trends

The Carwalk Renault: a tool for fostering emotional connection.

17 April 2026 by Flora

Open until 9 June, the Carwalk Renault has taken up residence on the Champs-Élysées as a hybrid space combining exhibition, dining and retail. The Lemens & Partners team visited the venue as part of their retail tours.

As soon as you enter, the space makes a striking impression with its sheer scale. Spanning several floors, the brand presents a vision it describes as a « visionary concept ».

First and foremost, the exhibition showcases a number of iconic models. The Renault Twingo, conceived in collaboration with Sabine Marcelis, a Dutch artist and designer, created in 2023 to celebrate the model’s 30th anniversary. Or the Renault Suite N° 4, designed with French designer Mathieu Lehanneur, a nomadic car conceived in the spirit of a hotel suite. Two collaborations that say a great deal about how Renault views its own brand culture.

The layout of the space naturally guides you towards the café-restaurant, then on to an area dedicated to the works of Icelandic painter Erro Gudmundur. This collaborative project with the brand reinterprets automotive culture through Renault models using pop art figures. The top floor is dedicated to relaxation: vinyl records to listen to and free-to-play arcade machines offer a leisurely way to round off your visit.

The brand’s latest models are on display throughout the exhibition, but never in an intrusive way. And for those who’d like to take home a souvenir, The Originals Store offers accessories, toys, clothing, miniatures and even a Renault-branded coffee machine.

Le Défilé Renault - Retail Tour - Lemens & Partners

Renault isn’t trying to sell cars here, at least not directly. The Carwalk Renault is, above all, a tool for building an emotional connection. People stay there, linger there, and come back. And that is precisely where the brand gains something far more lasting than a simple transaction: it gains the visitor’s emotional attachment to the brand.

By showcasing its heritage through artistic collaborations and iconic models, Renault is transforming retail into a canvas for expression. Pop Art meets automotive culture, the showroom becomes a gallery, and the brand leaves a lasting impression on visitors that goes far beyond the product itself.

This sends a strong signal to all brands wondering about the future of their physical retail operations.

Retail tours have become essential for tracking trends, innovating and drawing inspiration. Lemens & Partners analyses global retail movements through the lens of your strategic challenges, observing what works elsewhere to help shape the retail of tomorrow.

We design and lead bespoke retail tours with our international experts. The field is an endless source of ideas.

Get in touch to organise your next retail tour.

Tom Ford Beauty: The First European Boutique Opens in Paris

30 October 2025 by Flora

Tom Ford Beauty has arrived in Europe with the opening of its first beauty boutique, right in the heart of Paris.

From the moment you walk in, the store’s design reflects Tom Ford’s unique style, architectural, minimal, and bold. A marble table stands in the center of the space, a clear nod to the brand’s fashion shows. This strong material highlights the colourful perfume bottles, displayed like pieces of art.

The customer experience is central to the store. The expert team is warm, attentive, guiding visitors through a true fragrance journey. Each scent, each note, each story is shared with care. Guests come not only to try, but also to learn to understand how a fragrance is built and what inspires each collection.

Every product, with its sharp design and refined finish, echoes Tom Ford’s architectural style. It’s a perfect balance between design, product, and experience, expressing the pure essence of Tom Ford’s creative vision.

With this opening, Tom Ford Beauty is not just expanding in Europe, it’s sharing its vision of luxury retail, where style becomes experience, and every detail, from the space to the storytelling, speaks of beauty and desire.

12 rue Cambon, 75001 Paris
11am – 7pm Monday to Sunday

RICOLA, THE SWISS ALPS IN THE HEART OF PARIS

18 June 2025 by Flora

Nestled in the heart of Paris’s Marais district, the Ricola boutique invites visitors on a unique sensory journey into the world of the iconic Swiss herbal candy brand.

