Under the leadership of Vincent Wauters, president and CEO, who took over the reins of the group in February 2021, the Rossignol Group has announced a new strategic plan called Ascension 2026, according to which the group aims to achieve sales of more than €500 million in 2026 (compared to €313 million in FY 2021/22) while proving that qualitative growth is possible, that is, economic ambitions are perfectly compatible with social and environmental commitments.
With Ascension 2026, the Rossignol Group is committing to a dedicated and responsible model based on its new corporate principle, “Carve movements of sustainability and human potential.” The aim of the new plan will be to carry the group’s strategy from the core of its industrial assets to its innovations to enable the development of sports activities in the mountains in an inclusive and environmentally friendly way. The key impetus of this plan is to reconcile industrial performance with a sustainable approach toward its customers, employees, partners and the entire mountain ecosystem.
To support this new ambition, the group announced an investment package totaling €50 million until 2026, of which €27 million will be for industrial investments (including €15 million related to its environmental improvement program ”Respect”); the rest of this total being investments in new products and marketing.
“With Ascension 2026, we project the group and its 115-year history into the future with confidence, working for sustainable and inclusive development and sharing the inspiration of mountain sports in summer and winter,“ Wauters commented. “With this roadmap, we are proud to announce industrial and environmental investments through the use of renewable energy, lifecycle management including repairability, second hand, second life and recyclability. In particular, we want to make the Sallanches site, the last ski factory in France, the world’s first factory for ecologically designed and recyclable skis.”
The new strategy is built around four complementary platforms, each with concrete projects and ambitious quantified targets:
- INNOVATION & PRODUCTS - Investing in innovation for athletic and environmental performance, expanding the range beyond winter sports in a four-season approach to mountain sports, and launching lifecycle management initiatives for products.
- INDUSTRY - Stronger establishment of production in France and Western Europe and increasing investment in industrial sites.
- MARKETING - Diversify the group’s revenues by making equipment, apparel and footwear available globally through multiple channels as part of a multi-activity approach throughout the year.
- SOCIAL - Commitment to a contributory business model: creating, promoting and stimulating movements that bring out human potential through sport in a more sustainable, inclusive and accessible environment.
