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Tag: Lacoste

  • Lacoste Ousts CEO Eric Vallat as Thierry Guibert Takes Helm

    Lacoste Ousts CEO Eric Vallat as Thierry Guibert Takes Helm

    French sportswear label Lacoste ousted chief executive Eric Vallat after 16 months, reinstating group chief Thierry Guibert to steer the business toward its four-billion-euro revenue target.

    The abrupt leadership change took place days before the brand staged its runway collection at Paris fashion week. Guibert, who led Lacoste for a decade before Vallat took over in June 2025, resumes direct control while retaining his role as head of Swiss parent company Maus Freres.

    Premium push meets wholesale reality

    Vallat joined Lacoste from French spirits maker Remy Cointreau with a mandate to take the crocodile brand upmarket. That strategy focused on trimming lower-margin wholesale distribution, elevating store presentation and raising average selling prices across footwear and apparel.

    Two people familiar with the departure said commercial performance did not cause the exit. A company spokesperson confirmed the dismissal, stating that the label will maintain its operational strategy on robust fundamentals without detailing the reasons behind the management switch.

    Maus Freres tightens operational control

    Guibert built the foundation for the current retail footprint during his previous ten-year tenure at the French label. His return puts direct operational authority back into the hands of the parent holding group.

    For multi-brand retailers and department store concessionaires, the reshuffle reduces uncertainty over wholesale accounts. Vallat’s aggressive push to cut wholesale allocations had strained relations with regional distributors who rely on core polo shirt and activewear volumes.

    Managing wholesale versus direct retail

    Balancing brand prestige with commercial volume remains a delicate exercise for heritage athletic labels. Moving too fast away from wholesale channels risks leaving money on the table in secondary retail markets where monobrand boutiques are difficult to justify.

    Maus Freres faces the challenge of protecting gross margins while defending volume in competitive mall locations. Premiumisation drives often face friction when consumer spending on mid-tier luxury softens and shoppers push back against higher ticket prices.

    The road to four billion euros

    Lacoste hired Vallat in June 2025 after his turnaround work at Remy Cointreau, betting that luxury drinks experience would translate into higher brand equity on apparel racks. His departure marks one of the shortest chief executive tenures in the label’s recent history.

    Guibert now takes full operational responsibility for delivering on the group’s target of four billion euros in annual revenue between 2028 and 2030.

  • Onitsuka Tiger, Laneige, Adidas and Lacoste Open Four Asian Flagships

    Onitsuka Tiger, Laneige, Adidas and Lacoste Open Four Asian Flagships

    Four major retail brands, Onitsuka Tiger, Laneige, Adidas Originals, and Lacoste, opened flagship stores across Tokyo, Seoul, Bangkok, and Hong Kong in August 2026 to expand their physical footprints in Asia.

    The rollouts include an 1,837-square-metre store for Onitsuka Tiger in Shinjuku and an 18-month redevelopment for Laneige in Seoul featuring on-site robotic product compounding.

    Automation in Seoul and Scale in Tokyo

    In Tokyo, Onitsuka Tiger opened its largest global flagship across four levels in Shinjuku. Designed with Milan architecture firm Studio Dini Cataldi, the building features a Tiger Yellow concrete facade and houses the label’s complete lineup, including the Heritage, Contemporary, and The Onitsuka formal footwear ranges under a unified roof.

    Laneige reopened its Seoul flagship with automated manufacturing built directly into the sales floor. Shoppers use artificial intelligence diagnostics to generate custom skincare and complexion formulations. A robotic dispenser produces personalized cushion foundation from 150 shades, while custom Cream Skin toners are blended on site from 25 base formulations in roughly 20 minutes.

    Laneige Seoul is our perception of what the future of beauty, technology and design looks like. Every visit is different; every product is yours alone.

