The countdown to the Olympic Games in Paris on 26 July 2024 is already underway. The Champs-Elysées has seen the start of the positioning of the sports brands, each of which wants to be represented in this special shopping mile.
“Our new presence on the Champs-Elysées is the result of a change of direction,” says Olivier Benon, head of European expansion at JD Sports. The shop on the Champs-Elysées is JD Sports’ second address in Paris, following the shop on Rue de Rivoli, which opened in May 2020.
JD Sports currently operates nearly 150 shops in France, and its presence continues to expand. The British group has gone on the offensive in the French market, completing two major deals in spring 2023: first, the acquisition of the French chain Courir, with its 313 shops worldwide, for 520 million euros, and second, the purchase of nine French Gap shops, all of which will transfer to JD Sports by 2024.
One of the group’s growth strategies is also to open a second shop in the same mall without closing the first. “There will be some cannibalisation, but we believe that in such large shopping centres, several shops can coexist, for example on different floors,” says Benon.
They also want to increase the shop space: Instead of the previously preferred 300 to 400 sq m, JD Sports is now aiming for units of 600 to 1,500 sq m. “We are implementing this strategy throughout Europe,” says Benon. The company also wants to open shops in retail parks.
