After the as good as ski-free season 2020/21, Rossignol is reporting growth in all markets for the winter now coming to an end. Skiers were back in force at lodges around the world, says the group, which enjoyed year-on-year rises in revenue of 24 percent in North America, 30 percent in Europe and 15 percent in Asia. And next year, it continues, looks promising despite inflation and the war in Ukraine.
According to the group, apparel and footwear – which account for 22 percent of the group’s business – were up more than 40 percent to record levels. A new line of mountain bikes is due out in March and an outdoor collection, called Escaper, in the summer.
In the current year, Rossignol will be accelerating its shift toward year-round business, especially in mountain sports, where it will be “diversifying its offer of multi-season and multi-activity experiences.”
Vincent Wauters, who succeeded Bruno Cercley as CEO in February of last year, is laying emphasis on an environmental plan that dates back to 2020, with pledges for a 30 percent reduction in the group’s carbon footprint by 2030 and a 40 percent reduction in its industrial waste by 2025.
The novelty here will be a new, French-made ski, 62 percent of whose mass will consist of bio-sourced and recycled materials. The Essential, as the ski is called, is designed to be 75 percent recyclable and will be available in a limited edition in October. The brand says its other skis are tenfold less recyclable.
In this connection, the group has set up a partnership with a French firm called MTB Recycling, which will handle the grinding, sorting and revaluation of materials – for both the Essential and other skis. The resulting materials will be usable for a variety of purposes (shoemaking, gardening, automobile manufacturing, etc.). MTB’s system will be operating at Rossignol’s plant at Sallanches, which the group hopes to transform into France’s first factory for recyclable skis.
Rossignol hopes to have incorporated all of its ski lines into the circular economy by 2028 and other products after that.