    Heritage Streetfronts in Bangkok and Hong Kong

    Adidas Originals took over a two-storey godown on Song Wat Road in Bangkok, creating its first standalone street location in Thailand. The ground floor integrates trading district props such as pushcarts alongside a Maker Lab for apparel customization, while the upper level holds Southeast Asia’s first combined Adidas and % Arabica coffee outlet overlooking the Chao Phraya River.

    Lacoste established a flagship in Hong Kong’s Central district inside the Grade I historic Pedder Building. The interior repurposes the structure’s classic arches into dedicated zones for menswear, womenswear, and sport, incorporating art by Alvin CK Lam and furniture built from recycled tennis balls by Belgian designer Mathilde Wittock.

    The Direct-to-Consumer Calculation

    These large-footprint flagships show operators trading sales floor density for operational theatre. By bundling customization labs, in-store cafes, and robotic assembly lines into physical spaces, brands are treating flagships as media channels rather than simple inventory distribution points. The approach increases fit-out costs and staffing requirements, but it insulates physical locations against pure e-commerce erosion by selling products that cannot be purchased online.

    For landlords across prime Asian high streets, the shift favors tenants that can generate sustained foot traffic without relying entirely on wholesale distribution. The risk rests in long-term maintenance: high-concept production zones and customized hardware require ongoing operational discipline once initial opening publicity fades.

    The Shinjuku opening follows an August restructuring announcement from parent group Asics, which approved a plan to carve out the Onitsuka Tiger business into a wholly owned unit named OT Group. That operational transfer takes effect on January 1, when the brand begins trading under the dedicated subsidiary.

  • Lacoste Unveils New Flagship Store in Historic Hong Kong Pedder Building, Bolsters Brand with Local Artistic Collaborations

    Lacoste Unveils New Flagship Store in Historic Hong Kong Pedder Building, Bolsters Brand with Local Artistic Collaborations

    In a strategic move to align its retail footprint with a site steeped in local history and prominent architecture, Lacoste has inaugurated a new flagship store in Hong Kong. This elegant location is situated in the Central district’s Pedder Building, a Grade 1 historic structure with a rich history that dates back to 1933. The premises had previously been home to Shanghai Tang’s flagship, as well as a briefly operated Abercrombie & Fitch store.

    Store Design and Collaborations

    The store’s interior layout showcases a modern reinterpretation of the building’s original arches, cleverly employing them as spatial dividers to create distinct sections for womenswear, menswear, sportswear, and the brand’s iconic polo line. Lacoste has gone the extra mile to tailor the design elements of the store to the local context; this includes an eye-catching neon installation and a series of customisable apparel patches inspired by local visual aesthetics.

    The flagship store also serves as a platform for the brand’s collaborations with both regional and international artists. Hong Kong-based artist Alvin CK Lam has contributed a unique interior painting inspired by the Pedder Building’s facade and the city. The store also features furniture pieces manufactured by Belgian artist Mathilde Wittock of MWO Design. These pieces, made from upcycled tennis balls, are a creative nod to Lacoste’s tennis history and commitment to circular design initiatives.

    Collection Highlights

    To celebrate the store’s opening, Lacoste has rolled out a limited-edition Hong Kong capsule collection. This collection features graphic interpretations of Victoria Harbour, the skyline of the city, and the Pedder Building. Customers can also shop for items from the brand’s Spring/Summer 2026 runway collection at the store.

    Commenting on the new flagship store, Eric Vallat, CEO of Lacoste, said, “We wanted to encapsulate Lacoste’s identity in a way that reverberates with Hong Kong’s cultural vitality. While Lacoste has its roots in tennis, the brand has always gone beyond sports. This store encapsulates a lifestyle defined by movement, elegance, and freedom.”

    Just last month, Lacoste revamped its branding, introducing a new typography, colour palette, and a fresh look for its iconic crocodile logo. The updated typography brings back serif characters, giving a nod to earlier versions of the brand’s visual language.

    Questions & Answers

    What is unique about the interior layout of the new Lacoste flagship store in Hong Kong?

