Czech retailer Footshop Group, which posted a 38% revenue growth in H1, to €36.8 million, and is already present with five stores in some of Eastern Europe’s capitals, is keen to open a flagship in France in 2026, the future cornerstone of its Western European expansion.

Footshop was founded in Prague by Peter Hajducek in 2012. In 13 years, it has built a customer base of 3.5 million subscribers to its newsletters. The Footshop and Queens sites, featuring footwear and apparel by brands like Nike, Adidas Originals, Puma, New Balance, Asics and Birkenstock, have reportedly generated 82 million visits and 585,000 downloads over the past 12 months.

“The first half of 2025 marked a key milestone for us: Our international expansion and strong collaborations showed that our business model is both robust and attractive. We’re now focusing on establishing a long-term presence in Western Europe, especially in France,” said Hajducek. “France is a strategic market for us. It is mature, demanding, but also open to change. We believe there is a place [in France] for a digital-native independent player that is deeply connected to European urban culture,” he added.

Footshop said it has deployed its e-shop in 10 new markets this year, and is looking for premises in Paris, Lyon and Marseilles for its first French address, which will join those already open in Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, Bratislava and Warsaw. These five physical stores are said to attract more than one million visitors a year.

Footshop is aiming to become a European leader in streetwear, and said it has invested heavily in automating its 10,000-square-metre warehouse in Prague. As a result, Footshop claims to have reduced labour costs by 40% while speeding up order processing.

Having previously recorded a revenue of €61.6 million (75% generated outside the Czech Republic), the group is expecting to top the €82 million mark this year, an annual growth of 40%. In Q2, sales in the Sport segment grew 44.5%, and Footshop intends to expand this segment by introducing premium cycling apparel.