Rolex will open a new major store in Paris, the latest in a string of flagships from Asia to Europe. It will be its fifth Rolex-exclusive boutique in the French capital, but the first run by Bucherer, the latest sign the brand is turning to its own retailer to operate new flagships.
Rolex may not be giving preferential treatment to Bucherer in its allocations, as some feared when the brand announced it would acquire the Lucerne-based retailer in 2023. But it is building more flagships run by Bucherer while canceling the licenses of independent dealers located too close to these stores.
Wempe in Paris could be at risk of losing its Rolex license, as it did on Bond Street in London and on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, where its multi-brand stores sit too close to newly built Rolex flagships. Galeries Lafayette Royal Quartz on Rue Royale, another Rolex retailer, could also be at risk.
Until now in Paris, Rolex’s exclusive boutiques have been run by Dubail on the Champs-Élysées and Place Vendôme, while those on Rue Pierre Charron and Rue de Sèvres are operated by Arije and the Lassaussois family. The new boutique, just approved by City Hall last month, will be a two-story location on the corner of Rue Royale and Rue Saint-Honoré, near the Tuileries Gardens.