Cambridge Satchel heads to Paris for first international store

British leather goods company Cambridge Satchel, which was acquired by French textile giant Chargeurs in 2022, has opened its first international store at 117 Rue Vielle du Temple in Paris as it continues its retail expansion strategy.

January 2025 saw the opening of a new Cambridge Sachel store in Windsor, which followed other recent store openings in London’s Covent Garden, Cambridge and Leeds, taking its UK store portfolio to four.

The new 538 sq ft store is situated in the heart of Paris’ Le Marais district. For the opening period, the contemporary space has been adapted to resemble a French bakery with exposed stonework brick walls and tiled flooring.

The locker style shelves and trolleys are filled with both French pastries and Cambridge Satchel’s crafted leather pieces for women and men, including classic satchels, crossbody bags, handbags, tote bags and backpacks.

The new store will also house its latest SS25 collection and Cambridge Satchel’s collaboration pieces, including bestsellers such as ‘The Hello Kitty Face Tote’ and ‘The Binocular Bag’ from the ‘Wicked’ film.

Completing the collection is a range of small leather goods - from purses and notebooks to passport and card holders. There are also two Paris store exclusive charms, one featuring a croissant and the other a Paris love heart.

Carine de Koenigswarter, CEO of Cambridge Satchel, said: "This is a key moment for Cambridge Satchel with its first international opening. Paris being the capital of fashion, it was the obvious choice for our first store out outside of the UK.

"We chose Le Marais as it is a historic district in Paris, known for its rich cultural heritage, charming street and vibrant mix of shops, galleries and restaurants - a perfect spot for our first French store.

"The Paris store follows the opening of Leeds at the end of 2024 and Windsor in early January and is a key part of our Phase 1 expansion plan. Following this we be looking to open in other key cities across Europe and internationally."