Salomon's new Kichijoji store adds its first in-house 3D foot-scan fitting and a shoe take-back box

Salomon will open a store in Tokyo's Kichijoji district on 2 October, on the ground floor of the Hana Mitsugi Building on Kichijoji Honcho, according to Amer Sports Japan, which operates the French mountain-sports brand in the country. The store will run from 11am to 8pm daily.

The opening introduces two firsts for Salomon in Japan, the company said: a "Safesize" 3D foot-scanning device for fitting customers to running and outdoor shoes, and a shoe collection and donation box, the brand's first take-back initiative at a store. The shop also carries built-in lockers and loaner test shoes for runners, and Salomon plans monthly community running events out of the location, including a 20-person gravel-running session on 10 October open to members of its S/PLUS loyalty programme. Purchases of ¥22,000 or more come with a free branded item while stock lasts, the company said.

The fitting technology and the take-back box matter more than the address: Salomon is using a single store to test a service layer — accurate sizing, community running meet-ups, a circularity gesture on old shoes — that a pure product launch wouldn't need. For a brand still built mostly through wholesale and other retailers' shelves in Japan, a flagship-style investment in Kichijoji, a running-friendly neighbourhood outside the main shopping districts, reads as a template Amer Sports could repeat at other directly run stores if the fitting system earns its keep.