Ralph Lauren opens first store in Bordeaux

By

Emma RUFFENACH

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Nov 23, 2022

Ralph Lauren, founded in 1967 by the eponymous US designer, has extended its presence on the French market by opening its eighth store in the country, in the city of Bordeaux. The address is in the heart of the Golden Triangle district, at 26 cours de l’Intendance, a prominent commercial thoroughfare teeming with ready-to-wear stores by the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Balibaris and IKKS, Ralph Lauren’s neighbour.

Ralph Lauren’s 350-square-meter Bordeaux store, showcasing the Polo, Purple Label and Ralph Lauren Collection lines, alongside accessories for women and men and a selection of home decoration objects, was inaugurated on Monday November 21. This new location in Bordeaux was previously a Diesel outlet. The Italian luxury brand had been renting the ground-floor commercial space since 2005. 

In the next three years, the New York high-end ready-to-wear label is targeting a compound annual growth rate comprised between 5% and 10%, focusing primarily on the 30 major cities that produce the best results, and is upgrading its lifestyle range.

The Bordeaux opening is fully consistent with Ralph Lauren's retail deployment strategy, labelled “Next Great Chapter: Accelerate”, that was unveiled in September.

Ralph Lauren has been led since July 2017 by CEO Patrice Louvet, and in early November it welcomed Wei Zhang, a former Alibaba executive, within its board of directors. Pennsylvania-based investment fund The Vanguard Group is the majority shareholder of Ralph Lauren Corporation, the label's parent company.

Ralph Lauren, which dropped a virtual collection with videogame Fortnite this autumn, currently operates seven other stores in France, including its Parisian flagship on boulevard Saint Germain.