PARIS — BHV Marais is getting sporty.
The Parisian department store has launched a new division called fashion sport, targeting the female customer.
The 1,290-square-foot space located on the store’s first floor combines apparel, footwear and accessories from Reebok, Asics and Adidas, including Stellasport designed by Stella McCartney. Nike is slated to join the section in the coming weeks, according to Elsa Brunois, buying director for sportswear and lingerie at Groupe Galeries Lafayette, the parent company of BHV Marais.
“We have deliberately focused on the big brands for the sake of readability. We know from our sportswear section at Galeries Lafayette that women are looking for activewear but with a fashion twist, and these are the brands that best represent this trend,” she explained.
Galeries Lafayette had set up a 4,800-square-foot section in April 2015 featuring Nike, Adidas, Reebok, but also Lorna Jane and Lolë, which are exclusively available at the group’s Hausmann flagship.
Brunois noted that exclusive capsule collections for the BHV are expected to follow and that more brands could be added in the future, citing Under Armour as an option, which has overtaken Adidas in the U.S. but is still largely unknown in Europe.
“This has historically been a local department store, and so we are targeting the Parisian woman, although our tourist traffic is steadily improving, particularly from the U.S. and other European countries,” she noted.
The new space is divided into themes, most notably running, training and studio.
As part of the new service, workout sessions with the brands’ coaches are to be held on the department store’s rooftop throughout the year.