The former Salewa World store of Bozen, Italy, has been completely redesigned and has recently opened under its new name Salewa Store Bozen-Bolzano.
The store, which is connected directly to the South Tyrolean mountain sports brand’s headquarters, was redesigned by the internationally renowned retail design agency Gpstudio from London.
Together with the reopening, Salewa has also launching its new Salewa Circular Experience program, an initiative focused on three main services–Repair, Second Life and Rental–all three integrated in the new Salewa Store, and focused on extending the life of its mountain sports products, along with the introduction of more upcycling and recycling activities.
The Repair Service is carried out by Salewa experts using original parts and materials. The Second Life program offers high quality, used, reconditioned and repaired clothing, footwear and equipment for sale. Through the Rental Service, instead, Salewa wants to enable people to rent the products they might need for their next adventure by offering a new rental service at the Salewa Store Bozen-Bolzano.
To reduce environmental impact, Salewa believes it’s important to dispense with the outdated throwaway consumerism mentality and move towards a circular business model. Consequently, it is striving to extend the life of its mountain sports products, focusing on long-lasting design, using natural, renewable materials, and upcycling and recycling as often as possible.
The Oberalp Group is also currently liaising with Salewa experts to explore ways of expanding the Circular Experience to include retail partners, Salewa stores and e-commerce to make it available to a wider group of customers.
The Oberalp Group, the company that owns Salewa, is not new to being committed to responsible products and services. Already ten years ago, it had already created a Sustainability Team to drive and coordinate sustainability developments for the group and the Salewa brand.
The goal of the project was to develop high-quality, durable and long-lasting mountain sports products, while simultaneously focusing on fair working conditions at production sites, and reducing environmental impact.
Since 2022, the mountain sports brand has been using the Salewa Committed icon to bring together its sustainability efforts and provide greater transparency in general, and for customers in particular. All products that stand out for their exceptional environmental or social responsibility characteristics are labelled with the Salewa Committed icon.
The Bozen store was closed in 2021, after the design agency Gpstudio from London won the international tender in 2021, and reopened in March 2023 disclosing a completely new design and concept.
The new store is clearly inspired by nature and the landscapes of the Dolomites. The aim of its redesign was to create a multisensory experience and project a feeling of openness and freedom, similar to what anyone can feel when standing on the top of a mountain.
In cooperation with the British design experts, the new flagship store has the ambition to be more than just a sales area as it aims to be considered as a focal point for local climbers, mountain enthusiasts and tourists on holiday in the Bozen area. It has also been conceived as a place to gather inspiration, meet like-minded people and exchange ideas and advice.
“Every brand needs a home, and Salewa’s home is here in the Dolomites. Our new flagship store in Bozen-Bolzano gives our customers the opportunity to experience the world of Salewa with all their senses,” commented Stefan Rainer, CSO, Oberalp Group.
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