Hermès opens flagship store in Shanghai

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Sep 15, 2014

Hermès has stepped it up a notch in Asia, a market that accounts for nearly half of its sales (45%). The famous Parisian leatherwear company launched a flagship store that sprawls over 12,000 square feet in Shanghai on Friday, September 12.

It’s the 5th "Hermès Maison" worldwide, bringing the number of Maison’s in Asia to three (Shanghai, Tokyo, Beijing), the others located in Paris (Faubourg Saint-Honoré) and New York (Madison Avenue).

The brand is also preparing to open two new stores in China, Chengdu and Beijing.

The openings are part of a strategy to revitalize its sales on the Chinese market, which Hermes entered in 1997 and where it now has 23 stores (new openings included). In Asia, the brand now has 124 stores out of a total 318.

As described in a statement, the new "Hermès Maison”, a long red brick building with a sloping roof surrounded by a garden, is located at 217 Middle Huaihai Road in Huangpu district, the former location of the French Concession in Shanghai.

The store sprawls over four floors and stocks the brand’s entire range as well as setting aside space for exhibitions and events.

The project was conceived by RDAI, the Parisian architectural agency headed by Denis Montel, who is in charge of the design of all Hermès stores worldwide, the brand said in a statement.