In the heart of Paris, Ekosport dares to sell harnesses, climbing shoes and touring skis. The brand specialized in outdoor sports, born in Chambéry, opened its first store in the capital at the end of September. With an area of 1,500 square meters, it is located on Boulevard des Capucines, at 9my district… 50 meters from a Decathlon store, the undisputed leader in the French sporting goods market. A second store is planned for the end of 2025, with an area of 1,000 square meters, on the boulevard du Montparnasse, in 6my district, instead of the Le Bretagne cinema, closed since November 2023.
“We have been looking to settle in Paris for three years”explains Yannick Morat, president of Ekosport. This former director of Sport 2000, who founded the brand in 2010 on the Internet, with his brother Stéphane and Franck Wesse, a former Salomon executive, believes he can impose his concept of a store specialized in the “high-middle range” in Paris.
At the head of thirteen stores, operated mainly in the Alps, the brand continues to be known by Parisian athletes who rent their skis and buy their equipment on its website. “They already represent 15% of our clients”Morat emphasizes. And, according to him, his offer of five hundred outdoor sports brands (two hundred in stores) must be able to compete, in Paris, with the Au Vieux Campeur stores and, elsewhere, survive the tough competition from Decathlon, a major supplier. low prices thanks to its own brands and that of Intersport, its direct competitor. The brand aims, in particular, to equip those who divert sportswear from the first use, putting on a pair of Salomon sneakers or a Patagonia jacket. “Two out of three fleece jackets are used daily”Morat observes. Ekosport sells 150,000 pairs of trail shoes a year.
High range and more technical
The opening of the Parisian boutique mobilized 1 million euros and required a lease contract “eightfold” more expensive than those practiced in the provinces. But “Opening in Paris is a measured risk”Morat assures from the marketabroad This “still very dynamic”. In 2021, one day after the containment measures imposed to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, the French rediscovered mountain sports and significantly updated their equipment. Then the sale of hiking and trail running items skyrocketed.
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