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Printemps to open a luxurious flagship in Qatar
Before the Covid-19 surge, Printemps announced, now three years ago, that it will expand abroad once more after closing its last overseas location in the Ginza district of Tokyo in 2017. The French department store group, taken over by Qatari investors in 2013, is now detailing the outline of its first department store on Qatari soil which will operate directly and open in Doha next September, a few weeks before the country hosts the soccer World Cup scheduled to kick off in November.
The 30,000-square-meter store will be in the historic district of the Qatari capital, located within the upscale Doha Oasis complex that includes a five-star hotel, luxury residences, an amusement park and numerous leisure facilities such as restaurants, a 4D cinema, and a bowling alley.
Printemps will occupy three floors of the elliptical building designed by the architectural firm Yabu Pushelberg. The store will be its second largest point of sale after its flagship on Boulevard Haussmann, which covers 45,000 square meters.
"The first post-confinement opening of a department store in the world. The new Printemps Doha is a new-generation department store, combining an immersive physical experience and new technologies for an ultra-personalized customer service," stated the company in a press release.
The store’s layout will invite customers to stroll through “intimate and luxurious” rooms where the products will retail in multi-brand spaces or shop-in-shops. 30% of the 550 brands listed will be exclusive in Qatar for the first time.
A luxury positioning is placed in order “to please a demanding local and tourist clientele.” The customers will find the luxury sector’s essential brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Gucci along with cutting-edge labels including Vetements and Ganni. Peter Do, Nodaleto, and Coperni represent some of the emerging designers while the list of French players also includes the likes of Ba&sh, Isabel Marant, and Maison Sarah Lavoine.
In addition to fashion, the department store will offer 14 restaurants (including Pierre Macolini, Crazy Pizza and Twiga), as well as personalized services such as a made-to-measure, customization, access to personal shoppers based in Doha and Paris, and "consultations with internationally renowned stylists.”
The department store's e-commerce site will be available in Qatar and local consumers will also be able to purchase products sold at Printemps Haussmann and pre-order collections.
The group was also considering to establish itself in Milan, Italy before the pandemic crisis struck, but this project was put on hold by Jean-Marc Bellaiche, president of the Printemps group, since late 2020.
The group born in 1865 has 15 Printemps department stores in France and nine Citadium stores along with its Place des Tendances and Made in Design locations. At the end of 2020, it decided to close four Printemps units to streamline its French retail network. Furthermore, its Le Havre store was recently taken over as a franchise.
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