K-Way bolsters its boutique network in France, expands into the UK

For K-Way, the opening of its new Bordeaux store at 47 on the emblematic Cours de l’Intendance epitomises the outerwear brand’s strategy in France. The label, owned by Italy’s BasicNet group, has relocated from its boutique on Rue Franklin, just a few metres away, to a busier thoroughfare and a larger 150-square-metre space, previously occupied by Repetto. After months of works, the brand unveiled its concept, designed by architecture studio Andrea Caputo, featuring a minimalist aesthetic in which metallic materials, cool neutral tones and carefully considered lighting create a refined, contemporary atmosphere.

“The stores we started with were tiny because the business was small. As a brand, we couldn’t afford prime locations, high key money or big rents. But then we realised that bigger stores worked better than smaller ones. Lyon was probably the first example. We had a decent location on a slightly secondary nearby street, about 50 to 60 square metres. These stores have a limit: the depth of the assortment- the number of sizes, colours, and styles you can carry- is very limited, and footfall also affects performance. Two or three years ago, we moved to a much larger, better-located store. That store immediately outperformed the rest on every level,” said Lorenzo Boglione, co-CEO of BasicNet, the family-owned group that holds a majority stake in K-Way (the Permira fund owns 40% of the capital).

“We therefore realised that in big cities we had to relocate and look for larger spaces,” said Boglione. “We did this in Toulouse, where we had a very small boutique that was posting incredible numbers, but it was no longer sustainable. We made two or three other relocations last year. The locations we started out with are no longer necessarily the right places to grow the business.”

France is the brand’s most mature retail market. Founded in Paris in 1965, K-Way made a name for itself in the 1970s and 1980s with technical, functional, and accessible apparel. Today, the brand offers collections for men, women, and children, and operates a network of around 120 stores worldwide, around 70 of which are in France. The company, which acquired the French operations from its former local partner in 2022, also relies on franchise partners throughout the country. Last year, the brand opened in Nice, on Rue de la Liberté, as well as in Caen, Reims, and Le Havre. It also set up shop with a partner in Chamonix in winter 2024, to highlight its ski offer.

“We are already present in Chamonix and in Cortina in Italy. And we’ll be opening in Val d’Isère and Megève next winter with local partners. The leases have already been signed and they will open for the winter season. We’re very enthusiastic because we believe that K-Way has enormous potential in the mountains,” said Lorenzo Boglione. “The ski line is still in its infancy, but the mountains are definitely a major area of development. We’ve also signed a partnership with the ski instructors at Serre Chevalier. They will be the first to test and use our products for professional purposes.”

This positioning enables the brand to expand into new segments and new areas in its two major markets, Italy (where the brand has also made some adjustments to its network) and France, which generate the majority of sales. But the brand is also strengthening its ambitions in other countries. After opening in San Sebastian, Spain, a few months ago, it has announced the opening of a boutique in Barcelona. Already present in Madrid, K-Way has secured a 134-square-metre store on the corner of Rambla de Catalunya and Carrer de Mallorca.

At least five stores in the UK by the end of the year

But the label has made the UK its main development target. It has just opened a 130-square-metre boutique at 26-27 Carnaby Street in London’s West End, while its very first UK store opened early last year on King’s Road in Chelsea.

“The King’s Road boutique is doing very well. And this opening on Carnaby Street is extremely important. Especially as we have another opening planned a few months from now in London and one in Manchester,” said the executive. “Of course, we don’t have the same performance per square metre as in Italy or France, but we are recording significant growth. And it’s not realistic for a brand to reach in six months the level of a market where it has been established for seven to 10 years. We are learning how best to work with the British customer. We’re preparing to set up our subsidiary in the UK to develop our wholesale. And for this we have recruited Carl Davies to head up the UK market.”

This is quite a coup for BasicNet. The executive, former president of Pentland Brands, where he spent 10 years, had been managing director of Perry Ellis International since 2020, developing the group’s business in the UK and Europe. From London, he worked on a portfolio of around twenty brands, including Farah, Perry Ellis, Original Penguin, as well as Callaway and Nike Swim.

The experienced executive will therefore bring his expertise to strengthen distribution for K-Way, but also for the rest of the group’s brands such as Sebago, Superga, Kappa, and the recently acquired Sundek and Woolrich.

In its other target market, Germany, K-Way has no plans to open a subsidiary for the time being, and is relying on the expertise of its local partner to expand with multi-brand retailers and strengthen its presence in department stores. If stores are opened, this will depend on opportunities rather than strategic imperatives. Lorenzo Boglione explained this approach by noting that, in his view, openings must quickly reach their break-even point.

Discreet about the brand’s 2025 figures, after closing 2024 with sales of €159 million, he says: “I don’t want to give out figures. The business is doing well. Of course, we need a bit of bad weather from time to time, since we mainly sell jackets.” Predominantly active in Europe, the brand is also looking at its export potential. In Asia, where there are four single-brand boutiques in Korea, one in Taiwan and one in China, the brand is working to strengthen its presence in new markets. A new store is due to open in Seoul in September.

Today, BasicNet operates on a model based on a worldwide network of licences. On the financial front, the Turin-based company, listed on the Italian stock exchange since 1999, closed the first quarter of its 2026 financial year with revenue of €132.8 million, up 35.1% on the same period the previous year.

With the British and Spanish editorial teams