PARIS – With 15 days left to the Paris 2024 Olympics, On is stretching its retail arm with the opening of its largest-yet flagship store – on the the Avenue des Champs-Elysées.
The fast-growing Swiss sportswear label has taken over the 16,285-square-foot, three-floor unit located at No. 65-67 that was a Nike store until 2019.
“The Champs-Elysées is a fantastic meeting point for locals and international fans alike, who can discover the largest range of products and our latest innovations,” said the brand’s general manager EMEA Bianca Pestalozzi, calling this second Parisian address an “important milestone for On, not only in France, but also globally.”
On opened its first Paris store on the Left Bank in the Marché Saint-Germain. It also sells in the city’s four major department stores and a selection of sports specialists.
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The new flagship offers lifestyle and collaborations on the ground floor, with images of new brand partner Zendaya splashed across the walls. The actress also currently faces off with fellow brand ambassador – and investor – Roger Federer in a tongue-in-cheek game of air tennis released on social platforms.
The basement level is dedicated to On’s core performance running range, which has recently been expanded with bags.
On the first floor, tennis and its growing lifestyle category take pride of place. There’s also a showcase of its landmark innovations, from the idea of a sneaker given additional bounce thanks to garden hose segments to prototypes and first finished products. Its sliding “magic walls” of shoes reveal its latest designs, including new additions to the line nodding to Federer.
“With this space, we are able to present multiple collections and have paid special attention to the design as a new dimension to present our apparel offering,” stated Diana Dowling, On’s head of retail design.
On’s installation on the Champs-Elysées is a sure sign of its ambitions, as it takes place alongside competitors such as Adidas and Nike, as well as specialists like JD Sports.
Launched in 2010 and publicly traded in New York since 2021, the Swiss label currently operates 35 stores around the world and told WWD it had plans for an additional 20 stores a year for the next few years. By 2026, the Swiss company should have 20 of its own doors in Europe and has 20 already in China. It recently opened its first German store in Berlin and a store in Hong Kong.
Its 2023 revenues hit nearly 1.8 billion Swiss francs, with a 46.6 percent year-over-year organic growth in net sales. For 2024, the company predicts growth of around 30 percent.
