The On Holding juggernaut rolls on.
On Tuesday, the Zurich-based sports brand reported another quarter of double-digit increases in both net income and sales in the first quarter, which it attributed to its “premium strategy” and “broad-based demand.”
Among the standouts in the period was apparel, where sales rose 45.1 percent in the period. The Asia-Pacific region, led by China and South Korea, was also strong with sales increasing 44.4 percent. That region now accounts for more than 20 percent of the company’s overall volume.
Related Stories
For the period ended March 31, net income increased 82.2 percent to 103.3 million Swiss francs from 56.7 million Swiss francs in the prior-year period, while adjusted profits advanced 75.3 percent to 123.6 million Swiss francs. Sales increased 14.5 percent sales gain to 831.9 million Swiss francs. This marks the first time On has exceeded 800 million Swiss francs in quarterly sales.
You May Also Like
Gross profit margin jumped 64.2 percent from 59.9 percent and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization rose to 21 percent from 16.5 percent. Still, On’s stock closed down 0.6 percent to $33.83 on Tuesday.
Although some analysts have expressed concerns about the company’s wholesale strategy as well as the fact that it changed chief executive officers twice in one year, the numbers should help allay those fears.
Martin Hoffmann, who had been with On for 12 years and served as CEO or co-CEO for over five years, exited the company on May 1 and was succeeded by cofounders Caspar Coppetti and David Allemann. Hoffmann also served as chief financial officer, a position now assumed by Frank Sluis.
Allemann told WWD that as a founder who has been with the company for all of its 16 years, he doesn’t see any dramatic change as a result of his new role. He also dismissed the analyst concerns about an impending softening in business on the horizon.
“We delivered a very strong quarter and I don’t see any slowdown,” he said, pointing to strength in all categories and regions. “Wholesale is very strong and allows us to acquire a lot of new consumers and in new communities as well. And we also see incredible growth across geographies.”
Case in point: net sales through direct-to-consumer channels increased 164 percent to 322.3 million francs while wholesale sales rose 13 percent to 509.6 million francs. The company said its fleet of retail stores, which sits at 70 units globally, continues to show “positive development in key metrics,” and it will open stores shortly in Stockholm, São Paulo and Sydney, as well as in San Francisco.
By region, sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa rose 22.8 percent to 207.1 million francs, while sales in the Americans increased 3.1 percent to 450.7 million francs. Allemann said that, while the increase in the Americas was lower than in other regions, he remains happy with the performance, adding that the brand’s awareness in the U.S. crossed 30 percent in the quarter, “which is really an important milestone. But it also shows how much space remains.”
Allemann said he still sees “meaningful runway in every channel. Even with our largest partners, we are only present in around half of the doors with major key [wholesale] accounts. So we can continue to expand reach while remaining very, very selective. And then, of course, our own retail channel is an important opportunity. The opening of the Boston store has been very encouraging, and we are excited about premium locations such as San Francisco and São Paulo coming online later in the year. So really, Americas is a region with strong underlying brand momentum and large white space.”
By category, sales of shoes increased 12.2 percent to 763.7 million francs, while apparel sales jumped 45.1 percent to 55.3 million francs and accessories rose 70.7 percent to 12.9 million francs.
Allemann said apparel, albeit still a small part of the overall business, has grown to become “a very meaningful category for us,” one that “provides a new entry point for consumers.” He said the company has seen strong response to its technical pieces as well as the more lifestyle offerings such as the collections with brand ambassador Zendaya, who starred in a popular “storytelling” film created by Spike Jonze earlier this year. What that proved, he said, is that “people are willing to invest in their identity with premium apparel.” That campaign generated more than 20 million views in the U.S. alone, the company said.
“The recent Zendaya co-created apparel range launched alongside the Cloudnova Moon is driving very
high engagement and strong sell-through,” Coppetti said.
Looking ahead, the brand will introduce its SenseTec fabric into its studio and training apparel collections shortly and in fall, will add the Formtech sculpting and shaping innovation into its lineup.
In a call with analysts on Tuesday morning, Coppetti said an increase in production capacity for the company’s LightSpray through the opening of a dedicated factory in South Korea resulted in strong sales of the footwear franchise. “The LightSpray Cloudmonster Hyper sold out quickly across many of our channels with particularly strong demand in Asia-Pacific and in the U.S.,” he said. “In the opening week of our new Boston store, LightSpray represented close to 20 percent of footwear net sales. We are currently selling several hundred pairs a day in our DTC channels alone. This is an exceptional indicator of demand.”
He said On continues to “win new customers in everyday running” in the U.S., Japan and Europe. And this allows the company to “open doors far beyond running.” He pointed to the Cloudtilt and Cloudtilt Remix, shoes more skewed to lifestyle, that have connected with younger customers. In fact, the Cloudtilt was the top-selling shoe in Foot Locker in Europe in March.
Coppetti said the company increased its market share with 18- to 24-year-olds in its DTC channels, a trend that is carrying from the first quarter into the second. He also singled out the company’s dedication to a “full-price strategy” as another point of differentiation. At its investor day in 2023, the company set a goal to exceed 60 percent gross profit margin. In the most recent quarter, that number is just under 65 percent.
Coppetti described the first quarter as “an outstanding start to the year and another strong proof point of our premium strategy in action. On is becoming more global, more multidimensional and more deeply rooted in different communities around the world. As David and I step into our new roles as co-CEOs, we do so with strong commitment to the continuity of our strategy, values and entrepreneurial spirit that have defined On over the past 16 years. I also want to express our heartfelt gratitude to our dear friend and partner Martin. His leadership helped build the financial strength, operational rigor and clarity that have brought us to this moment. As we continue to scale from this very strong foundation, we believe the next chapter of On can be even stronger as we continue to Dream On.”
In his final statement before his departure, Hoffmann said: “These results show the quality of On’s growth and the strength of the financial foundation we have built. Since our IPO nearly five years ago, we have more than quadrupled our net sales, strengthened our premium positioning and built a financial profile that reflects the incredible ambition of the brand. The results we present today — highlighted by record net sales and a gross profit margin of 64.2 percent — demonstrates our unique ability to scale rapidly while expanding our profitability.”
The company reiterated its full-year 2026 guidance and continues to project net sales growth of at least 23 percent with DTC, the APAC region and apparel expected to “outperform.” Full-year gross profit margins are expected to be at least 64.5 percent despite “additional headwinds from tariffs,” it said, with adjusted EBITDA in the range of 19.5 to 20 percent.
Analysts gave the company a thumbs-up after seeing the results. Tom Nikic of Needham said he remains “bullish” on the company even though its growth has slowed a bit from its max in the past, and raised his estimates for earnings per share, although he lowered his price target on the stock due to the volatile macro economy. Anna Andreeeva of Piper Sandler believes the company’s guidance on sales is “conservative” considering its expected growth in wholesale, and she placed the company “in the upper echelon of growth stories.” And Peter McGoldrick of Stifel agreed, writing: “On continues to stand out as the fastest-growing athletic footwear brand in an uneven global environment.”