“The most important criterion for the success of a mountain shop is people: choosing the right partners and team is crucial.”

Stefan Rainer is a passionate mountaineer—and one of the strategic minds behind the Oberalp Group's retail development. In this interview, the Group Chief Sales Officer explains how and, above all, why the “Mountain Shop” is becoming the model of the future for specialist mountaineering retailers, how retailers benefit as franchise partners, and which regions are the focus of attention.

How did the idea for the Mountain Shop come about?

Stefan Rainer: We opened our first store in Finale Ligure 20 years ago, which was a mecca for the climbing community here at the time; Arco wasn't as big back then. As a brand, Oberalp has always focused on relationships with our customers, i.e., the people who share our passion for the mountains. The idea for the Mountain Shop was less strategic back then than one might assume today. We wanted to establish a credible specialist store, but at that time we didn't have any shoes in our range from Salewa and had to supplement our stock with other brands. Since then, the concept has become increasingly professional and we have built up a wealth of knowledge about how retail can inspire enthusiasm in mountain sports communities, create loyalty, and also deliver brand experiences.

What distinguishes the Mountain Shop from other retail concepts?

When Salewa later started selling shoes, for example, we placed greater emphasis on the brand, but quickly realized that these are two completely different disciplines: a mono-brand store as a brand beacon, where brand positioning is key, and a genuine specialist store dedicated to the community and its specific local needs. The Mountain Shop is the latter: a retail concept that is deliberately localized and at the same time does not work with a rigid standard range. The name “Mountain Shop” was also chosen very deliberately. The aim is to create a retail business that operates very close to the real mountain community. Not a huge store, not a generic concept, but a format that works regionally and is credible in terms of content, with the product range precisely tailored to this.

What role do Oberalp brands play compared to other brands?

Of course our brands play a role. But: The concept deliberately works with a local franchise partner to ensure neutrality. It's not about giving priority to one brand, but about creating an ecosystem of premium brands that fits the local community. The space allocated to our brands is flexible – what matters is what works for the location. Customers shouldn't feel that one brand dominates simply because it belongs to us.

How do retailers benefit from the concept in concrete terms?

The market is changing dramatically. Many retailers are facing generational change, some cannot find successors, others have underinvested for years. This is exactly where our concept comes in: we want to help ensure that specialist mountain sports retailers remain viable for the future. The main advantage for partners is that Oberalp takes on many operational challenges: we provide store design, merchandising, training, support, logistics, and financial strength. Partners also benefit from better purchasing conditions and strong structural support. This allows retailers to focus on what really matters—their customers and community building. That is the key to success.

How much flexibility is there for regional adaptations?

Regionality is not an add-on, but the heart of the Mountain Shop. After all, the core of specialist retail is putting together the right product range for a local community. In Arco or Finale Ligure, this looks different than in Vienna or Zermatt. A Mountain Shop has a value proposition, a service promise, and a quality promise—but no predetermined standard product range. The concept only works if it remains authentic locally: the expertise of the local entrepreneur is key, because they know the scene, the opinion leaders, the groups, and the real needs. Only then can a shop become a real destination for the community.

What are some examples of successful mountain shops?

Today, we have several examples that show how well the concept works. Locations where traditional retailers with a great passion for mountain sports have further developed their business within the concept are particularly successful. If we look at South Tyrol, there are various examples of success, for example Sand in Taufers in the Puster Valley, where it has been working very successfully for years. Another important criterion is who this local entrepreneur is and how much time and enthusiasm they have to invest. In Mayrhofen, we certainly have a best-case example in Alfons Hörhager, who is doing an excellent job. 

What lessons have you learned that you consider particularly important?

From my point of view, there are three key points:

1. The courage to focus: Many retailers carry too much and lose their profile as a result. Accordingly, at Mountain Shops, as the name suggests, we focus specifically on the mountains and not on the outdoors in general.

2. Ambience & service: A store should not be a warehouse, but an expression of competence.

3. Partnership chemistry: It's a people business, and the shared values and vision between partners and Oberalp have to be a good fit because you always have to coordinate closely in a strategic collaboration like this.

For the Mountain Shop concept, we have realized that the most important criterion is people. And so choosing the right partners and the right team is of fundamental importance, because by definition, a specialist store is a destination store, which means I am willing to travel a greater distance to get to this store.

Which regions are currently the focus?

We are already committed to our Alpine region and are paying close attention to where opportunities are opening up. Austria, Germany, and Switzerland are currently the regions where we are increasingly focusing our attention, but also Spain and France. We already have a strong presence in some Alpine hotspots. Italy is also already very well developed because we started this process there earlier.

What is the vision for the coming years?

In the future, Mountain Shop will further sharpen its positioning, concept, and clear message, while remaining diverse and continuing to evolve, just like the communities themselves. At the same time, we have already built up a good network with around 50 Mountain Shops. In the future, we also want to move in the direction of an alpine marketplace—strongly locally anchored and service-oriented, but digitally networked. We are now laying the foundations for this, including through POS systems and gradual omnichannel connectivity.

And what role do future trends such as climbing or trail running play?

Trail running is now more than just a niche activity and one of our core competencies, just like climbing and ski touring. Of course, hiking is also important as a broader segment. But it's also about Mountain Shop not only serving the masses, but also being a trendsetter. This creates excitement and develops a new generation of mountain athletes. Trail running and climbing have long been a reality in the market – and we are developing our own concepts, such as Mountain Shops in climbing halls, where we operate at the interface between urban culture and mountain sports, as we know from our brand Evolv, an American climbing brand that is also very strongly anchored in skate culture. Some of these concepts are very innovation-driven and perhaps atypical for a retail location, but we are convinced that it makes sense to position ourselves where the community spends its time. Accordingly, the Mountain Shop is not just a place of sale. It is also a contact point for services such as recycling, care & repair, and biomechanical analyses. This strengthens customer loyalty and creates real added value.