Cartier reopens on the Champs-Elysees.
The Cartier jeweler’s flagship store reopens, completely renovated on the Champs-Élysées. Work at the height of the stakes.
How to dazzle without intimidating, and attract the passing of the Champs, in particular those Chinese visitors pressed by time? “To throw” without fear: this is the delicate balance to find for these flagship stores or flagship stores located on the most beautiful avenue in the world. The Cartier brand, installed since 2004 at a stone’s throw (precious) from the Arc de Triomphe, has reopened after eight months of work. It will be inaugurated this week.
No more crossing an airlock on the side, a central entrance was created. From the avenue, tourists see the heart of the store, whose glass facade (and certainly armored) has been further enlarged, making the whole transparent. It is scarcely seen that the minicommand stuck in the palm of a vigil in black suit, unlocking and closing the doors.
Inside, the French luxury takes its ease: the copy of an imposing chandelier of the eighteenth century flickers on the ceiling, very Parisian balustrades surround the mezzanine, and a spiral staircase – which was totally created – gives the impression of having always rolled out his red carpet in this hotel at the end of the 19th century. The floor is now accessible to customers and the number of pieces presented in the windows has doubled. VIP lounges that look like cozy bookcases with art books are hidden behind sliding doors. This is where “big sellers” receive their customers, settled in leather armchairs, a glass of champagne in their hands …
Cartier is growing, while other major luxury brands arrive on the Champs-Élysées. Watchmaker TAG Heuer inaugurated a flagship in late 2013, jeweler Tiffany opened the summer after. The leather goods manufacturer Longchamp followed in December. The multi-brand Dubail is announced shortly, at numbers 71-73. In 2018, the Galeries Lafayette will create an annex of 9,000 m².
“One hundred million visitors a year on this avenue”
“The Champs-Elysees are a place of brewing, of great diversity, we wanted our flagship contemporary majestic, without being excluded,” says one at Cartier. Here, we greet all visitors, even those who just watch, just looking. Because the store has a vocation of “prospect”. A third of customers are Asian, Chinese, Hong Kong … Received in groups of 20 to 30 by sinophone sellers, there are too many VIP lounges, and it is necessary to privatize a wing of the first to receive them in the rules of l art, with hot water fountains available. For some Middle Eastern customers, who live at night and shop late, the shop opens in the evening.
Are we witnessing a return of luxury on the Champs-Élysées? “More than return, we must talk about development in recent years.The Champs-Elysees have a disparate appearance in terms of activities, but luxury is increasingly present, because the Champs are a showcase of the world, with 100 million visitors a year, and brands need this international visibility, “says Vincent Asher, in charge of the luxury business at Cushman & Wakefield, a real estate consulting company, which calculates the average price at square meter on prestigious arteries. On the fields, it amounts to 13.255 € / m² / year. “The advantage over this avenue, compared to other Parisian streets, more focused on luxury like the Rue Saint-Honoré, is that the formats are larger and allow to present the entire universe of a brand . ” The Champs-Elysees committee welcomes this “rise to power, towards premium”, as explained by President Jean-Noël Reinhardt, who promises “changes in the years to come, to offer a visit experience “. Study groups with the Paris City Hall are at work. Shopping, then, but also cinema: those of the Champs should also begin a big renovation.
