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Lacoste is no stranger to Australian wardrobes, but 2026 marks the start of a far more ambitious local push. Under the stewardship of distributor Accent Group \u2013 which operates brands including Hype DC, Platypus and Glue \u2013 the French heritage label is shifting from a predominantly wholesale presence to a tightly controlled, consumer-facing brand play. <\/p>\n
Executive general manager of Lacoste at Accent Group, Liam Robson, told Inside Retail that the partnership is the natural next step in a relationship that\u2019s been building quietly for decades. Accent has worked with Lacoste for around 25 years, earning the trust of regional and global teams in the process. \u201cWe pride ourselves on being the home of global brands, and Lacoste is a fantastic global brand,\u201d Robson said. <\/p>\n
Apparel, luxury and a bigger canvas<\/strong><\/h2>\nFor Accent, Lacoste brings something new to a portfolio best known for footwear. \u201cIt\u2019s primarily an apparel business,\u201d Robson explains. \u201cFor us, that gave us the opportunity to get greater exposure in apparel and become more meaningful to a lot more of our partners.\u201d The label is also predominantly direct-to-consumer, which opens up a different growth path. \u201cIt gives us a great opportunity to expand the store footprint, something that we\u2019re really focused on \u2013 controlling more of the brand\u2019s DNA in the marketplace.\u201d With a century of history and a luxury positioning, he added, Lacoste enables Accent to scale up the business across different areas.<\/p>\n
That ambition is underpinned by Accent\u2019s track record of scaling global brands such as Hoka, Vans, Dr Martens, Timberland, and Skechers across Australia and New Zealand. \u201cWe\u2019ve been brand builders for 30-plus years, and we manage some of the best brands in the marketplace,\u201d Robson said. \u201cOur skill set is on expanding those brands in the marketplace. We bring a great ability to scale direct-to-consumer really quickly.\u201d With more than 600 multi-brand doors to plug Lacoste into, he described Accent and the crocodile as a really good proposition for each other.<\/p>\n
French flair, Melbourne flavour<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe task now is to translate Lacoste\u2019s tennis and \u201cfashion sport\u201d heritage into an Australian narrative that feels both aspirational and local. \u201cIt does have a very rich heritage,\u201d Robson said. \u201cWhat we are looking to try and achieve is to bring that French flair that the brand\u2019s famous for to this marketplace.\u201d He pointed to the enduring pull of a European summer for Australian consumers and added Accent\u2019s focus is on showcasing the global breadth of the brand. In the past, he noted, Lacoste\u2019s offer here has been \u201cvery isolated and curated\u201d.The new direction, though, is a much more elevated proposition, with global content brought to life properly.<\/p>\n
Nowhere is that clearer than on Little Collins Street. Late last year, Lacoste opened a new concept at Melbourne Walk \u2013 a street-level store Robson sees as the blueprint for the brand\u2019s next retail chapter. \u201cThere are a number of global store formats that the brand produces,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a store in the Marais in Paris, which is really driven by a strong localisation to the store, and I fell in love with that.\u201d The goal in Melbourne was to create an accurate representation of the brand at a global level, while also maintaining a \u201cMelbourne feel to it\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing on the street was important, not being in a shopping mall,\u201d Robson stated. \u201cSomething like Melbourne Walk really offered us that opportunity. Little Collins Street is an area that we believe in strongly, and I think the store we wanted, from a design point of view, to really reflect, again, French flair, but also be really inviting to the next generation consumer, and a real strong focus on her.\u201d Early feedback has been fantastic, he said, with the store trading well and events helping to amplify the brand even further.<\/p>\n
Building a crocodile retail footprint<\/strong><\/h2>\nRobson is clear that this isn\u2019t a one-off flagship. \u201cWe see growth for sure. We hope to have a very sizable retail footprint in the marketplace,\u201d he said. The Little Collins concept will be adaptable to some other CBD locations, but each site will be tailored to its neighbourhood. \u201cWe\u2019ll make all of those locations quite bespoke to the relevant street, space or city, because we want to make sure we bring a local flavour to wherever we bring a store, because Lacoste has a strong affinity with the community and making sure that we talk to that relevant customer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alongside new concepts, Accent plans to expand Lacoste\u2019s outlet network and reassess its shopping centre portfolio. \u201cWe\u2019ve got one concept today, we\u2019ve got five outlets, and we\u2019ll look to open more concepts over the next two years,\u201d Robson said, without yet putting a public number on the final target.<\/p>\n
