PARIS — Tommy Hilfiger is planting his second anchor store in Paris across the street from one of the city’s most storied music halls.
The new 7,800-square-foot unit is slated to open in February at 43 Boulevard des Capucines, across the street from L’Olympia, a venue that has hosted such bigwigs as The Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop, Tina Turner, Paul McCartney and Arctic Monkeys.
The environs seem particularly apt given the American designer’s passion for rock music, headlined by a spring collection inspired by the vintage style of musicians of the late Sixties and early Seventies.
Located in an imposing corner building that previously housed a bank, the two-story boutique telegraphs the importance of the French market for the American brand, which opened a flagship on the Champs-Élysées in 2010.
Related Galleries
Daniel Grieder, Hilfiger’s global chief executive officer, called France a “key growth market” where the company operates more than 30 stores, about 40 percent of them directly owned.
“Tourists account for almost 60 percent of sales in our current retail stores in Paris, largely driven by our flagship store,” he said, predicting that the Boulevard des Capucines unit would bring “an even greater diversity to our consumer base in Paris, which we expect to have a halo effect on the rest of the French market.”
He noted that the wholesale channel represents more than 60 percent of the Hilfiger business in France, with about 850 doors including major department stores such as Galeries Lafayette and Printemps.
The new Paris unit is to introduce a new in-store concept for women’s collections, along with a blend of midcentury design, traditional American antiques and original architectural elements from the Haussmann era.
According to the company, the new Paris location is to house men’s categories on the main floor — tailored clothing, sportswear, footwear, accessories and underwear — while women’s sportswear, innerwear, footwear, accessories and the Hilfiger Collection are to be displayed on the mezzanine.
The neighborhood, situated between Madeleine and Opera, counts such eclectic retail tenants as Kenzo, Habitat, Zara, Fragonard, Aigle, Decathlon and luxury watch retailer Bucherer.
Grieder noted that “the local municipality is investing significantly in further developing the area.”
Hilfiger, owned by PVH Corp., counts 1,400 stores in more than 90 countries, including seven considered global flagships.