For its March 2026 edition, Les Jeudis de La Retail Tech decided to step outside its usual framework to observe retail where it truly comes to life: out in the field. For one morning, Rue de Valois gave way to an immersive experience in the heart of Paris, carefully curated by Mike Hadjadj 🛍️, Barbara SARRE-DEROUBAIX, and Nicolas Diacono 🤖🛍️.
The event was held at Fouquet’s on the Champs-Élysées. More than just a starting point, this iconic Parisian landmark—at the crossroads of cinema, history, and the French art of living—gave this off-site edition a very special atmosphere. A symbolic setting to kick off a stroll marked by inspiration, experience, and a focus on new expressions of retail.
🌵 SXSW 2026: AI is accelerating everything, and people are once again becoming the real strategic focus.
Before starting his shopping tour, Nicolas Diacono 🤖🛍️ shared his experience at South by Southwest, a series of music, film, and interactive media festivals that has been held annually since 1987 in Austin, Texas.
One message stands out very clearly: the issue is no longer just what AI can do. The real issue is how its rapid advancement is changing our organizations, our habits… and our relationship with other people.
🤖 AI has become a political issue. The debates extend far beyond technology: surveillance, weaponization, dependence on platforms, economic impacts… Choices about tools are also becoming societal choices.
⚙️ AI agents are already changing the game. We are entering a world where agents can perform tasks 24/7. The issue, therefore, is no longer just the adoption of AI tools, but how to rethink the organization of work between humans and agents.
🧠 The risk isn’t just technical—it’s also emotional. As AI becomes more conversational, more “human,” the issue of anthropomorphism takes center stage. Trust, attachment, dependence: we’re already projecting a great deal onto these tools.
👥 In response, the community is regaining value. In an increasingly automated world, the brands that stand out are those that build connections, create cultural norms, and foster a sense of belonging.
🏬 And that’s where retail becomes strategic again. The store is no longer just a place for transactions. It can once again become a social, cultural, and relational space. In short, a space where the brand creates something more than just a purchase: a human experience.
👉 In short: the more automated business becomes, the more differentiation depends on culture, community, and human connection.
A wonderful introduction before we start our shopping tour!
☕ Bacha Coffee: When Retail Becomes a Sensory Journey
The first stop on this off-site tour: the brand-new Bacha Coffee flagship store on the Champs-Élysées. And to say the least, the experience lives up to the hype.
Founded in Marrakech in 1910, Bacha Coffee was built on a strong promise: to take its customers on a journey through a selection of 100% Arabica specialty coffees from the world’s finest origins. Today, the brand offers more than 200 varieties from over 35 coffee-producing countries.
Relaunched in 2019, the brand rapidly expanded its international presence (Hong Kong, the Middle East, Asia) before opening its first European flagship store in Paris in 2025.
The space elegantly reinterprets the spirit of Dar el Bacha, its original palace in Marrakech: red-ochre tones, black-and-white checkered marble, geometric latticework, and carved cedar woodwork come together to create an immersive, refined, and instantly recognizable setting.
👉 A great example of experiential retail, where the space doesn’t just sell a product, but creates a true sensory and cultural journey centered on coffee.
🏛️ Retail on the Champs-Élysées: When a Flagship Store Becomes a Destination in Its Own Right
The tour then continued to the new RH flagship store on the Champs-Élysées, which opened in September 2025. With this RH Gallery, the California-based home furnishings brand—formerly Restoration Hardware—has made a spectacular debut in Paris in a space designed to be much more than just a store.
Located on the site of the former Abercrombie & Fitch store, the concept makes an impressive first impression: a monumental entrance gate, a landscaped walkway, striking architecture, and spacious interiors… all come together to turn a visit into a truly memorable experience.
Spanning several floors, RH presents a hybrid space that blends furniture, decor, an interior design studio, a design bookstore, bars, a restaurant, and a rooftop terrace with views of Paris. The space caters to both individuals and professionals, offering tailored guidance and personalized design solutions.
This flagship store perfectly exemplifies a major trend in premium retail: creating spaces where people come not only to shop, but also to find inspiration, plan, have lunch, stroll, and experience the brand.
👉 A great example of a place where retail meets design, hospitality, and the art of living.
📸 Monoprix Champs-Élysées: A Concept Designed for Tourists, Combining Services, Brand Image, and Heritage
The tour continued at the Monoprix on the Champs-Élysées, a store designed primarily for an international clientele. There are no groceries here: the selection focuses on fashion, home decor, and beauty, spread across 2,000 m² on three levels.
