IADS quoted about the expansion of Printemps Doha in Qatar

What: International retail press asks for IADS’ opinion on the plan for expansion to come in the fall. 

Why it is important: Printemps Doha, which marks the French group's return abroad, opens this fall in Qatar, a year late and with the challenge of establishing itself in a promising but competitive region.

The store is located in the renovated historic center of the capital, in the heart of a brand new complex that includes a five-star hotel and an amusement park. Its 40,000 square meters on three floors makes it the group's second largest store, after the flagship on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris.

Announced in May 2019, the opening was part of an expansion strategy that calls for five to 10 stores to open abroad by 2030.

In France, the Covid-19 crisis has deprived Printemps of its foreign clientele and the brand has scaled back, closing three Printemps stores. Nevertheless, as for Galeries Lafayette already established in Qatar, "an international expansion strategy does not seem out of place", says Selvane Mohandas du Ménil, of the International Association of Department Stores, IADS.