Thierry Guibert (Lacoste) : Lacoste parie sur la mode sportive pour développer sa croissance

It was necessary. To make a brand desirable, you have to control its distribution and products. At the time, we only had the textile license. We bought back the licenses for shoes, leather goods, underwear, and reorganized distribution. It required sacrifices for three years to refocus, but it was necessary for long-term growth. It worked: Lacoste is now at 2 billion euros in revenue, with a target of 4 billion in 5 years. We have 8,500 employees. The group includes Lacoste, Aigle, Gant, Tecnifibre, Kooples, and department stores in Switzerland. We are 100% family-owned, no debt, with a long-term vision. Lacoste is the flagship, but we want to enrich the portfolio, possibly through acquisitions. We have two pillars: strong in Switzerland and international brands. We sold mass market department stores in Switzerland and will continue to develop. We started acquisitions in 2019 and will continue to enrich the portfolio in the premium segment.

It may seem counterintuitive, but it makes sense. Today, customer experience is both physical and digital. We needed that digitalization to open this store. Customers want more than just shopping. This store offers customization, screens, digital experiences. We will open a second flagship in London on Regent Street early next year as part of our strategy to have flagships in major cities for customer interaction.

Tourists are not all back. Asian tourists are still absent, but American and Middle Eastern tourists are back. We are at about 80% of the normal flow. The Champs-Élysées has 100 million visitors per year. If we capture 1%, that's a million visitors in the store, which would be good.

When I arrived in 2014-2015, digital was less than 2% of revenue. We invested heavily in the front office and digital. We made our digital presence equivalent to our flagship stores, with the same pricing and premium experience. We expanded to nearly 90 countries. Now digital is 30% of revenue. But digital is about customer interaction, not just shopping. The goal is 40% by 2026. This digital strength helped us during COVID: we lost only 10% while competitors lost 20-30%, allowing us to bounce back faster and aim for 4 billion by 2026.

The Kooples is a young brand that had a great start but lost its way. The strategy is to rebuild it for Gen Z with more audacious products starting in June, and a disruptive communication campaign. I am confident. It has a rock edge that appeals to young people. We will also open a new flagship on the Champs-Élysées in October, replacing the old Lacoste store.

No, we are focused on the premium segment. We want to add value and develop our brands over the long term. Consumers are more demanding; they want design and comfort. It takes time, but the brand's substance makes the difference. I hope it continues.

It is a priority. We have factories in France, including in Troyes. We focus on product lifespan to reduce environmental impact. Increasing lifespan by 30-40% is part of our quality strategy. Consumers, especially young ones, are attentive to authenticity.

I believe in experiential retail. Physical stores will persist but must offer more interaction. For our brands, we will have fewer but more engaging stores. We have a strong partnership with tennis and golf, with the world number 1 and 2 players. We have a link with the Lacoste family through Beryl Lacoste. We lost the bid to dress the French women's team for the Olympics because we didn't want to compromise on cost, but we are an IOC partner and will support the Olympics.