The two largest brands in Amer Sports‘ portfolio, Arc’teryx and Salomon, continue to show increasing brand relevance.
According to UBS softlines analyst Jay Sole, both brands have been gaining “traction in the U.S. and abroad.” He said that UBS’ Evidence Lab’s Google analysis shows search trends for Arc’teryx and Salomon in the U.S. were up 37 percent and 33 percent, respectively, through the fourth quarter of 2025 on a rolling 13-week, two-year basis. He said Salomon’s growth indicates a “meaningful” 1,400 basis points acceleration from the low-20’s percent growth three months ago.
“Importantly, searches in international markets showed general positive trends, particularly in countries like the U.K., Italy, and Japan,” Sole said about the two brands.
The company is set to post fourth quarter earnings on Feb. 24. When the firm reported third quarter results in November, executives spoke about footwear growth at Salomon, along with similar shoe momentum at sibling Arc’teryx, for 2026 and beyond.
Consensus estimates for the quarter ended Dec. 31 projects adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of 28 cents on revenue of $1.99 billion. Sole is forecasting a two-cent fourth quarter EPS beat. He said topline growth in sales could increase at a 16 percent five-year CAGR (compound annual growth rate) through Fiscal Year ’29.
“We expect Amer Sports to drive this growth via DTC (direct-to-consumer) expansion in Arc’teryx, multi-channel growth in Salomon, an deeper international expansion in Ball & Racquet,” Sole said. “From a channel standpoint, we model faster DTC growth given retail store rollout primarily in North America and China and higher e-commerce sales.”
For the fourth quarter, Sole said product launches and initiatives in high-growth categories such as footwear and women’s will further strengthen Arc’teryx’s growth profile. And for Salomon, the brand is expected to deliver broad-based regional growth with continued momentum in Greater China, fueled by rapid store expansion with 47 new stores planned for the quarter.
“In our view, this demonstrates sustained brand heat and ongoing investment in accelerating DTC growth. In the Americas and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), we believe Salomon’s epicenter strategy is beginning to show traction by building localized hubs that deepen consumer engagement,” the UBS analyst concluded. “Coupled with expanding wholesale partnerships with premium retailers such as REI and Nordstrom, we expect these efforts to drive incremental gains in Q4.”
As for store growth, the analyst also said that the Arc’teryx focus on highly productive stores in China should contribute to ongoing growth into Fiscal Year ’26.
“Throughout 2025, Arc’teryx focused on optimizing its Greater China retail footprint by closing less productive partner-operated stores, while upgrading into opening larger and more productive company-operated stores,” Sole said. He expects that there will be a “net positive impact from Arc’teryx’s shift to more productive stores. This gives us conviction that the shift to net expansion in 2026 should support incremental topline growth for the region moving forward.”
Looking to the fourth quarter conference call, Sole said key themes to watch include Arc’teryx’s DTC growth trends in key markets such as China, wholesale environment and its impact on order books given retailers’ cautiousness, performance from store openings of Arc’teryx and Salomon, and the health of Chinese and U.S. consumers.
Meanwhile, the Salomon brand continues to build momentum by maximizing its visibility during the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics. In its first official Olympic Games partnership, Salomon staged an immersive experience last Friday in the lead-up to the event’s opening ceremony that spotlighted the French brand’s high performance styles, including an innovative adaptive project for para-athletes. The Salomon Para-Team’s feedback helped to conceive designs that opened up opportunities for amputees, while attention given to the S/Lab Equipe collection represented the top of the brand’s winter sports performance designed for the demands in biathlon, snowboard and alpine skiing.
