The French department store operator Printemps announced on Thursday the opening of the first foreign location. The department store is scheduled to open in Doha, the capital of Qatar, in September – a year later than originally planned, but ahead of the start of the soccer World Cup in the Gulf state.
Due to Covid-19, the group was largely cut off from its foreign customers in 2020 and parts of 2021, as there was no shopping tourism. The new Printemps department store will be located in the Doha Oasis luxury complex, which includes a five-star hotel, amusement park, restaurants and luxury apartments. “No fewer than 550 brands will be offered,” of which “more than 30 percent will be exclusive, for the first time in Qatar,” the group writes in a statement.
Le Printemps, which unlike its competitor Galeries Lafayette has not yet expanded abroad, decided to set up shop in the Gulf state in 2019, before the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic. The group was aiming for an opening in 2021 and at that time planned “between five and ten new store openings abroad” within the next ten years.
Subsequently, Le Printemps backed down from the plans – and also announced the closure of four Printemps stores and three Citadium stores in France. Citadium is a concept store with several locations in France, which, according to the company, is aimed at a younger target group.
On Thursday, the Printemps group, founded in 1865, said it currently operates “15 large department stores in France” and nine Citadium stores. The group currently employs a total of 3,000 people. (AFP)
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.fr. Translation and editing: Karenita Haalck