Fusalp Skis into Spain with Ambitious Retail Expansion

Fusalp, the renowned French brand specializing in high-end skiwear, has strategically identified Spain as a pivotal market and is significantly enhancing its retail footprint within the country. This expansion includes the recent opening of a new boutique in Madrid on Calle Jorge Juan at the end of September, with a second Spanish store set to open on December 4 in Viella, the capital of the Aran Valley, approximately 20 minutes from the prestigious Baqueira ski resort.

The move to a directly operated boutique in Madrid signifies a shift in Fusalp’s strategy. Previously, the brand collaborated with an affiliate partner who ran a store on Calle Claudio Coello, which closed last year. Pascal Conte-Jodra, CEO of Fusalp, elaborated on this change to FashionNetwork.com, stating, "We wanted to control the brand experience and opened a subsidiary in Spain." He emphasized Madrid's dynamism as a European capital and the strategic choice of the Salamanca district, aligning with both Spanish and international clientele expectations. The CEO added that the Calle Jorge Juan location, being pedestrianized and tranquil, better reflects Fusalp's values and encourages customers to enjoy a quality shopping experience.

Timed perfectly with the approaching Christmas season and the imminent start of the ski season, Fusalp is poised to launch its second Spanish boutique this week. "On Thursday, December 4, we’re opening in Viella, very close to Baqueira, which is a benchmark in European skiing and an incredible destination both in Spain and internationally," Conte-Jodra explained. He highlighted the store's unique location in a traditional Aranese chalet, a typical local stone house situated in the town's main square, adding to the brand's authentic regional presence.

Beyond these two significant openings, Fusalp’s long-term vision for the Spanish market involves ensuring its product proposition resonates deeply with local consumers. The company also plans to bolster its wholesale activities, currently boasting eight points of sale, by carefully selecting partners to boost brand visibility and drive traffic to its online store. Spain has emerged as one of the fastest-growing markets for Fusalp’s digital channel, a success attributed to the recent translation of its website into Spanish. Financially, Fusalp projects that Spain will contribute approximately 2% of its total sales by the close of the 2025–2026 financial year, next May.

Fusalp's overarching growth philosophy is centered on "reasonable growth, hand in hand with its partners and good product," according to its CEO, aiming for "ambitious but not aggressive development." The company, founded in the French Alps in 1952, reported a turnover of 64 million euros for the 2024–2025 financial year and is targeting a 10% increase on a like-for-like basis for the current financial year, with overall growth projected as well.

The pillars supporting this growth are the strategic expansion of its retail and wholesale networks in key markets. By the end of the 2025/2026 season, Fusalp expects to operate 61 mono-brand stores, or 70 including pop-up stores in Switzerland, Italy, and France. These will be complemented by 281 multi-brand points of sale and its robust online store. The past year has seen substantial expansion in its retail network, with notable openings in France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, the UK, and Japan, encompassing both standalone boutiques and concessions within prestigious high-end department stores like Harrods in the UK and La Rinascente in Italy.

While "Born in France," Fusalp enjoys particular popularity in Switzerland and England, and the brand aims to consolidate its strength and expand into all major fashion capitals. Conte-Jodra revealed plans for "conquest of the West," targeting the US and Canada, and a strategic focus on positioning the brand in influential spaces in Japan and China, where its presence is currently minimal. The company's roadmap includes significant new openings for 2026, such as a boutique in New York's SoHo early in the year, another in London, and a potential opening in Milan.

In terms of distribution, Fusalp operates predominantly on a direct-to-consumer (DTC) model, with 85% of sales generated through its retail stores and e-commerce. "Our goal is to consolidate productivity across the retail estate and, at the same time, to grow that estate," Conte-Jodra stated. He emphasized that the three channels—online, retail, and wholesale—work symbiotically, reinforcing one another. The online channel aims to recruit new customers and expand visibility, while wholesale focuses on developing new markets and cities.

Beyond distribution, a core challenge for Fusalp lies in effectively positioning its diverse product range. "We seek to educate the customer so they know that we also have mid-season clothing—technical yet elegant," the executive explained. Fusalp's mission is to offer attire suitable "from the peaks to the avenues, in summer and in winter, from 0 to 3,000 metres." The brand embraces a "luxury lifestyle" positioning, where quality is an intrinsic and natural value, not overtly communicated. Conte-Jodra concluded by stating, "We sell fashion, aesthetics, elegance, a community. We are a leading brand in skiing and we continue to work in that category, of course, but almost half our sales are for the street, ‘ready-to-wear.’"