasions to sell to the same consumer as their sporting and lifestyle interests overlap.

The $3bn challenge

Reaching $3 billion by 2028 would require Salomon to grow quickly while preserving the scarcity and credibility that have helped drive its recent momentum. Sportstyle products can reach a much larger market than ski equipment, but the category is crowded and fashion trends can change rapidly.

The company must manage several challenges:

• Avoiding overdependence on the XT-6 and XT-Whisper franchises.

• Converting fashion attention into repeat purchases.

• Maintaining technical credibility among core athletes.

• Expanding retail without weakening premium positioning.

• Managing inventory and wholesale exposure.

• Growing in China while balancing geopolitical and economic risks.

• Keeping the link between technical innovation and lifestyle design clear.

There is also a strategic risk in becoming too visible as a lifestyle brand. If Salomon is perceived as a fashion company that happens to make technical products, it could lose the trust of skiers, runners and mountain users who value performance above image. Conversely, if it remains too narrowly focused on technical consumers, it may fail to capture the potential of Sportstyle.

The company’s stated answer is to unify the two sides rather than choose between them. Technical performance is intended to remain the source of new products, while Sportstyle provides a route into larger urban and international markets.

Salomon’s place in skiing

For ski consumers, the financial ambition may seem distant from the piste, but it could have practical consequences. A larger Salomon business may provide more resources for boot development, ski design, athlete support and retail education. The company’s increased visibility may also attract new consumers to skiing through products first encountered in running or fashion.

At the same time, growth can change how a brand operates. More stores, more collaborations and a larger lifestyle business could shift attention away from specialist mountain products or make the brand more dependent on consumer trends outside skiing.

Salomon’s challenge is to prove that its expansion strengthens rather than dilutes the technical foundation established in Annecy almost 80 years ago. Its product teams will need to continue developing credible equipment for demanding users while creating designs that appeal to customers who value style, comfort and versatility.

A new phase for a French mountain brand

The $3 billion target marks a new stage in Salomon’s evolution. The company is no longer simply a ski-equipment manufacturer expanding into trail running. It is becoming a global outdoor footwear brand with ski heritage, performance expertise and growing influence in fashion and urban culture.

Its recent growth suggests that the strategy is working. Amer Sports reports strong gains in Outdoor Performance, rising direct-to-consumer sales and continued momentum in both Sportstyle and performance footwear. The Investor Day in Annecy has given the company a platform to present Salomon as one of Amer’s most important future growth engines.

Reaching $3 billion by 2028 will require more than repeating the success of one trail shoe. Salomon will need to keep producing technically convincing products, build new franchises, grow apparel and running, expand internationally and maintain a clear relationship between mountain performance and everyday use.

The brand’s future may therefore depend on how successfully it balances two identities. One was forged in ski workshops and Alpine races; the other is being built in city streets, fashion markets and global sneaker culture. If Salomon can make those identities reinforce each other, its route from ski specialist to $3 billion outdoor brand may become one of the defining commercial stories in modern snowsports.