Longchamp opens flagship on Champs-Élysées

By

Sarah Ahssen

Published
Dec 5, 2014

Longchamp is opening new store in Paris today (Friday, December 5) at 77 avenue des Champs-Élysees. Taking the place of a former MCS (formerly Marlboro Classics), the 5,400 square foot flagship, which covers two floors, houses the brand’s entire leatherwear range for men and women, including luggage, ready-to-wear and shoes. Upstairs will feature a wall dedicated to Pliage, Longchamp’s most famous bag, 32 million of which have been sold over the last 20 years.

"This new store will serve as a Longchamp ambassador. Located on the most beautiful avenue in the world, it is the house’s ambassador for not only its French clients but its international customers as well. There are 10 languages spoken in this store," said Jean Cassegrain, CEO of Longchamp and grandson of the brand’s founder. 

Founded in 1948 and originally selling pipes and tobacco products, Longchamp then turned toward men’s leather goods before finding success with women’s bags and then fashion in the eighties. Today, the brand directly operates 283 stores*, while it had 17 in 1999. In the last 15 months, it has opened six flagship stores in Europe, including in London, Rome, Barcelona and Munich. 

Longchamp currently makes 70% of its sales overseas as compared with 30% 15 years ago. The brand, which recorded a turnover of 571 million US dollars (364 million pounds) in 2013 and which has enjoyed an average annual growth of 13% since 1999, now intends to broaden its market horizons. In 2015, it will open its first store in Austria, in Vienna, in addition to other openings in Canada, Cambodia, Peru and Paraguay. 

In 2015, the family-run company, which has 19 retail subsidiaries (France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland Germany, UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, USA, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Russia), will also renovate and expand its Parisian store on Rue Saint Honoré. When the work is concluded, the store is expected to be Longchamp’s largest store in the world at more than 7,500 square feet. 

* In total, Longchamp has 1800 points of sale worldwide, including directly owned stores, franchises, department store concessions, leather multibrands, airport stores, as well as its online store.