SMCP: Claudie Pierlot picks up the pace

By

Anaïs Lerévérend

Published
Sep 5, 2013

Claudie Pierlot is understandably a bit behind sister brands Sandro and Maje, having only arrived in 2009 at what later became the SMCP Group. But with a very active 2013, the brand has hit an important milestone, a hundred retail sales points, and is showing a heightened drive toward further expansion.

While continuing the development of its French network, Claudie Pierlot is exhibiting new international ambitions. And these ambitions are strongly supported by the new owner of SMCP Group, the American investment firm KKR, one of whose stated objectives is to see the French brands established in Asia and across the Atlantic.

To reach the August milestone of a hundred points of sale (counting both its own stores and its presence in department stores), Claudie Pierlot increased the pace of its openings. In France, new stores were opened in Cannes before the summer and in Paris on the rue de Passy and the rue Saint-Dominique in August, not counting the addition of corners. Yet to come in Paris, where Claudie Pierlot wants to increase its presence, are openings in the Beaugrenelle center and on rue Etienne Marcel.

As for this last location, the opening of the store in late September or early October will occur in the context of a relocation of Claudie Pierlot’s head offices. The brand will move into the building at 49 rue Etienne Marcel, which will also feature a 70 square meter store on the main floor.

Meanwhile, overseas, Claudie Pierlot has also picked up steam, adding several new global destinations since the first of the year. The brand has moved into Great Britain and Ireland with both stores and corners, and hopes to add fifth and sixth London sales venues before the end of the year. “We’re testing the waters in the United States, with the opening of two corners at Bloomingdale’s before summer, as well as in Germany, with a presence in three Karstadt stores,” added Dinah Emsalem, the brand’s director.

Asia is one of the global regions where KKR sees strong potential for the very Parisian Claudie Pierlot. Several points of sale are already open in large department stores in Taiwan and Hong Kong. To those, add a corner in Seoul and a store in a Shanghai mall, both opening in September. The next international projects of the brand should be seen not only in Beijing and Hong Kong, but also in Brussels.

Finally, in terms of its offerings, the brand – which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year – continues to adhere to its core values and its rich image. The brand expands its offerings slowly, with larger items or accessories, always seeking to address the client historically drawn to the founder’s creative vision, the woman seeking an elegant and basic style, while speaking also to the younger, more fashion-forward woman who brings her own take to the essentials of a chic wardrobe. “We want to keep both of these clients, so the trick is to propose items that each of them can interpret in her own way,” concluded Dinah Emsalem.