Launched in 1962, Place des Victoires in Paris, the multibrand boutique named after its location has grown into a big family. Now existing in ten cities (Paris, Saint-Tropez, Lyon, Lille, Megève, Biarritz, Saint-Barthélémy, Punta des Este, Malibu and Portofino since last april). Victoire, who has often been described as the first Parisian concept-store is now preparing to invest in Argentina, Buenos Aires … opening in the coming weeks, this will be the 18th baby Victoire worldwide
"We either open our stores as our own or as a franchise like in Megève, Lyon or Biarritz," says Camille Riboud, daughter of the CEO and owner of the brand Gilles Riboud, but also in charge of communicating for Victoire and ready to succeed him. With boutiques for men and women over the globe, Victoire aims at customers who love colors, prints and products they can’t find anywhere else. "We go to showrooms and tradeshows like Who's Next, Tranoï and Man & Woman, but also to events in Italy like Piti Uomo and Super." explains Camille Riboud.
In the thirty or so brands that Victoire offers in each of its boutiques, every single one is exclusive: "If the brand has already been discovered in the city, we don’t sell it, we want to be the only and first ones to offer it." This way of working seems to please our customers since the family business claims to record a growth of 10% of its turnover in 2017, compared to the previous year…leading the way in Saint-Tropez, even though the five Parisian outlets alone account for 40% of Victoire's sales.
In addition to the, mostly Italian, designers Victoire also offers its own brand, which Florence Rouanet-Riboud, wife of Gilles Riboud designs and styles herself with success; high-end cashmere, dresses and coats. Eight out of ten of men's shirts sold at Victoire are those stamped in the name of the private label, which contributes up to 25% of our turnover in our 18 multi-brand shops.
To continue in a logical way, Victoire will open its e-shop in January 2019: "Until now, our website was only a showcase, even if some people could purchase via e-mail.”
We don’t have high expectations for the e-shop but it would be great if it could actually be a success and source of growth. Victoire communicates with its customers in traditional XXI’st century ways; social networks, newsletters, blogs and websites, but we favor real/direct relationships between customers and store managers, who don’t hesitate to phone you up to tell you what's new: "Our customers are very loyal because we offer them a large choice of exclusive clothing in a human-sized store (the largest store measures 100 square meters) while offering them a real sales service. This is one of the key elements of our strategy.” There lies undoubtedly the secret of Victoire.
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