Bogner Comes to China! Four Renowned Outdoor Sports Brands Enter Chinese Market

As the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games approached, skiing became one of the most discussed topics in the fashion sector of China.

Luxe.CO tracked four brands’ latest developments in the Chinese market, including BOGNER, VOLCOM, Klättermusen and MAMMUT.

BOGNER’s First Direct-sale Store in China

German athluxury brand BOGNER opened its first-ever pop-up boutique at Jing An Kerry Centre in Shanghai, China on September 29, 2021.

BOGNER owns 6 boutique stores worldwide and 3 pop-up boutiques in China that are located respectively at Beijing SKP, WF CENTRAL in Beijing and Lake Songhua Seibu Prince Hotel in Jilin.

Meanwhile, BOGNER picked WF CENTRAL to set up its first direct-sale store in China and would launch a second one at Plaza 66 in Shanghai. BOGNER entered China as early as 2018 with its first franchise store located at Thaiwoo Ski Resort in Chongli, Zhangjiakou.

BOGNER positioned itself as an “athluxury” brand from the very beginning by providing both professional and stylish sportswear. Meanwhile, ever since 1952 when the brand became an official sponsor of the German National Ski Team, BOGNER has supplied uniforms for the team for 68 times in a row.

Bogner owns three product lines which include BOGNER Sport featuring function and performance, BOGNER Fashion for luxury casual wear and FIRE+ICE that targets young and active lifestyle.

VOLCOM’s First Store in Beijing

California-based stylish brand VOLCOM launched its first store at TaiKoo Li Sanlitun in Beijing on November 20, 2021.

The store infuses VOLCOM’s skiing roots to transport customers onto a snow-covered mountain with its interior design. Meanwhile, products of winter sports such as skiwear collaborated with artists and the VOLCOM x NITRO Snowboard collection were presented.

Founded in 1991, VOLCOM is the first outdoor sports brand that combines surfing, skateboarding and skiing.

Kering purchased VOLCOM for 608 million dollars in 2011. Together with German sports brand PUMA and others, VOLCOM joined the sports and lifestyle division of Kering. In April, 2019, Authentic Brands Group (hereinafter referred to as “ABG”), an American brand development, marketing and entertainment company, acquired the intellectual property of VOLCOM.

With the help of its new owner ABG, VOLCOM became the official outfitter of the US Snowboard Team in place of snowboard maker Burton Snowboards, which means that all US Snowboard Team athletes would wear VOLCOM at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

In 2020, ABG signed a contract with the China Ting Group Holdings Ltd. to advance VOLCOM’s development in the Chinese market. The collaboration between the two groups symbolized the brand’s determination to expand its offline channels. Also in 2020, VOLCOM revealed its first store in China at Hangzhou MIXC.

Klättermusen’s First Direct-sale Store in China

On November 27, Sweden mountaineering equipment brand Klättermusen set up its first direct-sale store at Hangzhou Tower.

Klättermusen was founded in 1975. “Klatter” and “Musen” mean “climb” and “mouse/mice,” respectively, in German.

Klättermusen positions itself as “The World’s Most Refined Mountaineering Equipment since 1975.” The adoption of environmentally friendly material and stylish design are two trademarks of Klättermusen and its motto is “Maximum safety for you, Minimum impact on nature.”

Klättermusen entered China as early as 2012 through an agency and its products are available in a few outdoor retail stores across China.

MAMMUT’s First New Concept Store

Swiss outdoor brand MAMMUT revealed its U-level concept store at the China World Mall in Beijing on October 15. The store is also first of its kind since MAMMUT entered China in 2013.

The space is separated into three zones: EIGER EXTEME, PERFORMANCE OUTDOOR and URBAN OUTDOOR to meet the diversified needs of consumers. MAMMUT plans to promote new concepts in more stores such as that in Harbin after the successful attempt in Beijing.

MAMMUT’s history dates back to 160 years ago. It started out making ropes for mountaineering and gradually expanded its businesses into the design, manufacturing and sales of outdoor sportswear and sports gear. Nowadays, MAMMUT has become one of the largest manufacturers of mountaineering gear and outdoor equipment. In 2018, its revenue exceeded 250 million Swiss francs.

In 1982, MAMMUT became part of the Conzzeta AG Group (later changed into Bystronic). In April 2021, it was acquired by Telemos Capital.