With sections of the British retail sector currently struggling, many think it’s time we looked elsewhere for answers on how to breathe a new lease of life into the UK scene. On the other side of the Channel it’s clear that retail and leisure operators across France are doing something right when it comes to the reinvention and modernisation of their brands. Embracing, rather than dismissing, the growing presence of online retail has been a key weapon in their armoury of tactics and has paid dividends.

Nowhere is this more relevant than in Paris, where consumer giant L’Oréal has joined forces with retailer Groupe Casino to debut a beauty and wellbeing concept in the heart of the capital, where experience is everything. Promising a truly forward-looking – some might use the word millennial – concept, the tie-up will see Le drugstore parisien operating from two key locations in the city, offering a personalised experience and something shoppers simply cannot get from the comfort of their mobile devices. It follows on from a similar 'phygital' concept launched by beauty brand Sephora earlier on this year.

The long-term strategy behind the idea not only embraces innovation, but also hones in on the all-day (the two stores are open between 10am – midnight) experience that offers something fresh to the savvy, urban consumer. Ranging from beauty, medicinal and wellbeing products, including a number of L’Oréal brands, to a food and beverage offer, Le drugstore parisien is the middle man between the traditional French pharmacy and food retail.

With the lines increasingly blurring between work, culture and fun, the new store is a one stop shop appealing to Paris’s office dense population and answers the call for a way of shopping for the cash-rich, time-poor shopper. 

It’s this approach that marks just how significant Groupe Casio and L’Oréal’s undertaking is for French retail. By paying particular attention to new ways in which to flexibly utilise retail space, the venture puts customers at the heart of its operation. By promising more than a simple shopping experience and instead focusing on events, exclusive brands and on-site amenities that we have become so accustomed to (think Wi-Fi, phone charging points and even a dry cleaning service), the stores are expected to spark other similar projects across the city.

Amid the current struggles of some brands across the UK, could this fresh and flexible approach be the answer the retail industry has been looking for?

Further information

Read more: Savills Retail Open Summer 2018