Citadium, founded in 2000, is a subsidiary of the French Printemps group. Today the clothing supplier is considered a temple of streetwear and urban culture. Citadium primarily appeals to a young target group between 15 and 25 who loves sneakers, lifestyle products and fashion. Citadium boutiques can be found in major French cities such as Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon and Marseille.
founding
Citadium emerged from the wish of the Kering Group that Le Printemps, at that time still under the management of the luxury goods group, had its own sports area. Behind the Printemps Haussmann department store on Rue de Caumartin in Paris is the first Citadium store with an area of over 6,000 square meters. To differentiate itself from the competition, the company opted for a positioning that focuses on the major sports brands.
development
In 2007 Citadium realigned itself strategically and since then has focused on casual clothing, streetwear and lifestyle products for teenagers and young adults. The clothing supplier’s website was launched in 2012 and became a pioneer in online multi-branding. A year later, the Printemps group, which is owned by the Qatari fund Disa, plans to open a dozen outlets dedicated to the lifestyle and streetwear concept.
In 2014, Printemps General Director Pierre Pelarey announced that it would open two Citadium branches annually to cover the major French metropolitan areas by 2020. Two years later, Citadium and the French fashion and accessories trade fair joined forces to jointly set up pop-up stores from 2017. The aim was to create a synergy with the “Generation Z” theme, which was presented at the fair at the Porte de Versailles. In 2018, the American denim label Wrangler chose the Citadium branch on Rue de Caumartin in Paris to exclusively present its spring / summer designs.
Two years later, the clothing supplier opened a Puma corner with a design that is based around recycled materials and offers a digital and dynamic customer experience with screens and video content. The 84 square meter room presented a selection of lifestyle products, staged in a playful universe that is in harmony with the target group of young, urban people.
In December, on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, Citadium opened a 60-square-meter cultural space in the Parisian store, entirely dedicated to music and radio. The Citadium Studio was set up on the first floor of the branch on Rue de Caumartin and hosts various French radio stations from Wednesday to Sunday every week. In addition to DJ sets, showcases, discussion groups and autograph sessions, a large number of events took place in the studio, with a new program being presented every week.
Despite all the festivities and its longevity, Citadium 2020 is affected by a closure plan as a result of losses from the Printemps group. The parent company has lost 17 percent of its revenue within five years. A total of seven stores, including four small Printemps boutiques and three Citadium branches, are affected by the closings. However, the Parisian flagship is spared. Four months after this announcement in March of this year, however, there is a U-turn: The three Citadium branches were finally saved thanks to a renegotiation of rents and good results. The 52 jobs that should have been deleted as part of this shop closure were also retained.
Current
In January 2021, the sporting goods manufacturer Nike chose the Parisian flagship boutique for the opening of its concept store “Nike by Haussmann”, which is mainly geared towards women. The sales area also offers personalized services such as “Nika Bra Fit”, where the model and the correct size for the bra can be adjusted based on the body type. The digitally oriented sales area also offers customers preferential access to exclusive products and technical advice via a special app.
In 2021 Citadium will have nine stores and one online shop. The opening of the ninth branch took place in the city center of Lille. The store area extends over 1,140 square meters.
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.fr. Translation and editing: Pia Schulz