    The store utilises the original arches of the Pedder Building as spatial boundaries, creating separate sections for different product lines.

    Who are some of the artists Lacoste collaborated with for this store?

    Lacoste collaborated with regional artist Alvin CK Lam, who created a custom interior painting, and Belgian artist Mathilde Wittock, who designed furniture pieces using upcycled tennis balls.

    What is significant about the limited-edition Hong Kong capsule collection?

    The collection features graphic interpretations of Victoria Harbour, the city skyline, and the Pedder Building, symbolising a connection between the brand and the local context.

  • Lacoste launching shoppable TV during Tennis – French Open

    Lacoste launching shoppable TV during Tennis – French Open

    French fashion retailer Lacoste will give viewers of the 2019 French Open an opportunity to purchase its products during the first NBC televised match of the brand’s ambassador Novak Djokovic.

    NBCUniversal will launch its shoppable TV experience with Lacoste during the French Open from Roland-Garros, giving viewers a chance to shop the Lacoste X Novak Djokovic Collection in real time through “on-air shoppable moments”.

    Viewers will have the opportunity to purchase the products alongside NBCUniversal stories, shows and sporting events.

    According to NBCUniversal, this is the first time this technology will be used on national television to activate direct sales, combining the scale and reach of television and the ease of e-commerce to reinvent the commerce experience.

    Throughout Djokovic’s televised matches, NBC Sports will alert viewers to hold their phone cameras up to the screen during an “On-Air Shoppable Moment” to purchase pieces from the Lacoste X Novak Djokovic Collection.

    The shopper will then be taken directly to www.lacoste.com to complete the purchase. Djokovic will wear two statement outfits – one in bright orange and one in black and white, which will be available through ShoppableTV alongside other pieces in the collection.

    “For the first time ever fans can shop the Lacoste X Novak Djokovic Collection while watching him play in real time,” said Josh Feldman, executive vice president, head of Marketing and Advertising Creative, NBCUniversal.

    “And this is just the beginning. ShoppableTV will revolutionise the way millions of viewers will watch television and purchase the brands they love across the entire NBCUniversal portfolio.”

    NBC will have live coverage of the 2019 French Open from Roland-Garros this weekend.

  • Lacoste opens new travel retail store at Lotte Busan

    Lacoste opens new travel retail store at Lotte Busan

    LACOSTE has opened a new 30sqm duty-free store in Busan to further enhance their presence in Asia. This new store is located in LOTTE Duty Free, second largest duty free operator, in Busan, which is the second biggest city in South Korea.

    Travel Retail, often referred to as the “6th continent”, offers a unique opportunity to connect with consumers and highlight the brand all over the world.

    With over 170 boutiques worldwide, LACOSTE aims at reinforcing the
    consumer experience while enhancing channel specific product offering and visual merchandising.

    Looking to the future, the crocodile wants to continue to leverage the Travel Retail Channel strengthening or expand in new geographical areas and develop new channels (on-line duty free and cruises) and new ways of connecting with consumers before, during and after their trips.

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  • British Designer Louise Trotter Named Creative Director for Lacoste

    British Designer Louise Trotter Named Creative Director for Lacoste

    British fashion designer Louise Trotter is Lacoste’s new Creative Director, the brand informed in a statement this Thursday. She is the very first woman to hold this role at the French label best known for its crocodile logo. Her first collection will be showcased at the next Paris Fashion Week.

    “We are very happy to welcome Louise in our team. Her visionary approach to lines and materials and her expertise in designing highly technical pieces, are valuable assets to strengthen the positioning of our collections”, said Thierry Guibert, CEO of Lacoste Group, in a statement.

    “I’m looking forward to joining a French brand with such a unique heritage. The brand managed to stay fresh and modern in throughout the last 85 years thanks to its unique combination of sports and fashion. I’m proud to be able to contribute to the next chapter of its history”, added Trotter.

