Pop-up Stores & Roland-Garros : How Brands Are Playing the Tournament Retail Game.

Key Takeaways

Roland-Garros triggers a wave of retail activations across Paris every year.
The tournament's visual codes — ochre clay, yellow balls, chic athletic outfits — give brands an instantly recognisable way to showcase their partnership.
The pop-up store has established itself as the most effective format for making a collaboration stick in the consumer's mind.
Wilson, Perrier, Lacoste and Galeries Lafayette delivered the standout operations of the 2026 edition.

Wilson in Le Marais : Sport Meets Style

The American sports equipment brand took over Merci — one of the Marais's most influential concept stores — to launch what it describes as a technical yet elegant wardrobe with 1960s inspiration. The centrepiece: the store's iconic vintage car, packed floor to roof with tennis balls.

By choosing the 3rd arrondissement over the courts of Porte d'Auteuil, Wilson made the right call. Le Marais draws a premium, international, fashion-forward crowd — exactly the profiles that follow Roland-Garros, but who come to the neighbourhood for their shopping fix, not the tennis.

Planning a pop-up in Le Marais? Nestore has turnkey spaces in Paris's most dynamic neighbourhoods.

*Wilson's pop-up at the Merci concept store*

Perrier: 48 Years of Partnership, Celebrated Through Experience

Here's an activation that stands out : for the 48th consecutive year, Perrier is sponsoring Roland-Garros. And every year, the brand finds a way to honour that historic partnership with something genuinely unexpected. In 2026, it went all in on experiential retail — hosting an evening at the Monnaie de Paris that blended tennis, culture and Parisian art de vivre.

On the programme: matches pitting Jo-Wilfried Tsonga against figures from sport, music and fashion — including Bob Sinclar and Constance Jablonski — set against a backdrop of rooftop terraces, live courts and a surprise DJ set. A format that captures exactly what Perrier stands for: sparkling, sun-drenched, effortlessly refined.

But the strategic thinking goes beyond entertainment. By bringing in personalities from fashion and music, Perrier expanded its reach well beyond the tennis audience — reactivating its image with communities that would never have tuned in for the tournament itself.

*Perrier's rooftop evening at the Monnaie de Paris*

Lacoste: Taking the Grand Slam to New Heights

After New York, Melbourne and Miami, Paris welcomed the Club Lacoste concept to the Rooftop Horizon — an event venue in the 16th arrondissement with an unobstructed view of the Eiffel Tower. For a few days, the space became an immersive world where tennis and the Lacoste universe collided: co-branded Roland-Garros 2026 collections, meet-and-greets with brand athletes, and a bookable on-site court.

The operation takes a page from the luxury pop-up playbook: the pop-up store as a temporary living space, not a sales floor. Nobody walks into Club Lacoste to buy a polo shirt. They walk in to experience something. The purchase follows naturally — the desire was built on the spot.

Fashion Week is just around the corner — read our full guide to make the most of it.

‍Galeries Lafayette: Roland-Garros at the Heart of Parisian Retail

Galeries Lafayette delivered one of the most comprehensive activations of the 2026 edition. On the rooftop terrace of the Haussmann flagship, a giant screen broadcast live matches from 24 May to 7 June, with a panoramic view of Paris as a backdrop. Tournament partners Ladurée and Isdin were also on-site, rounding out an experience that went well beyond watching tennis.

Every year, Roland-Garros takes over Paris — drawing fans and locals far beyond the clay courts of Porte d'Auteuil. Brands absorb the tournament's codes — the ochre, the energy, the quietly glamorous aesthetic — to build preference and claim territory. From the 16th to Le Marais, across a dozen neighbourhoods in Paris, the city dresses in the ochre colours of Paris's Grand Slam — pop-up stores leading the charge, but far from the only players.

What makes the Galeries Lafayette operation particularly sharp is its depth. This isn't just image-building. Roland-Garros pop-up stores rolled out across the Champs-Élysées and Beaugrenelle locations, carrying the co-branded Lacoste collections. On Rue Mogador, a dedicated point of sale stocked official Roland-Garros merchandise — including the iconic towels. Visibility, footfall, conversion: all three, at once.

Thinking about a pop-up in the Haussmann area? It's one of Paris's strongest catchments for high-spending tourists and local premium shoppers. Explore our spaces in this neighbourhood.

*The Roland-Garros pop-up at Galeries Lafayette*

Conclusion

Roland-Garros 2026 confirms what the best brands already know: a sports partnership can no longer be justified by media exposure alone. It has to translate into a retail experience — and the pop-up store is the most powerful vehicle to get there.

The brands that win at Roland-Garros all understand the same thing: location isn't a detail. Choosing Le Marais over a rooftop with an Eiffel Tower view are decisions that determine who you reach and what you project.

That's exactly what we do at Nestore: find the right space, at the right moment, in the right configuration. Before the next tournament begins.

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