Salomon’s 35% Growth Pushes Amer Sports to Bet Bigger on Footwear

Salomon is moving from cult outdoor name to strategic growth engine inside Amer Sports. Footwear is now central to the group’s revenue ambitions and category mix. As recent results show, the parent is leaning into trail, lifestyle and performance shoes. This comes at a moment when it expects group sales to rise a further 16% to 18% in 2026.

Footwear at the Center

Salomon footwear has shifted from a niche outdoor line to one of Amer Sports standout volume and visibility drivers. The brand now sits alongside Arc’teryx and Wilson in the company’s powerhouse group. In fact, leadership repeatedly names shoes as a core growth pillar. This means it is not just a secondary category.

Numbers Behind the Push

In 2025, Amer Sports revenue grew 27% to about $6.6 billion. It was helped by what the company calls a breakout year for Salomon. Footwear played a major role: outdoor performance sales jumped roughly 29%. Moreover, Salomon surpassed $2 billion in annual revenue with about 35% growth.

Balancing Investment and Margins

To fuel that trajectory, Amer Sports has been deliberately spending more on Salomon softgoods and footwear. The company is accepting around a 100 basis point hit to operating margin tied to higher SG&A. Furthermore, management argues that a stronger balance sheet gives it room to keep funding brand and retail expansion. This includes net leverage near 0.3x and over $700 million in operating cash flow at the end of 2025.

Arc’teryx Link and Category Crossover

The strategy also connects closely to Arc’teryx, where footwear is emerging alongside technical apparel as another growth line. Together, the two brands give Amer Sports a bigger presence in the outdoor meets lifestyle space, where trail runners, hikers, and technical inspired sneakers are competing for the same consumer.

What it Means

Salomon’s current phase suggests continued depth in footwear assortments, from performance trail to more fashion facing styles, backed by heavier marketing and retail investment. For competitors, it is another signal that multi brand groups are willing to trade near term margin for category leadership when a label shows double digit momentum in a key footwear segment.