Club Lacoste: centre court on the Yarra<\/strong><\/h2>\nIf the store represents the brand\u2019s everyday presence, Club Lacoste Melbourne at Afloat is the major set piece. For the first time, the global \u201cfloating tennis club\u201d concept has landed in Australia, transforming an iconic bar on the Yarra into a riverside court, dining and DJ space and pop-up store, complete with Melbourne-exclusive apparel. \u201cThe moment is tennis in January in Melbourne, and what that means to Melburnians,\u201d Robson said. \u201cEqually, the focus on Melbourne globally in January is obviously significant.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a roster of amazing tennis athletes, Accent wanted to show both sides of the brand. \u201cLacoste is strong on the court, but equally strong off the court, and Afloat offered us a great opportunity to be outdoors,\u201d Robson said. \u201cThe vision of building a tennis court on the Yarra was something that really excited us. The team at Afloat partnered really well with us to bring that dream to life.\u201d From the build of the barge to the view as guests ride down the river, he said, the activation \u201cshowcases the DNA\u201d of Lacoste in motion.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the strategy is simple: use theatre and touchpoints to build lifelong fans. \u201cWhat I hope is consumers walk away and fall in love with Lacoste, and then we build consumers for life,\u201d Robson said. \u201cWe\u2019re a very loyal brand, and we have a strong affinity with tennis culture, but equally, we want to make sure that the Australian community, Melbourne community specifically right now, falls in love with Lacoste and they get an opportunity to celebrate the brand that\u2019s been around for over 100 years and created the polo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leaning into heritage, not hype<\/strong><\/h2>\nBalancing that history with pop culture is an ongoing brief. \u201cThe brand prides itself on being true to its authenticity. So nostalgia is really important to us,\u201d Robson said. \u201cWe don\u2019t try to be something that we\u2019re not. We\u2019re not a running brand. We\u2019re a tennis brand, and we lean into that really hard.\u201d Expect, he hinted, a strong global push back to being more powerful on the court than ever before, which is the \u201crightful place for Lacoste\u201d.<\/p>\n
The post Lacoste\u2019s next serve: Inside the brand\u2019s big Australian push appeared first on Inside Retail Australia.<\/p>\n
The task now is to translate Lacoste\u2019s tennis and \u201cfashion sport\u201d heritage into an Australian narrative that feels both aspirational and local. \u201cIt does have a very rich heritage,\u201d Robson said. \u201cWhat we are looking to try and achieve is to bring that French flair that the brand\u2019s famous for to this marketplace.\u201d He pointed to the enduring pull of a European summer for Australian consumers and added Accent\u2019s focus is on showcasing the global breadth of the brand. In the past, he noted, Lacoste\u2019s offer here has been \u201cvery isolated and curated\u201d.The new direction, though, is a much more elevated proposition, with global content brought to life properly.<\/p>\n
Nowhere is that clearer than on Little Collins Street. Late last year, Lacoste opened a new concept at Melbourne Walk \u2013 a street-level store Robson sees as the blueprint for the brand\u2019s next retail chapter. \u201cThere are a number of global store formats that the brand produces,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a store in the Marais in Paris, which is really driven by a strong localisation to the store, and I fell in love with that.\u201d The goal in Melbourne was to create an accurate representation of the brand at a global level, while also maintaining a \u201cMelbourne feel to it\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing on the street was important, not being in a shopping mall,\u201d Robson stated. \u201cSomething like Melbourne Walk really offered us that opportunity. Little Collins Street is an area that we believe in strongly, and I think the store we wanted, from a design point of view, to really reflect, again, French flair, but also be really inviting to the next generation consumer, and a real strong focus on her.\u201d Early feedback has been fantastic, he said, with the store trading well and events helping to amplify the brand even further.<\/p>\n