The concept focuses on a more premium approach, featuring a sophisticated design, a strong visual appeal, and a wide range of services: concierge services, click-and-collect, an app to skip the checkout line, connected fitting rooms, on-site alterations, beauty consultations, hotel delivery, and key storage.
Everything is designed to offer a seamless, convenient… and very Instagram-worthy experience.
Another striking feature: in the basement, an impressive vault door serves as a reminder of the building’s history, as it once housed the headquarters of the First National City Bank. This architectural remnant lends the space an unexpected sense of heritage.
👉 An interesting example of a brand that tailors its concept, services, and presentation to a location as strategic as the Champs-Élysées.
🐊 Lacoste Arena: A flagship store designed as a space for self-expression
The next stop on the tour offers a change of scenery: the Lacoste Arena, located at 50 Avenue des Champs-Élysées, on the site of the former Gaumont movie theater, in a building owned by the Seydoux family, which controls the movie giant.
Opened in 2022, this 1, 600 m² flagship store showcases the Lacoste universe as a bridge between sports, fashion, and design. Tennis, golf, padel, fitness apparel, footwear, and ready-to-wear for women, men, and children make up a comprehensive collection that stays true to the brand’s DNA.
The space was designed to be a truly immersive experience, featuring several signature areas, an immersive tunnel, an interactive sports room, and on-site customization services—all of which have become essential at this type of venue.
👉 More than just a store, Lacoste offers a vibrant space where performance, elegance, and innovation come together in a setting tailored to the Champs-Élysées.
🐊 Café Lacoste: The Brand Expands Its Reach into Lifestyle
The tour continued with a visit to the very first Café Lacoste, located on Franklin Delano Roosevelt Avenue, a few hundred meters from the Lacoste Arena.
With this new location, Lacoste is expanding its brand universe beyond traditional retail, fully embracing the lifestyle and hospitality sectors. In a 100-square-meter space featuring the brand’s signature aesthetic—deep green, off-white, terracotta accents, and tennis-inspired lines—the brand offers an experience consistent with its image.
The menu was designed with both Parisians and tourists in mind: specialty coffee, creative lattes, signature drinks, pastries featuring the brand’s iconic symbols, takeout items, and Lacoste-branded merchandise come together to create a space that is accessible, stylish, and highly “branded.”
👉 A good example of a brand that seeks to become part of its customers’ daily lives by transforming its brand world into a true living space.
🚗 The Renault Parade: When Cars Take the Stage on the Champs-Élysées
The tour continued at the Défilé Renault, located at 53 Champs-Élysées, a space designed by Franklin Azzi that marks a new chapter in the brand’s presentation.
Designed as a hybrid space combining a showroom, an event venue, and a retail outlet, the concept features a permanent vehicle display, a central plaza for conferences and broadcasts, as well as a full range of services related to purchasing, financing, leasing, and after-sales support.
With its name “carwalk”—a nod to the fashion catwalk—Renault is making a clear statement: to make the visitor experience more immersive, more cultural, and more prestigious. The venue is also complemented by a digital twin that allows visitors to explore the brand’s history and its models in an interactive virtual world.
👉 A good example of a concept where sales take a back seat to the staging, event planning, and brand experience.
🍷 Maison Nicolas: Bringing a Sense of Joy Back to the Store Through a Warm, Welcoming Atmosphere
The tour concluded at Maison Nicolas on Place de la Madeleine with a presentation by Cathy Collard Geiger, CEO, on the transformation the brand is undertaking.
Opened in 2022, this venue is much more than a traditional store. Combining a retail space, a premium wine cellar, and an event venue, it has been reimagined as a true hub of activity: monthly events, tastings, gatherings of executives, journalists, and partners… everything is designed to embody the brand’s signature style.
A clear goal: to make Maison Nicolas a “source of conviviality, ” capable of bringing people together through wine and moments of shared enjoyment.
This initiative is part of a broader transformation plan aimed at modernizing the brand’s image, reaffirming its premium positioning, and expanding its customer base in a competitive market. In particular, the brand is refining its communication platform to balance elegance, accessibility, and regulatory requirements.
Among the key priorities, the expansion of the non-alcoholic beverage category clearly illustrates this commitment to adaptation: a high-quality lineup designed to support new consumption trends and attract new consumers, without compromising on product standards.
👉 Here, the point of sale becomes a true strategic lever, at the intersection of customer experience, brand content, and customer relationships.
💡 In summary, Maison Nicolas demonstrates how a historic brand can reinvent itself by transforming its spaces into places for interaction, emotion, and discovery.
A wonderful conclusion to this retail immersion experience, which was all about a friendly atmosphere.
