Tiffany to open on the Champs-Elysées?

The American jewellery firm is apparently on the verge of signing a contract to take over premises currently occupied by fast-food chain Quick, at number 62, on the corner with rue de la Boëtie.

Tiffany refused to confirm the reports and it seems that the negotiations are still on-going. The premises in question cover almost 1100 square feet on the ground floor and 2700 square feet on the first floor, with a further 1600 square feet on the lower ground floor.

Tiffany already has one boutique in Paris which opened in 1999 at 6 rue de la Paix, at the heart of the Paris jewellery quarter. But its new boutique would bring the brand into contact with a more international and mixed clientele – being, as it is, on a busy shopping thoroughfare populated by luxury brands and, in recent years, by jewellers (Cartier, Montblanc and Mauboussin all being close by).

The firm, which for 2011 announced increases in sales and profits (up 18% and 19% respectively), is currently expanding significantly on an international scale: in January it signed a joint-venture agreement with Damas Jewellery to develop its sales network in the United Arab Emirates and is preparing to open this Summer a new, 2600 square foot boutique in Prague (at 10 Pařížská Street), its first in Eastern Europe. “This strategic opening is proof of our desire to develop throughout Europe,” explained Melvyn Kirtley, vice-president of Tiffany in Europe.