Look at French luxury retailer first US store

Paris landed in New York.

The French luxury retailer Printemps has officially opened its first store in the United States this week in the city’s financial neighborhood. The merchant celebrated his opening on Friday, which coincided with the beginning of spring – his namesake.

The 55,000 square foot shop covers two floors and wears a wide range of goods, including clothes, shoes, bags, makeup and more. About 25% of its brands are either not accessible or rare in the US, such as the Joseph Dukos brand, a French luxury name that made a bag mentioned by Taylor Swift, Printemps CEO Jean-Marc Belyich He said.

In an interview with CNBC, Bellaiche said the retailer aims to stand out from other luxury players with the attracting view of the store; A unique mix of popular luxury brands and difficult to find French brands; And programming and services that include beauty and spa treatments and repairs to clothing and accessories.

The Printemps Group was founded in 1865 and operates 20 universal stores in France. Compared to its French stores, the US location has more than experienced bent, with rotating displays of goods that resemble pop -up stores and food concepts, including a restaurant and a coffee shop with French sweets. His playful design is inspired by a Parisian apartment and is located on a Wall Street, a historical art -deco skyscraper.

For example, one of the highlights in the Printemps store is the red room. The Art Deco-Style Room Was Decorated Floor to Ceiling with Red and Gold Mosaics by Master Muralist Hildreth Meière and Completed in 1931. It Was Prevously a Reception Room and Banking Was Internal landmark by the New York sightseeing committee.

Printemps restored the room and turned it into a “shoe forest” where buyers can look at shoes or order a glass of wine at a nearby bar.

The store will also include the Maison Passerle, a sophisticated restaurant run by Gregory Gourdet, a two -time top chef finalist and a three -time award winner James Beard. It will open in April.

Printemps opens the US store as luxury costs slow down worldwide. Even some more wealthy users have pulled away with discretionary purchases due to inflation and economic uncertainty. In China, a key market for higher-end goods, luxury costs did not bounce to the levels before the pandemic.

Sales in the global luxury industry are planned to increase by 1% to 3% annually by 2027, according to a report last month by the consulting firm Kearney. The report attributes the delay in the more glorious search among Chinese users, inflation pressure in the United States and economic uncertainty, fueled by trade interruptions and changes in Trump administration policy.

This is a highlighted change from 2020 to 2021, when global luxury expenses jumped about 27%, according to Kearney’s report. Global luxury costs for goods and services amount to approximately $ 500 billion in 2024.

However, Brian Erig, one of the authors of the report and a partner in Kearney’s consumer practice, said the United States remains an attractive market for luxury brands because of consumer resilience.

“On a relative basis, we have the most healthy economy if you look at the main economies,” he said. “And then the other is that Americans love to shop.”

Ehrig added that other high -end retailers have doubled in investment in large and attention -grabbing physical stores such as such as Lvmh-Owed Tiffany & Co. and Opening Louis Vuitton New Stores in New YorkS He said the experience is personally more critical in a sector where the items come with such high price labels and expectations for personal service.

“There is something special about being in a luxury retail shop, the way you care and you are made to feel like VIP when you are there,” he said. “And there is simply no way to do it online or on an iPhone.”

Other internationally -based retailers with lower price points are Expanding and opening more stores in the USAlso, including Ireland, Primark and Spain -based mango.

For Printemps, the possibility in the US became clear, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, as more and more Americans visited Paris and came to his stores, Bellaiche He said. In terms of sales, Americans are the third largest for Printemps after the French and the Chinese, he added. Still, Americans are closing the difference, with US customers tripled from 2019 and 2024, he said.

Even with her luxury focus, Laura Lendrum, CEO of Printempps America, said the store is mixed in more accessible items for tourists or ambitious buyers who can stop with a cup of coffee or look at a $ 50 gift.

Here’s a look inside the store: