Ambitious Shoppe Object Paris prepares to make WSN debut

After a pilot in September under the name Who’s Next Home, Shoppe Object Paris will stage its first edition from January 17 to 19. This Parisian spin-off of the renowned New York fair is organised by WSN and Andmore, one of the major players in design and home shows in the United States.

Located on the first floor of Hall 7 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles (Paris 15th), the show brings together 80 exhibitors for its debut. Anchored by an open-ended agreement between the parties involved, it is underpinned by a long-term vision and bold ambition. Matthieu Pinet, director of Shoppe Object Paris, makes no secret of it: “We’re going to be extremely ambitious with this project, which is set to grow substantially and, before long, I hope, occupy a hall of its own.”

A mainly European line-up

A twice-yearly event held every January and September, the show spans a wide array of product categories—fourteen in total—including furniture, lighting, tableware, household linen, beauty (candles) and high-tech.

“Hunting for brands is our job,” explained Pinet, also the founder of Matter and Shape, WSN’s annual show dedicated to objects and design. “It’s these gatherings of the creative industries that make our work so exciting. It means that every day is a hunt for the right products,” he continued.

So to find exhibitors, he and his team combed the sector to bring together 40 French exhibitors and 40 from seventeen other countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain and Italy. They include lighting specialist Flos, publisher Phaidon, tableware designer Serax, household products brand Kerzon, and speaker specialist Transparent.

A complementary show to Matter and Shape

The Matter and Shape event, whose physical iteration under the WSN banner was launched in 2024, is not set to disappear with the arrival of Shoppe Object Paris: the two are complementary. Indeed, it was a visit to the French show that finally convinced Shoppe Object that WSN was the right partner to develop its French branch, according to Pinet.

“With Matter and Shape, there’s a desire to present something people don’t expect,” emphasised the director of both shows.

“At Shoppe Object Paris, it’s very different. The aim is to address a need already expressed by boutiques: to integrate a new offer into their catalogues,” he explained.

Bringing new energy to WSN

WSN, through its CEO Frédéric Maus, maintains that the future of shops lies in diversifying their offer, and advocates a strategy based on the concept-store model.

“We’re supporting a market evolution that is pushing boutiques towards a “concept-storisation”,” said Pinet. This should bring some of the “most beautiful boutiques in the world” back to the WSN event, where their presence had waned.

WSN now counts five shows in January: Who’s Next, Interfilière Paris, Bijorhca, the Salon International de la Lingerie—added to the line-up in 2021 and 2023—and Shoppe Object Paris.

WSN continues to diversify, banking on growth “at the right pace”, in the words of Matthieu Pinet. So far, the January event is running 30% ahead of its initial registration target. Among visitors, WSN hopes this offer will attract a new audience while also winning over its regular clientele.