Handsome, the fashion subsidiary of Korea’s Hyundai Department Store Group, will launch a two-month pop-up store at Paris’s La Samaritaine starting August 30, marking the global debut of its TIME Paris brand in the luxury department store’s basement level.
The move represents Handsome’s continued European expansion as the company grapples with deteriorating performance at home. Operating profit declined 28.3 percent last year to 72.1 billion won ($48.88 million), down from over 100 billion won maintained since 2019, according to market research firm FnGuide. Weak sales of higher-priced fall and winter apparel, coupled with record hot weather and domestic economic slowdown, pressured results.
La Samaritaine, the LVMH-owned store that reopened in 2021 after a €750 million renovation, is struggling to attract customers as of 2024 despite its prestigious location near the Louvre. The basement space where Handsome will operate previously hosted pop-ups from luxury brands including Celine and Prada.
Handsome has been pursuing international growth to offset domestic challenges. The company already operates a successful System brand pop-up at Galeries Lafayette that maintained a top 5 monthly sales ranking for a year, leading to plans for a permanent System Homme store opening in January.
The Korean retailer has participated in Paris Fashion Week for seven consecutive years and expects to discuss regular entry with multiple French department stores while pursuing wholesale contracts with global distributors including London’s Harrods.
