MAC on the Champs-Elysees

MAC Cosmetics' new Paris flagship location at 78 Champs-Elysees is opening on February 25th. The 3,900 sq. ft. store has two floors, and houses the country's first Lash Bar. It also features twelve makeup stations that will encourage customers to "play."

The new location is expected to boost sales. "We anticipate these to be high volume doors for the brand, due to the large number of visitors they attract from around the world. Each year, approximately 167 million people travel to the Champs-Elysees," said Karen Buglisi, global brand president, MAC Cosmetics.

The fact that MAC is a very theatrical brand is reflected in the store's interior design.

"The focus was on giving the structure a sense of magnificence, working with the fact that architecture in Paris is innovative and risk taking, which is why we decided to make this amazing 'shell' within the store," explains James Gager, senior vice president, MAC Cosmetics.

Gager is describing the store's inner "dome," which is shown in the photo. It is a dome-shaped cascade of black mirrors, which looks grand in the double-height space. Color-saturated LED animations will also be projected throughout the store, and will reflect on the mirrors in fragmented shapes.

"This will generate a visual interest at street level, which captures the imagination and draws people inside," Gager explains.

The store will also serve as an industry event space, and be an 'industry hub'- a place for editorial broadcasting, filming, VIP appointments, blogger PR events, and makeup applications for local and global media during Paris Fashion Week. It will also be a venue for MAC's Master classes and seasonal Trend Presentations.

" What we have created with the Champs-Elysees's store - as with our other flagships - is a unique and special retail experience," says Gager.

Buglisi adds, "This new flagship store will make an incredibly strong, very exciting brand statement."