Oberalp Group opens a new site in Milan for its 13 sports brands
Oberalp invests in 900 square meters of offices and exhibition space dedicated to Oberalp's mountain brands -including Salewa, an Italian brand rooted in the Dolomites- and partner sports brands such as Under Armour, the American sports performance apparel pioneer.

The Oberalp Group, founded in 1981 in Bolzano (South Tyrol, Italy), leader in the development and manufacturing of mountain sports products with its major brands that produce high-quality technical products, has inaugurated this Tuesday, June 6, 2023, its first showroom in Milan at Open 336, where you can find all the brands of the company as well as offices for the company’s employees. It is a place where it will be possible to immerse oneself in the philosophy of Oberalp, through the products of all brands and the values of the employees who from now on will have the possibility to work also in Milan. The new location is a fundamental step in the internationalization process of the Italian company, which thanks to this new opening in the international fashion center of Milan, will accelerate its growth not only in Italy but also in foreign markets, as part of the Group's omnichannel marketing strategy.

The space of over 900 square meters is dedicated to all the brands of the Group, both own brands - Salewa, Dynafit, Wild Country, Evolv, LaMunt, and Pomoca - and international brands for which the company is the exclusive distributor in Italy: Under Armour, Fischer, Barts, Falke, Burlington, Smith and 2117. The new Oberalp site, in which more than half a million euros have been invested, is characterized by hybrid and fluid environments, with meeting rooms and offices focused on the well-being and comfort of people, and workplaces for the employees who are now also in Milan part of the Oberalp Group and live its culture.

 

The Oberalp Group is an internationally oriented Group rooted in the Dolomites with currently 12 branches worldwide. The decision to invest in the Milan site is therefore not coincidental. The city is increasingly becoming a center of innovation and inspiration in Italy and worldwide, especially in the areas of fashion, sports, and lifestyle. In addition, and this is crucial for us, Milan is the capital of the Italian economy, surrounded by mountains, which are our core business.

christoph engl
Group CEO

We are excited about this new important step. My father founded the company over 40 years ago and since then we have become a leading company in the mountain segment with our brands and long-term partners, which include some of the most important international sports brands. Our goal today is to continue to increase the relevance of sports activities, especially those that express the mountains and mountain sports as a mindset. We are increasingly targeting young people who, since the pandemic, are becoming more dedicated to sports and outdoor activities.

Ruth oberrauch
Executive Board Member
Open 336

The Open 336 building in the Bicocca district echoes the style of the Salewa headquarters in Bolzano, a landmark at the entrance to the Alps known beyond the country's borders. Both buildings were designed by the same renowned architectural firm - Park Associati. As in Bolzano, it was essential for the Oberalp Group to invest in a building that was designed to be sustainable. Open 336 is classified as a Net Carbon Zero building and, with its large windows and visible red bricks, it fits perfectly into the environment. Unified air exchange, systems to absorb particulate matter and carbon dioxide, and LEED certification complete the picture of this modern and sustainable space. "With our headquarters, we don't just want to provide our employees with a space to work in: We want to offer our brands and the people who work with us a place where the spirit and culture of our company can be felt and experienced, no matter where you are," says Christoph Engl, CEO of the Oberalp Group, explaining the company's concept.

The Oberalp spaces

The Oberalp Group's new Milan location stems from the company's desire to bring to Milan the first international house of brands with its own brands specialized in a single area of experience, the mountains. With the aim of communicating the Group's omnichannel distribution strategy, the Oberalp Group is bringing its Mountain Experience to the city of sports, offering its brands' retailers a 360° approach to immerse themselves in the world of the mountains and discover innovative products of the Group's six own brands - Salewa, Dynafit, Pomoca, Evolv, Wild Country and LaMunt.

The Italian Oberalp Group started as a distributor of sporting goods and uses its experience as a house of brands also for other players in the sports industry, to whom it offers its know-how in the areas of communication, sales, and brand building. Oberalp today collaborates with internationally renowned brands such as Under Armour, Fischer, Barts, Falke, Burlington, Smith, and 2117 for sales and marketing in Italy. For the American Under Armour brand in particular, the collaboration also extends to the whole retail business in Italy, where Oberalp now operates seven Under Armour monobrand stores, including already two in Milan, as well as five Under Armour outlets.

Attending the opening in Milan representing the institutions was Diana De Marchi, Councillor for Labor and Social Policy of the City of Milan. Also attending the opening were Marco Busa, Brand Manager of Salewa, Michele Rossi, General Manager of Under Armour Italy, and Filippo Pagliani, founding partner of the architectural firm Park Associati.

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