Columbia opens debut Paris store

Columbia has opened its first Paris store. Making its debut on September 1, the new store, which covers 130 square metres, is located at 40 boulevard Sébastopol, between the city's Forum des Halles and Centre Pompidou. The opening is the seventh store to be opened in France by the U.S. outdoorwear brand.

Managed by distribution firm Outdoor Diffusion, which also operates two North Face stores in Paris, the new Columbia store is located not far from one of the North Face stores, which is located at 28 boulevard Sébastopol.

In France, the brand is focusing on its franchise retail network, having opened a 110-square-metre store in Lyon in July 2018.

After opening stores in Val d’Isère, Chamonix and La Clusaz, and in nearby Annecy, Columbia is looking to open in the bigger French cities.

"As with our multibrand sports counters, we want to show all of our collections, which have been greatly expanded - not just winter lines but also our summer collections," said Pascale Graffmann, the brand's marketing director in France.

The company looks to open new franchises between the end of 2018 and early 2019, but has not disclosed exact locations.

Columbia opens debut Paris store

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