The democratization of yoga in France over many years has logically opened a market for manufacturers of accessories, but also for clothing brands specializing in “sportswear”. In the United States, where the market is much more developed, two brands are trying to keep up: Lululemon and Alo Yoga.
In France, most consumers are currently only aware of the Canadian brand Lululemon, which has 4 stores in Paris (plus a corner in Bon Marché) but this should change quickly as competitor Alo Yoga is reported by BFM Business to about to open its first physical store in France.
A brand driven by its digital strategy
The brand’s products are already available at Galeries Lafayette, where Alo Yoga has a corner there. And the presentation of the spring-summer collection also took place in the tricolor capital. But this time, the brand created in Los Angeles in 2007 changes scale and does not hide its ambitions with this first French store, which is expected to open by the end of 2023, or even the beginning of 2024. In parallel, Alo Yoga will also open a store in London.
Hugely popular in the yoga clothing sector, Alo Yoga is particularly appealing to Generation Z and Alpha, mainly thanks to its use of influencer marketing on Instagram and TikTok. It also taps into the current trend that is taking yoga clothing out of its primary use and transforming it into everyday “sportswear” accessories.
The CEO of Alo Yoga, Danny Harris, in effect considers that his brand is more of a “Digital Native Vertical Brand”, a brand born in digital and that fully adopts its codes in its way of communicating, than a simple textile manufacturer.
With a very strong brand image on social media (3.2 million subscribers on Instagram), Alo Yoga is now aiming to shake up Lululemon (which has 4.5 million subscribers).
fierce competition
Alo Yoga rose to popularity at the start of the pandemic with the help of influential celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Bella Hadid, seen in their sportswear. This is where the “gen Z” affinity for this brand was born.
The brand does its best to attract young customers. It has created a wellness space in the metaverse, “experiential” shops, and more. It has even expanded its menswear line and recently offered sneakers. The first model, in vegan leather, was released in May. Alo Yoga thus imitates Lululemon, which launched its first sneakers last year.
Alo Yoga says its business nearly doubled last year, with sales topping $1 billion. And his growth is exponential since he registered a turnover of 2,000 million dollars during the last quarter of 2023.
The Californian brand is now aiming for the number 1 position in the market. A not too distant goal if your retail development strategy works. Still, today, Lululemon remains the segment leader with nearly 600 stores. Alo Yoga has about forty of them.
Source: BFM TV
