When Salomon decided to open its latest concept store in Shanghai, it wasn’t just another retail expansion. It was a statement, a declaration that outdoor culture, fashion and community now live side by side in China’s most stylish neighborhoods.
The new Anfu Concept Store, located in a historic French-style building on Shanghai’s Anfu Road, brings together two worlds: Parisian heritage and Shanghai’s restless urban pulse.
Shanghai as a Stage for Outdoor Lifestyle Growth
Why Shanghai? The answer lies in how quickly the city has embraced outdoor living as part of its culture. In recent years, Chinese consumers have shifted from seeing hiking gear and trail shoes as niche to viewing them as everyday fashion.
Salomon’s leadership is watching this trend closely. “Chinese consumers have presented a growing focus on functionality and integrated demands for styling and performance,” said Guillaume Meyzenq, Salomon’s President and CEO. “With this grand opening, we look forward to growing with Chinese consumers and bringing more innovation to the world.”
The choice of Shanghai, a city balancing history and hyper-modernity makes sense. It’s a retail environment where global brands either blend in with local culture or risk being forgotten.
When Parisian Craft Meets Shanghai Energy
Step inside the Anfu Concept Store and you immediately feel the brand’s French roots. The interior was inspired by Salomon’s Sportstyle store in Paris’ Marais district, a place known for elegance and creativity.
But the Shanghai version isn’t a copy. It’s infused with the city’s vibrancy, mirroring Anfu’s road mix of boutique shopping, coffee culture and creative expression. French craft meets Shanghai energy and the result is a retail space that feels as much like an experience as it does a store.
As David Kibler, Deputy Consul General of France in Shanghai, noted at the opening: “Salomon has showcased French craftsmanship excellence combined with constant innovation. The store continues to forge links between our territories, our cultures and our talents.”
From Storefront to Street: Retail as a Community Platform
Salomon didn’t just open its doors and wait for people to walk in. Before the launch, the brand collaborated with 11 local shops on Anfu Road, weaving itself into the community’s fabric. This local-first approach helped establish the brand not only as an international player but also as a neighbor invested in Shanghai’s creative scene.
The store is also designed as a hub, not only for shopping but for events, meet-ups and collaborations. Visitors can expect exclusive product drop, athlete appearances and partnerships with local designers. In this way, the store blurs the line between retail and community, turning the brand into part of everyday life.
Road to the Future: Where Style and Performance Intersect
The opening also introduced Salomon’s “”Road to the Future” project to China. First unveiled at Paris Fashion Week, the project highlights how performance gear can live comfortably in the world of fashion.
In Shanghai, it featured the debut of the XT-Whisper shoe, designed for Chinese urban explorers. Salomon’s VP for Greater China, John Yin, explained the broader ambition: “We hope ‘Road to the Future’ will inspire more original designs and help Chinese design talent enter international markets.”
Brand ambassadors like actors Jingting Bai and Jinmai Zhao added star power to the launch, while also engaging with Shanghai’s GO WILD outdoor community. These interactions showed how Salomon wants to do more than sell shoes, it wants to shape conversations about how city life and outdoor culture overlap in modern China.
Retail’s New Climb: Turning Flagships Into Cultural Blueprints
What makes this opening important for the retail and e-commerce industry is the model it sets. Concept stores are no longer just about products neatly displayed under spotlights. They are immersive spaces where commerce, culture and community converge.
For Salomon, the Anfu store isn’t just a flagship, it’s a blueprint. By merging heritage with localization and commerce with cultural storytelling, the brand shows how future retail spaces might look across Asia and beyond.
Culture, Commerce and Connection
In Shanghai, Salomon isn’t simply selling footwear or outdoor apparel. It’s selling an idea: that performance and style can walk the same path, and that a retail store can be as much a cultural hub as a shopping destination.
The Anfu Concept Store is more than a place to buy gear, it’s a place to belong.
And Shanghai’s story is just one glimpse of how retail is evolving across Asia. From concept stores that double as cultural hubs to digital-first platforms shaping everyday lifestyles, the region is setting the pace for what comes next.
This conversation continues in Thailand this September at the Retail & E-Commerce Summit (RESA Thailand 2025), a gathering where leaders, innovators, and brands will explore how culture, commerce, and technology are rewriting the rules of retail.
Join us in Thailand and be part of the movement shaping the future of retail. Discover more here.
References
Retail Asia. (2025, August 11). Salomon opens new concept store in Shanghai, China.
Inside Retail Asia. (2025, August 11). Salomon opens Anfu concept store in Shanghai.
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