Translated by
Nicola Mira
Published
Aug 30, 2019
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JD Sports to open stores in Paris, New York by 2020

Translated by
Nicola Mira
Published
Aug 30, 2019

British sportswear retailer JD Sports, owner of JD, Size, Footpatrol and Chausport, has ambitious plans both for Europe and the U.S., as it broadens its global footprint and expands its leading retail chain, JD.

The focus is on major world cities, with a JD store finally set to open in Paris next year, as well as a flagship in New York -- one year after entering the U.S. market. Besides these two top-tier inaugurations, other new stores are planned across Europe.

The first major opening will take place in Paris. JD entered the French market in 2010 and, since then, has opened 70 stores in the country, though it doesn’t yet have a presence in the French capital.

The sneaker and sportswear chain will plug this hole next year, by opening a flagship store in the city “on Rue de Rivoli, with a 2,000-square-metre retail area,” said Olivier Benon, in charge of European expansion for JD Sports, talking to FashionNetwork.com.

JD plans to open some ten stores in France this year (notably, in Vélizy and Noyelles-Godault), and will keep up the same pace in 2020.

“About ten new openings in France are already on the cards for 2020, notably at the Lillenium [shopping mall], in Toulon and Tourville-la-Rivière, near Rouen,” said Benon.

JD’s expansion drive in France is comparable to that of German chain Snipes, which recently entered the French market and has an appetite for new openings. Benon mentioned Snipes as “[JD’s] strongest competitor, ahead of Foot Locker and Courir, one that is distinctive for having its own brand.”

JD’s product range features both footwear and apparel, and some of its stores actually generate more sales with clothes.

“Nike and Adidas have an extensive presence, Sergio Tacchini is making a genuine come-back, gradually replacing Ellesse and Puma, while Champion is still going strong, as are North Face and Patagonia in the outdoor segment, as well as the sportswear lines by Armani and Hugo Boss,” said Benon.

Besides Paris, JD is stepping up the pace of its expansion elsewhere in Europe. It opened in Berlin and Vienna in July, and on December 7, will open in Stockholm, inside the Gallerian shopping mall.

The other major challenge JD Sports is undertaking is to carve out a space for itself in the kingdom of sneakers and streetwear, the U.S.

The British group first tested the waters last year, buying local chain, Finish Line.

Twenty of its shops are now being transformed into JD stores (six are already open for business), and the group plans a major opening in 2020, with a 2,000-square-metre flagship store on Times Square in New York.

It will be JD’s first in New York, where Snipes is expected to also set up shop next year, after the chain -- owned by the Deichmann group -- proceeded to buy a local chain, Mr Alan’s, this summer.

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