The Paris Region is the world's retail capital and a prime shopping destination thanks to its luxury boutiques, department stores, concept stores and retail outlets. By attracting large numbers of shoppers and tourists, it's the perfect ecosystem for brands and retailers to showcase their products and test innovative solutions. To find more resources, browse our downloadable guides.
Expert
Cécile Jupin
Retail & E-Commerce, EdTechExpert
The Expert’s Analysis
The Paris Region is a shopping destination and capital of tourism. In 2023, Paris's pedestrian traffic has reached an all-time high. That makes Paris an ideal location for retailers to open shops and test new concepts.
With the Olympic Games just around the corner, the retail real estate market ibig-name retailers are battling for available sites, and rents for temporary stores are soaring.
France is also the 2nd European country in e-commerce sales, and fashion and clothing representing most of the sales.
Sustainable development is a growing concern for French customers. That's why corporate social responsibility, circular economy, zero waste, and short channels are emerging as selling arguments.
Paris Region, World Capital of Shopping
As an international capital of fashion and creation, Paris is the world's number one luxury shopping destination. It is home to Europe’s top 3 busiest shopping streets, the Champs-Elysées, which sees more than a million passers-by a month.
Shoppers can choose from a variety of locations as the Paris Region counts 200+ shopping centers from large shopping malls like Westfield Les Quatre Temps, Westfield Forum des Halles, renowned department stores such as La Samaritaine, Galeries Lafayette, Le Bon Marché, but also shopping neighborhood like Le Marais, or rue de Rivoli. The city of Paris itself has 28 retail businesses per 1,000 inhabitants.
Paris has experienced a retail switch with brands offering more digital, service-oriented, and experiential retail formats. Concept stores such as Kith Paris, Merci, Archive 18-20, and Smallable are as popular as ever. Mixing different universes, these sleekly designed stores offer the latest trendy items from fashion and sports to furniture and connected objects. Mass market retailers use new strategies to drain customers such as click-and-collect point-of-sales. Many brands now rely on flagship stores as part of their marketing strategy: the Lacoste Arena opened in 2022 on the Champs-Élysées, the Diesel store rue Saint-Honoré or the Bottega Veneta store rue Montaigne, both opened in 2023.
The Rise of E-Commerce and RetailTech
France is Europe's second-largest e-commerce market, with 41.8 million French people shopping online. The 2020 pandemic has undoubtedly boosted online purchases, which have increased by 30% over the past four years.
The major platforms Amazon, Cdiscount, Fnac, E.Leclerc and Decathlon remain leaders among the 200,000 e-commerce sites active in France. Second-hand platforms such as Vinted for fashion or BackMarket for electronics are very popular, as sustainability and budget are consumers concerns.
Brands and retailers remain on the lookout for innovative solutions in e-commerce and retail technology, to strengthen their omni-channel sales and marketing strategies.
The startup ecosystem continues to develop rapidly, fostered by France's innovation policy. Today, we count 135 French startups specializing in e-commerce and retail, including unicorns such as ManoMano, BackMarket, Mirakl and Ankorstore.
Sustainable Development
Paris Region and industry clusters are pushing actions to foster projects in line with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, for example:
- The 2021 Responsible E-Commerce Logistics Charter has been drawn up by the French government and the e-commerce and distance-selling federation to reduce the environmental impact of e-commerce;
- Paris Region set up a goal to move from a linear consumption model to a circular model by 2030;
- Supported by ADEME Île de France, the association SHOP!France certifies the global eco-design approach of companies manufacturing Point of Sales displays.
Leverage the Paris 2024 Olympics
With 15,9 million expected visitors, Olympic Games are an opportunity to showcase your solution and benefit from the flow.
- Reference your company within the official products & services or become a sponsor here
- Facilitate transactions with international customers, build customer loyalty
- Showcase your solution: we have referenced shopping malls around Olympic Games sites for you.
Clusters, Incubators and Accelerators to Support Your Growth in Paris Region
PICOM by Cap Digital is an innovation cluster focused on retail in France. PICOM brings together major retailers, technology companies, higher education institutions and research organizations. Learn More.
FEVAD, the Federation of E-commerce and Distance Selling is a professional organization federating e-commerce and online sales companies. Learn More.
SHOP!France is a member of the Shop! International Network, which includes 17 offices worldwide. SHOP!France gathers the actors of the Point of Sale Marketing (POS): brands, distributors and creative/producers, around the following professions and services: POS, merchandising, digital, layout, commercial architecture etc. Learn More.
La Maison des Startups LVMH located in Station F, accelerates collaborations between startups and the 70+ Maisons of the group. Since 2016, LVMH has been partnering with Vivatech, the largest European tech and open innovation event, for its LVMH Innovation Award. Learn More.
Plug&Play Retail France. Based in Paris, Plug and Play Retail France is the premier business accelerator for the retail and e-commerce industries. Startups in this ecosystem get a unique advantage by getting connected with world-leading companies. Learn More.
Wilco is an innovation accelerator that supports the growth of startups up to their first million euros and the transformation of large companies. Wilco supports early-stage startups with programs dedicated to 5 industries: Healthcare, Retail, Industry, Digital and BtoC. Learn More.
Retail & E-Commerce Events in Paris Region
Paris Retail Week, Paris, September - The European global event for Retail professionals in IT for commerce, Logistics, Marketing, RetailTech and Payment solutions. Learn More.
TECH for RETAIL, Paris, November - The European exhibition of innovative retail: exhibitors, conferences, experience sharing, networking. Learn More.
Download our guide to find the right accelerator for your company in Paris Region.
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