BENTONVILLE, Ark. (BRAIN) — French cycling apparel brand Café du Cycliste opened a small office here in July with the eventual goal of growing its market share in North America.
The 500-square-foot space will house wholesale administration and a product showroom, a Café du Cycliste spokesperson told BRAIN, with most of the brand's support coming from the Nice headquarters. There are no plans currently for opening a corporate retail store in Bentonville, but the spokesperson said negotiations have started with a wholesaler here to carry the brand.
"Starting next year, we will begin a project to open a flagship location in the U.S., but we haven't defined the location yet," the spokesperson said.
Café du Cycliste has two U.S. retailers — one in Miami and the other in Palo Alto, California — but is close to adding others in Los Angeles; Boulder, Colorado; New York; Washington, D.C.; Memphis, Tennessee; and Dallas, in addition to one in Montreal.
"We've also just partnered with locations in Brazil, Chile, and Ecuador, which are key focus areas for us as well."
Founded in 2002 in Nice by Rémi Clermont and André Stewart with its first products being two jerseys and a pair of bib shorts, Café du Cycliste has experienced growth in Europe, where most of its apparel is manufactured, and in Asia.
The brand will also expand its ambassador team across North America and donates 1% of its turnover to environmental causes and strives for carbon neutrality. It plans to formally introduce itself during Bentonville's Big Sugar Classic Expo in October.
