Armani brings Milan style to Nowy Świat

Paradise Group, the Kraków-based firm that brought global fashion brands Kenzo, Hugo Boss and Burberry to the Polish market, is opening the first Emporio Armani store in Warsaw next month.

The Armani shop will be located on ul. Nowy Świat 7, in close proximity to the posh Plac Trzech Krzyży in the city center. The area already features several upscale boutiques, including Burberry, Ermenegildo Zegna, Escada and Max Mara. The 330-sqm shop will offer clothing and accessories from Emporio Armani and Armani Jeans' men's and women's collection.

Emporio Armani and Armani Jeans are the company's secondary lines and are more affordable than clothes under the exclusive Giorgio Armani label globally, however the shop's offer will still come in at the top of the pricing range for the local retail market.

The shop will be located in an existing pre-war property. The development of the retail space involved a complete refurbishment of the entire facade and period elements of the landmark property. The project is modeled on the EA store on London's Bronston Road. Paradise Group's CEO, Mariusz Kaczmarczyk, has expressed the company's enthusiasm for the launch of the new store. "We have high hopes for the Emporio Armani boutique, based on the quality of its appearance, location and retail offer. We expect that the opening will have a great impact on Warsaw's upscale market," says Kaczmarczyk.

According to Magdalena Stępkowska, an investment specialist at Emmerson, this is just the beginning of an influx of high-profile fashion brands to the city's capital. "Brands like Louis Vuitton, Donna Karan and Tod's are prepared and willing to enter the Polish market and establish stores in Warsaw. They are currently looking at several prime locations as luxury products demand the right placement and location," she says.

Stępkowska considers it likely that, as designer brands start entering the market, the area that comprises Warsaw's "high street" will continue north from Plac Trzech Krzyży through the revitalized Nowy Świat and Krakowskie Przedmieście streets. The expansion of the luxury retail area could reach Plac Teatralny, one of the city's most distinctive sites, where there are already a number of prime retailers present.