As visitors step inside, they’re welcomed by a vibrant wall of herbal sweet boxes — Ricola’s unmistakable visual signature. The boutique blends modern design with a warm, inviting feel, featuring light wooden shelves, suspended greenery, and accents of green and yellow that echo the Swiss mountains where the herbs originate. Every detail contributes to an immersive environment that inspires both escape and relaxation.

The concept of the boutique goes beyond simply selling products. It offers an interactive experience through monthly workshops such as herbarium creation and relaxation sessions. Visitors can also put together their own assortment of sweets at the candy bar, or discover Infuselles, Swiss herbal infusions, available loose or in tins. Exclusive collaborations, such as eco-responsible t-shirts and collector’s boxes, enhance the range of products on offer. The result is a true experience centre, combining culinary pleasure and well-being.

This initiative is part of a storytelling strategy to introduce the brand to younger customers, and to highlight its commitment to nature and sustainability. Ricola is taking a modern approach, appealing to a new generation while highlighting its rich heritage.

In this way, the Ricola boutique in Le Marais stands out for its innovative approach, combining sensory marketing, ethical commitment and a rewarding customer experience.

4 rue Pavée, 75004 Paris
11am – 7pm weekdays
12pm – 8pm weekends

AMI MARAIS BOUTIQUE JOINS FORCES WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES

11 April 2025 by Flora

To mark its arrival in the Marais, AMI is launching a series of initiatives rooted in the local spirit.

With the opening of its flagship store at 96 rue de Turenne, the company founded by Alexandre Mattiussi is strengthening its ties with the neighbourhood by teaming up with four iconic brands. Cafes, artisan bakeries, florists and greengrocers are all decked out in the AMI colours, offering new experiences and special-edition creations.

The bistro Le Progrès is adopting the brand’s famous stripes on its napkins and parasols, while Petite Île, a Franco-Taiwanese bakery, is dressing up its breads and sweets in exclusive packaging. O’Fleurs d’Églantine, a committed florist, has designed a bouquet inspired by AMI, and Jardin des Délices has revamped its stalls with a dedicated visual identity. This AMI-style celebration pays tribute to the energy of the Marais and the people who bring it to life every day.

At the same time, AMI is presenting Chemin-Croisé, a book by photographer Olivier Kervern, which paints a sensitive portrait of the district through its inhabitants and iconic landmarks. A limited edition of the book will be available from 12 April in the shop and on display at the Yvon Lambert bookshop until 20 April. Finally, an interactive game entitled L’AMI du quartier invites the curious to explore the streets of the Marais in search of hidden illustrations by Alexandre Mattiussi.

THE RETURN OF SAINT LAURENT RIVE DROITE

20 February 2025 by Flora

After a year of renovation, Saint Laurent Rive Droite reopens its doors to the public with a brand new design.

Anthony Vaccarello, artistic director of Saint Laurent, worked with the Judd Foundation to completely re-imagine the design of the Paris flagship. Inspired by art galleries, this collaboration created a new space with a warm, raw and minimalist style. A place where art is expressed in all its forms, where a varied selection of clothes, books, records, furniture and accessories coexist harmoniously. Design is the name of the game, as much in the architecture of the shop as in the fashion on display.

The trendy Saint Laurent Rive Droite boutique perfectly reflects the house’s DNA. Here, spaces are dedicated to culture, luxury, fashion, architecture, collaborations and even the culinary arts. Saint Laurent Rive Droite marks 2025 with a bold new collaboration with chef Peter Park. The first Sushi Park located in Los Angeles, is now setting up its second restaurant at 8 rue du 29 juillet in the 1st arrondissement, next door to the boutique.

Saint Laurent Rive Droite
213, rue Saint-Honoré – 75001 Paris

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY WITH LEGO!

13 February 2025 by Flora

This year, LEGO is sowing the seeds of love with its new travelling concept, Le Fleuriste, to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

On February 13 and 14, LEGO invites you to come and discover their unique floral compositions, plant carts and floral frescoes. There’s also a free workshop where participants can make roses, orchids, sunflowers, tulips or a combination of all these flowers!