Building a crocodile retail footprint<\/strong><\/h2>\nRobson is clear that this isn\u2019t a one-off flagship. \u201cWe see growth for sure. We hope to have a very sizable retail footprint in the marketplace,\u201d he said. The Little Collins concept will be adaptable to some other CBD locations, but each site will be tailored to its neighbourhood. \u201cWe\u2019ll make all of those locations quite bespoke to the relevant street, space or city, because we want to make sure we bring a local flavour to wherever we bring a store, because Lacoste has a strong affinity with the community and making sure that we talk to that relevant customer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alongside new concepts, Accent plans to expand Lacoste\u2019s outlet network and reassess its shopping centre portfolio. \u201cWe\u2019ve got one concept today, we\u2019ve got five outlets, and we\u2019ll look to open more concepts over the next two years,\u201d Robson said, without yet putting a public number on the final target.<\/p>\n
Club Lacoste: centre court on the Yarra<\/strong><\/h2>\nIf the store represents the brand\u2019s everyday presence, Club Lacoste Melbourne at Afloat is the major set piece. For the first time, the global \u201cfloating tennis club\u201d concept has landed in Australia, transforming an iconic bar on the Yarra into a riverside court, dining and DJ space and pop-up store, complete with Melbourne-exclusive apparel. \u201cThe moment is tennis in January in Melbourne, and what that means to Melburnians,\u201d Robson said. \u201cEqually, the focus on Melbourne globally in January is obviously significant.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a roster of amazing tennis athletes, Accent wanted to show both sides of the brand. \u201cLacoste is strong on the court, but equally strong off the court, and Afloat offered us a great opportunity to be outdoors,\u201d Robson said. \u201cThe vision of building a tennis court on the Yarra was something that really excited us. The team at Afloat partnered really well with us to bring that dream to life.\u201d From the build of the barge to the view as guests ride down the river, he said, the activation \u201cshowcases the DNA\u201d of Lacoste in motion.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the strategy is simple: use theatre and touchpoints to build lifelong fans. \u201cWhat I hope is consumers walk away and fall in love with Lacoste, and then we build consumers for life,\u201d Robson said. \u201cWe\u2019re a very loyal brand, and we have a strong affinity with tennis culture, but equally, we want to make sure that the Australian community, Melbourne community specifically right now, falls in love with Lacoste and they get an opportunity to celebrate the brand that\u2019s been around for over 100 years and created the polo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leaning into heritage, not hype<\/strong><\/h2>\nBalancing that history with pop culture is an ongoing brief. \u201cThe brand prides itself on being true to its authenticity. So nostalgia is really important to us,\u201d Robson said. \u201cWe don\u2019t try to be something that we\u2019re not. We\u2019re not a running brand. We\u2019re a tennis brand, and we lean into that really hard.\u201d Expect, he hinted, a strong global push back to being more powerful on the court than ever before, which is the \u201crightful place for Lacoste\u201d.<\/p>\n
The post Lacoste\u2019s next serve: Inside the brand\u2019s big Australian push appeared first on Inside Retail Australia.<\/p>\n
If the store represents the brand\u2019s everyday presence, Club Lacoste Melbourne at Afloat is the major set piece. For the first time, the global \u201cfloating tennis club\u201d concept has landed in Australia, transforming an iconic bar on the Yarra into a riverside court, dining and DJ space and pop-up store, complete with Melbourne-exclusive apparel. \u201cThe moment is tennis in January in Melbourne, and what that means to Melburnians,\u201d Robson said. \u201cEqually, the focus on Melbourne globally in January is obviously significant.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a roster of amazing tennis athletes, Accent wanted to show both sides of the brand. \u201cLacoste is strong on the court, but equally strong off the court, and Afloat offered us a great opportunity to be outdoors,\u201d Robson said. \u201cThe vision of building a tennis court on the Yarra was something that really excited us. The team at Afloat partnered really well with us to bring that dream to life.\u201d From the build of the barge to the view as guests ride down the river, he said, the activation \u201cshowcases the DNA\u201d of Lacoste in motion.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the strategy is simple: use theatre and touchpoints to build lifelong fans. \u201cWhat I hope is consumers walk away and fall in love with Lacoste, and then we build consumers for life,\u201d Robson said. \u201cWe\u2019re a very loyal brand, and we have a strong affinity with tennis culture, but equally, we want to make sure that the Australian community, Melbourne community specifically right now, falls in love with Lacoste and they get an opportunity to celebrate the brand that\u2019s been around for over 100 years and created the polo.\u201d<\/p>\n