On April 11, Vancouver-based outdoor and performance apparel brand Arc’teryx opened its first Parisian store, located at 42 rue des Francs-Bourgeois in the Marais district. Arc’teryx has also announced that it will inaugurate a second Parisian address, on boulevard de la Madeleine, in June.

The 377-square-metre Marais store extends on three levels, and commercialises Arc’teryx’s latest collections for men and women, as well as its range of accessories for outdoor sports like trail running, climbing, and skiing, among others. The store’s interior design is clean and minimalistic, in a style inspired by nature, evident in the use of wood and the great outdoors photographs decorating the walls. Arc’teryx’s Marais address is also set to foster a local community of outdoor enthusiasts by hosting future events, including one in June, on which the brand has not provided further details. 
 
Sven Radtke, managing director EMEA of Arc’teryx, has summarised the brand’s objectives with its latest store: “We have been present in Paris for many years through the wholesale channel. We want to make sure we are providing greater access to our products. By opening our own stores, we can increase our brand awareness and reach more consumers. In Europe, France has one of the largest communities of outdoor apparel and equipment consumers, hence it is very important for us to have a presence in Paris.”

 
Arc’teryx’s goal is simple, according to Radtke: it wants to expand its presence in the French market via its own monobrand stores, where Arc’teryx can showcase a more complete range than that offered by the approximately 30 multibrand retailers distributing the brand in France. This is why a second, 515-square-metre store is set to be inaugurated in Paris in June, at 3-5 boulevard de la Madeleine, close to a shop by French footwear brand J.M. Weston. The Arc’teryx flagship will sell the brand’s full range of performance apparel and footwear, as well as the Veilance line, targeted at an urban clientèle. It will also host a space for clothes repairs, washing and maintenance, open to registered customers.
 
Arc’teryx is owned by the Amer Sports group, and is available at over 3,000 stores worldwide. The boulevard de la Madeleine flagship will be Arc’teryx’s sixth monobrand store in Europe. Outside France, Arc’teryx has another four European stores, one in Norway and three in the UK.