The center of the Catalan capital adds a new Barcelona brand to its shop windows. Laagam has opened the doors of its first physical store on Rambla Catalunya. It has chosen one of the city's main arteries to make the leap from online to offline, following the firm's philosophy of going big. It will do so temporarily, in a three-month trial during which it will test the store's reception, its operation, and its team. With one objective: to open its permanent boutique on the same Barcelona street, and prepare Laagam's arrival in other cities.
Clothes on scaffolding, donkey-type clothes racks, works of art on pallets, a large packed horse, and a heavy white fabric backdrop. The store and its aesthetic exude the air of provisionality and temporality that accompanies the establishment. Hand in hand with the creatives from Bufet Socis Club, the concept of the premises reproduces the technical reserve of a museum. "A work in progress of what Laagam's permanent retail will be," explains the brand's founder, Inés Arroyo. The firm is already looking for the premises that will house its definitive store on the same Rambla Catalunya.
The Catalan capital will not be the only major city with a physical store for the brand, which until now has been eminently online. Laagam plans to serve the public in person also from other cities, among which it prioritizes Madrid and Amsterdam. In all of them, its objective is "to open in a prime location." Arroyo details that they will first validate their retail strategy with stores in Barcelona and Madrid, and then open in the capital of the Netherlands, one of the firm's key international markets. "We already have partners interested in us opening there," Arroyo assures.
The founder of Laagam assures that they have "far exceeded opening expectations," and now the goal is to maintain that levelThe opening of the flash storegenerated anticipation. The queue of more than 50 people lining the shop windows of Rambla Catalunya surprised the brand's founder, who confesses that she did not expect such a long wait to enter the brand-new establishment. Among the first visitors, a large part was international public —about 70%, according to Arroyo. The opening aroused the curiosity of both customers who came on purpose, and others who were encouraged to enter as potential new public for the brand. "That's why we have chosen to open in a location like Rambla Catalunya:we want to attract new customers", remarks the also creative director of Laagam.
The decision to open in the current premises was made and executed quickly: in three weeks, the opportunity arose and the opening was prepared, in a space previously occupied by a bank branch, and then by another temporary store. "We have far exceeded opening expectations"; now the goal is to maintain the same level. The brand's forecasts include doubling its turnover in 2024, reaching ten million euros. It expects to do so after closing 2023 with about five million, 66% more than the three million it earned last year. This is a goal that the firm also aspires to achieve through this new retail strategy, which has placed Barcelona at its center.