Lacoste opens two UK stores as it continues to elevate the brand

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Mar 11, 2019

Lacoste is investing in the UK this spring with two new stores opening in key locations as a “continuation of a worldwide strategy elevating the brand and creating a stronger retail identity.”

The company has just opened its new store in London’s Covent Garden and will open another in the Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield by early May.

Both feature the €2bn brand’s ‘Le Club’ concept, which launched globally in 2017 in London’s White City Westfield Shopping Centre. That concept “pays homage to René Lacoste’s sporting heritage through innovative use of new materials and technology, taking the customer on a journey through the eras spanning the 85 years of brand.”

With the storytelling element of modern stores being crucial as a way of driving shoppers through their doors, that’s a major strength for the brand that’s competing in an ever-more-crowded sports-casual environment.

Jamie Givens, the newly appointed UK CEO of Lacoste said of the expansion: "Lacoste is an iconic global brand, however we recognise the importance of local relevancy and the importance the UK plays in its overall success.

“At a time when the consumer environment is rapidly changing and digital platforms are becoming more relevant, it really is a statement of our intention to recognise the importance of connecting with our consumers in a physical way through our stores.”

So what do we actually get with the new stores? The Covent Garden space covers more than 90 sq m. The company said that “every detail of the store design is focused on the customer experience whilst leading back to the tennis sporting spirit” of the brand. A polo wall provides an expansive home to the brand’s product while the counter “invites the customer into a single space, whose rounded shape favours the exchange between the customer and the seller, much like on court.”

The curve of the counter is intended to inspire movement while the folded wood is meant to be reminiscent of heritage tennis rackets and umpire chairs. Innovative use of materials, from green concrete to perforated leathers, also “helps evoke differing eras ranging from heritage through to the modern day.”

With the firm already having six locations in the Greater London area, it’s taking the opportunity with Covent Garden to focus on menswear.

We don’t yet have details of the new Meadowhall store.