    Trotter replaces the Portuguese designer Felipe Oliveira Baptista who parted ways with Lacoste in May. She stepped down from the role of Creative Director at British luxury label Joseph in July, after nine years. Before Joseph, Trotter held the same position at Jigsaw.

  • Lacoste’s new travel retail store in Bangkok

    Lacoste’s new travel retail store in Bangkok

    The crocodile shifts to the South and chooses Bangkok as a prey.

    One week after the opening of its new space in Tokyo, the brand just inaugurated its latest travel retail outlet at the King Power Srivaree Duty Free Downtown Complex in Bangkok.

    Pursuing its Asian expansion, the 150sq m boutique also houses the unique and novel “Le Club” retail concept. It debuted in the Asia Pacific travel retail market with the Lotte Duty Free shop in Ginza, Tokyo, earlier this month.

    Le Club goes to the very core of Lacoste’s philosophy as it plays on a fusion of the values of the brand and its creator.

    The architecture of the store was designed and thought for customers to feel, from the second they step into the space, the peculiar tennis court atmosphere. With a green concrete panel as a nod to René Lacoste’s tennis practice wall and an open shopfront, clients can at the first sight relate to the brand’s values.

    Lacoste’s CEO Asia Pacific and global Travel Retail Jean-Louis Delamarre thanked King Power Thailand for their ongoing partnership and said they are “thrilled to open this store in Bangkok Srivaree” which further enhances their presence in Asia.

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  • Vincom Centre Landmark 81 launched

    Vincom Centre Landmark 81 launched

    Vingroup has opened its 55th shopping centre, The Vincom Center Landmark 81 mall, in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Thanh district.

    The 50,000sqm shopping centre occupies six of the skyscraper’s 81 storeys, housing 100 domestic and international brands in cosmetics, fashion, F&B, and entertainment.

    Fashion brands include Versace Jeans, Calvin Klein, Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste, French Connection, Kimmay, Superdry, H:Connect; Cole Haan, Ecco, Dune London, Parfois, Aldo, Pandora, Longines, OWL and Nike.

    The 7000sqm food and beverage area features 30 restaurants, including China’s Peach Garden, Japan’s Dozo Sushi, Vietnamese restaurants Delights, Di Mai, and coffee shops including Starbucks’ largest Vietnam outlet and Highlands Coffee.

    In the entertainment area, there is a 2000sqm Vincom Ice Rink, Vietnam’s largest, and a CGV cinema complex including an Imax screen, as well as a tiNiWorld entertainment complex and an indoor games centre.

    Vingroup’s food arm VinMart operates a supermarket there.

    Go to gallery below to view the launching event :
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  • Tokyo LACOSTE’s new travel retail store opens with new concept

    Tokyo LACOSTE’s new travel retail store opens with new concept

    Lacoste is pursuing its Asian expansion with the opening of a new travel-retail outlet within Lotte Duty Free Shop Ginza in Tokyo.

    The brand is, for the first time, introducing its new retail concept – “Le Club” – into Asia Pacific. The French word hints at the exclusivity and uniqueness of the location. With Le Club, Lacoste is biting the curiosity of both foreign visitors in Japan but also Japanese tourists traveling abroad.

    For this 50sqm store, the crocodile has played on its authentic sportive roots, merging the brand’s and its creator’s core values. With a layout reminiscent of a tennis court, the customer is invited to dive into René Lacoste’s universe, founder and early 20th century tennis champ. Open in order to let the light in, the green concrete panel is a nod to René LACOSTE’s tennis practice wall. A whole new design which creates a unique human and customer experience.

  • Lacoste Raffles City brings new Le Club style to the store

    Lacoste Raffles City brings new Le Club style to the store

    The new Lacoste Raffles City store is the first of the French retailer’s Southeast Asian outlets to feature its latest concept ‘Le Club’.

    The new style reflects “the synthesis of the brand and its creator Rene Lacoste in one location: the club”, said a Lacoste spokesperson.

