A record-breaking 39 new brands entered the Czech market last year

• 39 new brands entered the Czech retail market last year, the highest number in 10 years
• Popeyes, Victoria's Secret, Signorvino, Rossopomodoro and Zadig & Voltaire are among the most significant newcoming brands
• With 14 brands, the F&B and grocery sector recorded the highest number of market entries
• The fashion sector follows with 9 brands: clothing, footwear and accessories
• 8 brands came to the local market from Italy, 5 from Slovakia, 4 from France

39 new brands entered the Czech retail market last year, a record number achieved in the past ten years, when the real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield has been closely monitoring this activity. Some of the most notable brands that came to the market last year include Victoria's Secret, Popeyes, Signorvino, Rossopomodoro and Zadig & Voltaire.

Jan Kotrbáček, Head of Retail Agency, Central and Eastern Europe, Cushman & Wakefield: "The Czech market, and Prague in particular, is clearly attractive for retail brands and remains their main gateway to the CEE region. For international fashion and other companies, it is one of the most attractive environments, especially thanks to the very high-quality mix of tenants and their good business results. The presence of a large number of international companies is, among other things, a result of the long-term growing purchasing power of the Czech population and the development of a business environment in which companies are thriving. A very important factor for the entry of international brands is the fact that the Czech Republic, and Prague in particular, is also a very important European and world tourist destination, where tourists form a very significant part of the clientele of foreign shops, especially in the centre of Prague and in major shopping centres, where new brands most often open their first stores; they then expand to other Czech cities."

Big American names and F&B

Two names literally shook the Czech market last year. The highly sought-after American lingerie brand Victoria's Secret, which opened its first local store in Prague's Westfield Chodov shopping centre in May, had been lacking in the country for a long time. Another major brand is the American fast food chain Popeyes, which opened a store in Dům módy on Prague's Wenceslas Square in early November and where long queues still stand in January.

The F&B segment was enriched by more interesting brands last year. The very popular Aperol Spritz Terrace opened in Prague's Mánes, the Holy Pasta concept opened in Manifesto Market, The Alley tearoom opened in Na Příkopě Street. Italian concepts opened in shopping centres: Rossopomodoro in Palladium and Signorvino in Westfield Chodov. The so-called travel retail was enriched by the Bottega Prosecco Bar and Natoo brands at Prague Airport and the main railway station.

In the grocery segment, BILLA and Makro introduced new formats of their stores. BILLA started to open small-format VIVA BILLA stores at petrol stations and Makro wants to reach visitors to the centre of Prague or office areas with Bonveno stores. Toblerone chocolate confectionery is now sold in a specialised shop in the Fashion Arena Prague Outlet.

Chart 1: List of the 20 most significant retail brands that entered the Czech Republic in 2023

Source: Cushman & Wakefield

Fashion and luxury in the Pařížská street area

The fashion sector, traditionally strong among the arrivals, was represented last year by 9 clothing, footwear and accessories retailers. The luxury goods segment was expanded by the Italian winter clothing brand MooRER in Maiselova Street and the French fashion brand Zadig & Voltaire in Široká Street. The world-famous shoe brand Jimmy Choo, after a year's absence of a full-fledged retail store, moved to Pařížská 21. It has thus consolidated the trend of luxury brands moving to the northern part of Pařížská Street, where two new projects with exclusive retail spaces are now being completed: the Pařížská 25 and the five-star Fairmont Golden Prague Hotel, which has the ambition to become the most luxurious hotel in the CEE region.

Into Prague's streets and shopping malls

The vast majority - 33 brands - headed to Prague; Brno and Ostrava welcomed two brands each, Hatě and Hradec Králové one each. The proportion of brands that opened stores in shopping centres and those that chose the so-called high street (the main shopping avenue in the city centre) is balanced. Most brands came to the country this year from Italy: 8, mainly from the F&B segment, followed by Slovakia (5 brands) and France (4 brands).

Jan Kotrbáček, Head of Retail Agency, Central and Eastern Europe, Cushman & Wakefield: "Next year we can look forward to new and more dominant concepts from existing brands operating on the market. We are also expecting new brands to arrive, of which I can now mention, for example, the upcoming opening of Five Guys, another fast-food chain in the centre of Prague."