Atelier Cologne just opened its third Parisian store on Rue du Bac, near the River Seine.

Located in the heart of the Left Bank quarter, this new workshop spreads across 50m2, in a new setting. The Colognes Absolues are displayed on painter cases, and a wall composed of dozens of leather, bright-coloured cases highlights the importance of the art of gifts and personalization to Atelier Cologne.

New openings to come

This new area is Atelier Cologne’s sixth wholly-owned store in France and around the world, including three in Paris, two in New York City, and a brand new one in Hong Kong. Driven by their young brand’s dynamics, the two founders are considering reaching the number of twelve stores within the next two years, mainly abroad, in particular in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dubai, Moscow, Shanghai, Seoul… This plan does not include any opening in a French region, although the brand is present across the whole territory via the Sephora network.

Opening a store in the city of Toulouse, for example, requires as much energy as opening one in Seoul, but the return on investment is definitely not the same”, Christophe Cervasel explains. “France is the most difficult market in the world. In the United States, or Asia, people are culturally open to novelty. In France, we have a culture of tradition. Atelier Cologne is a new French Maison de Parfum, and the weight of the Made in France label has much more impact beyond our borders. I wish the French were aware of this,” he adds.

Thanks to its presence in more than 35 countries, via the travel retail network and on Air France flights, Atelier Cologne will end the year 2015 with a 14 million euro turnover, 85% of which results from international sales. 700,000 bottles have been sold since the Maison was created, and a range of hotel amenities was developed in partnership with Groupe GM.

Atelier Cologne: A unique Gift Card

From 60 euros of credited value, the gift card is offered in a "Discovery Kit", a metal box decorated with an image of the first Atelier Cologne boutique and containing 12 mini-sprays from the brand’s bestsellers. Whoever receives the voucher can therefore easily choose his favourite perfume to retrieve it online or in store. V.G.