The Simond brand of climbing gear owned by Decathlon is moving from Les Houches to La Vigie, which has caused some controversy in the Mont-Blanc valley. La Vigie is an artisanal zone at the entrance of Chamonix that is intended for local artisans and the technical services of the regional authorities. Among other claims, the authorities in Chamonix apparently faced allegations that they drew Simond to the town while it could have stayed in Les Houches, and that Simond's move to La Vigie will be detrimental to local artisans. The Chamonix town hall refuted the claims on its Facebook page in August without quoting their source. It explained that Simond had decided to leave les Houches because the available space was insufficient in view of its development plans, and added that the economic benefits of the plant would be shared with the entire valley anyway, since Chamonix, Les Houches and other municipalities have formed a communal economic area. What was at stake, Chamonix argues, was to keep 50 jobs and an emblematic local company in the valley. It adds that 6,000 square meters of space at La Vigie has already been allocated to local artisans, and that the extra space found for Simond would not have been suitable for them anyway. The Facebook post further denied that La Vigie would turn into a commercial area, although the contract with Simond allows for a commercial space of 100 square meters, and for a production plant of 3,900 square meters. It insisted that all products manufactured there will be Simond-branded and that the contract was signed with Simond, with a clause preventing a clause of ownership that would lead to a change in activities.

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