“We are very proud for all the work of the team for two years”, assures the CEO of the Rossignol group

2023-04-26 19:46:36

Vincent Wauters, CEO of Rossignol, is pleased with the group’s results. The milestone of 400 million euros was reached, while activity in the mountain sector was disrupted for two years due to the Covid crisis.

With the Easter holidays, the ski season is coming to an end. The results are obviously rather positive, but is this all good for the world leader in skiing, the French group Rossignol? Vincent Wauters, CEO of Rossignol Group, announces, Wednesday April 26, on franceinfo, turnover up 28% over one year.

franceinfo: What is your assessment of the 2022-2023 season?

The season has been good in terms of attendance. We have more or less 68% occupancy rate in the mountain resorts. This is 1% less than last year. But last year was an exceptional year.

What are your financial results? «

We are very proud of all the team’s work over the past two years. I took over the management of the group on February 1, 2021, when it was announced that the ski lifts would be closed in France, Italy and Germany. After two years, we reached a historic record for the year. We pass the milestone of 400 million euros, with a turnover of 401 million euros, up 28% over one year.

What do you attribute this success to?

There are several sizes. There was a strong demand at the start of the season. It’s post-Covid, a frenzy to make sure you have enough stock. So we benefited from it. I believe that the biggest lever, ultimately, is innovation.

“Despite the Covid, we decided to keep and develop investments in research and development. At the same time as the Beijing Olympics, we launched new product lines.”

Vincent Wauters, CEO of Rossignol Group

at franceinfo

How can we produce “clean” skis from an environmental point of view?

We have a ski, called Essential, in which we have eliminated the resin. The new structure is essentially wood, aluminum, iron. We succeeded in developing the ski and the shredding machine so that we could recover 77% of raw materials, ten times better than a ski of traditional construction.

Where are you in terms of business relocation?

Between 2011 and 2013, more than 100,000 pairs of skis were relocated from Taiwan. Last year, we relocated 10,000 very high-end pairs of race skis that we make in Sallanches. We also decided to manufacture all our highly recyclable skis in Sallanches.

Watch the full interview: