Renowned Japanese fashion brand Uniqlo has selected Polygone Riviera – the 750,000 sq ft shopping and lifestyle destination currently being developed in a joint venture between Unibail-Rodamco and Socri – as the location of its first store on the French Riviera.
Polygone Riviera, which is due to open in October in Cagnes-sur-Mer, will be the first open-air shopping centre in France and will be divided into four distinctive districts –Quartier des Saveurs, Promenade des Palmiers, Quartier des Arcades and The Designer Gallery TM –setting a new benchmark for fashion, art and leisure in a mall environment.
Uniqlo will occupy a 12,917 sq ft unit at the heart of The Designer Gallery TM which will be anchored by department store Le Printemps, one of the first retailers to sign to Polygone Riviera. A selection of over 20 exclusive, contemporary retailers will also be found in the district.
The new store will be Uniqlo’s ninth opening in France and will showcase the brand’s stylish, high quality menswear, women’s fashions and children’s clothing.
Director of Development/European Projects at Unibail-Rodamco, Eric Houviez, said: “With visionary creativity and design at its heart, Uniqlo is the perfect match for The Designer Gallery TM at Polygone Riviera.
“We are all very proud of the concept, layout and carefully curated tenant mix at the centre, which is set to bring a chic and stylish environment never seen before on the French Rivera, or anywhere else in Europe.”
A range of international and local brands have already committed to take space in the Quartier des Arcades, including Sephora, Suncoo, Mauboussin, American Vintage, Eleven Paris, Massimo Dutti and Finsbury. In addition Scandinavian fashion brands & Other Stories and COS will open their first stores in a French shopping centre.
Meanwhile, lifestyle district Promenade des Palmiers will be home to over 40 international brands including Zara, Pull&Bear, Bershka, Forever 21 and the largest Superdry store in the South of France.
The appointment of pioneering curator Jérôme Sans as Artistic Director demonstrates Polygone Riviera’s commitment to world-class contemporary art. Among the celebrated names whose work will feature at the destination are French artists Daniel Buren, Jean-Michel Othoniel and César, British sculptor Antony Gormley and Belgium-based Cameroonian Pascale Marthine Tayou.
Leisure will also play an important role at Polygone Riviera with Unibail-Rodamco’s trademark ‘’Dining Experience’ area housing an assortment of gourmet cafés and restaurants.
Unibail-Rodamco is Europe’s largest listed commercial property company with a presence in 12 EU countries and a portfolio valued at €35.7 billion. The SOCRI Group specialises in hotels and real estate and owns a number of luxury destinations in France.