Probably not the most festive shop in Paris, but telecoms network and technology retailer SFR offers one of Europe’s most interesting new retail environments.
This two-floor shop on the Rue Tronchet, in the centre of the city, opened in its present form on June 20 and is a one-off that is unlikely to be replicated elsewhere by the retailer owing to the complex nature of the internal layout.
That said, how many British retailers offer a fashion shop, a stylish minimalist café and the option to personalise your laptop Swarovski-style, if you feel so inclined? Couple this with geometric padded walls – some gold, others red and yet more in just plain white – and you have a technology store that feels more like the sort of thing you might encounter at one of Paris’ more outré fashion shows.
The entire range is housed on the first floor and is divided by category, apart from a side room that has been set aside as a dedicated techno-fashion zone. In this area, the emphasis is rather more on things looking good than how many giga-widgets the products might happen to have.
The café occupies about a third of the total space on the first floor and on the day of visiting was conspicuously busy, with people eating and drinking in a space that would have worked perfectly well as a standalone proposition.
When was the last time you enjoyed a decent coffee and maybe a cake while pondering whether to buy the latest reasonably unnecessary electronic toy?
That said, how many British retailers offer a fashion shop, a stylish minimalist café and the option to personalise your laptop Swarovski-style, if you feel so inclined? Couple this with geometric padded walls – some gold, others red and yet more in just plain white – and you have a technology store that feels more like the sort of thing you might encounter at one of Paris’ more outré fashion shows.
The entire range is housed on the first floor and is divided by category, apart from a side room that has been set aside as a dedicated techno-fashion zone. In this area, the emphasis is rather more on things looking good than how many giga-widgets the products might happen to have.
The café occupies about a third of the total space on the first floor and on the day of visiting was conspicuously busy, with people eating and drinking in a space that would have worked perfectly well as a standalone proposition.
When was the last time you enjoyed a decent coffee and maybe a cake while pondering whether to buy the latest reasonably unnecessary electronic toy?
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