    Just opened on the street level of Raffles City, behind Robinsons department store, the 1873sqft space is reminiscent of a tennis court, with vintage design elements that Lacoste sees as a nod to the brand’s heritage. The fitting rooms are designed to look like locker rooms.

    The store offers Lacoste’s complete range of apparel, leather goods, fragrances and footwear – and, of course, the famous polo ‘colour wall’ shoppers have come to expect from Lacoset stores all over the world.

    The Lacoste Raffles City store will also carry runway collections and special collections including the 85th anniversary range created to celebrate both the heritage and innovation of the brand.

    An embroidery workshop features inside the store to offer customisation options for shoppers wishing to have their initials embroidered on their purchase.

    The Le Club concept is part of the Lacoste’s strategy to create a stronger brand identity and to strengthen the brand’s premium status throughout its global markets.

    View the gallery below (3 images) :

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  • Discover LACOSTE’s latest store design in Singapore

    Discover LACOSTE’s latest store design in Singapore

    Since the very first polo was created in 1933, LACOSTE relies on its authentic sportive roots to spring optimism and elegance on the world thanks to a unique and original lifestyle for women, men and children.

    With a vision to be the leading player in the premium casual wear market, the Crocodile brand is today present in 120 countries through a selective distribution network. Two LACOSTE items are sold every second in the world.

    In 2017, LACOSTE has been expanding in Asia Paicific and it has just opened its new store located in Paragon, which is in the heart of Singapore’s prime retail district. This boutique is already the brand’s fifth store in Singapore.

    The store occupies 1,464 square feet of retail space and offers the brand’s full range of products including apparel, leather goods, fragrances, footwear, eyewear and watches amidst Lacoste’s latest store design featuring clean architectural lines.

    It features the quintessential polo bar which showcases Lacoste’s iconic polo shirts in all their color range.

    Unique to this boutique in Paragon, an embroidery service that allows customers to personalize their Lacoste polos with their initials and country flag.

    In a market driven by millennials, who are seeking for ways of building their own individuality, personalization becomes an opportunity to engage younger customers and revamp iconic items.

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  • Dutch chain Topshelf to close down

    Dutch chain Topshelf to close down

    Dutch department store operator Topshelf appears to be closing down.

    The company has announced its last store in Alkmaar will close in mid-January, following the shuttering of stores in Arnhem, Nijmegen and Groningen.

    The company has not filed for bankruptcy and it says it will continue to employ existing staff as it quits remaining stock. Disappointing sales were cited as the reason for the closure.

    Topshelf – no relation to the UK-headquartered Topshop and Topman retail brands – was launched in 1995 as a megastore, focusing on sports and outdoors wear, called Sportsworld. At the end of 2015, it opened stores in premises occupied by collapsed department store chain V&D, expanding further in April last year into Arnhem and Nijmegen en Groningen.

    With sales remaining weak last December, the company decided to convert the city stores – Arnhem, Nijmegen, Groningen and Alkmaar – to Topshelf, continuing to operate other branches in Beuningen, Leerdam and Cruquius, outside the city, as Sportsworld.

    The Topshelf stores stocked luxury gifts, fashion and homewares and ranged products from brands including Versace, Guess, McGregor, Superdry, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger, Speedo, Calvin Klein, Ray Ban, O’Neill and Atomic.

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  • Lacoste Philippines boutique upgraded

    Lacoste Philippines boutique upgraded

    A Lacoste boutique store in TriNoma mall, Quezon City, has been transformed to become the brand’s first “standard premium” concept store in the Philippines.

    The new concept displays items against a backdrop of dark wood, steel furniture, stone-finished walls and clean architectural lines, reports the Manila Standard.

    Occupying more than 200sqm of retail space, the store opened in 2007. It offers apparel, leather goods, fragrances, footwear, eyewear, watches and underwear.

    The brand has more than 20 stores in the Philippines, including Lacoste Accessories at Gateway Mall and Glorietta 4.

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