Veronica Beard Steps Up International Push With Galeries Lafayette Pop-up

PARIS — Veronica Beard’s growth plan is getting a French twist with a monthlong pop-up at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann opening Wednesday.

The American brand founded by sisters-in-law Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard is moving into a 270-square-foot space fitted with picture frame moldings, curved brass hanging rails and a travertine table that wouldn’t look out of space in a Parisian interior.

With reason: the pop-up on the department store’s first floor, which runs through Dec. 8, is the opening play for the brand ahead of a permanent retail base in the City of Light, Veronica Beard president Stephanie Unwin said in an exclusive interview.

The brand is already eyeing tony neighborhoods like Faubourg Saint-Honoré, with plans to open its flagship in 2026.

“We believe that we have an opportunity to build out that base in Paris and we know it’s a very sophisticated, worldly shopper [here], consistent with our customer in other markets,” she said.

Through the pop-up, the American brand hopes to refine its understanding of the French customer’s taste but also start building a community. It also recently tapped Parisian jeweler Sylvia Toledano for a collaboration that launched in the fall and is expected to continue in future seasons.

And the company has geared up for its Paris adventure.

Earlier this year the brand opened a 2,750-square-foot permanent base with an airy showroom that overlooks Avenue de l’Opéra. Led by Francois Le Floch, who came on board as managing director EMEA in March, it will be home to a team of six to eight by this time next year, Unwin said.

It’s also a springboard for the brand’s international expansion, which it initiated in 2022 by opening a first store in London. It since has a second address in the British capital, launched at Selfridges in September and opened a first concession at Harvey Nichols a few weeks ago.

Currently north of $350 million in sales and with 90 percent of its business done on the American market, it’s a major growth reservoir for the company.

“We have spent 13 years building this brand such that we have got the formula right in our own backyard. So over the last two years, we have started to build international,” she said.

Sales in France are still “tiny” but are growing 24 percent year-on-year, while growth with European customers is at 23 percent.

The “significant business” done with partners like Net-a-porter and Mytheresa is another encouraging sign for the executive, and markets already on the horizon include Germany, Spain and Switzerland.

“We would expect over the next three years that our international business would be at least 20 percent, if not higher,” Unwin said. “So we’re looking to double the business as it stands today.”

Meanwhile, the company is firing on all cylinders across categories. Handbags, introduced last year, and the seven-year-old footwear line are both growing in the “100 percent-plus” range, according to the executive.

Ready-to-wear continues to take a lion’s share of the business and denim is another big growth opportunity.

“We’re the second-largest denim resource for Neiman Marcus in the month of October, and many other months too,” she said.

In the meantime, the Parisian Veronica Beard customer will be able to find her fix at the Galeries Lafayette.

There will be an assortment of fall 2025 and resort 2026 ready to-wear, including four exclusive versions spanning a dress in gold foil fil coupé fabric and the bestselling Bankes dickey jacket offered in a light russet colorway. Handbags and shoes will also be on offer.