Laurence Levy on Eric Bompard’s Spanish Debut and Building a Modern Love Brand

Eric Bompard celebrates its fortieth anniversary with renewed energy and a firm commitment to expansion. The storied French brand, a cashmere benchmark since 1985, is set to open its first boutique in Spain this summer, at 78 Serrano Street, aiming to win over Madrid’s premium clientele. The brand’s ambition — embodied in a 140-square-meter space located in the former Rimowa store in Madrid’s prime shopping district — underscores its repositioning around a more transversal concept blending tradition, vibrant colors, and contemporary silhouettes. Long known as a bourgeois-style label dressing parents and children alike with classic, artisanal codes, Bompard is now seeking to captivate a new, more southerly audience still connected by a shared sense of tradition.

Driving this international momentum is Laurence Levy, appointed CEO at the end of 2023 following leadership roles at Repetto, L’Oréal, and Saint Laurent Beauté. With seventy stores across Europe and revenues approaching 100 million euros, the company is focused on strengthening its presence beyond France, seeing the Spanish market as a strategic priority. Speaking with Modaes, Levy outlined the brand’s plans to cement its status as a love brand while rejuvenating its universe.

Question: The brand celebrates its 40th anniversary and makes the leap to Spain with a first store in Madrid. What is your assessment of this new stage?

Answer: This is an exciting time. Bompard is a pioneer in the democratization of cashmere in France and now we want to show this know-how to new audiences. After reviewing the identity, the product and the brand experience last year, we feel ready to start a new stage of expansion. Spain represents an important step, because the market is very lively and receptive to quality proposals. We believe we can bring a very genuine alternative to the Spanish premium public.

Q: What differentiates Bompard in a market where cashmere is increasingly present?

A: Our differential point is that we are true specialists. We have built the brand around the excellence of the raw material and the variety of colors, with very well worked silhouettes. In addition, we have a unique garment repair service, managed in our own workshop near Paris, to prolong the life of the pieces. This dimension of durability, of emotional bond with the product, is very difficult to find in other accessible brands. At the same time, we are working on innovative materials for lighter collections adapted to warmer climates, with markets such as Spain in mind.

Q: What is your objective in the Spanish market and why start with Madrid?

A: We want to have a strong base on the Golden Mile, which will give us visibility to a demanding public and also to tourists who know the brand in France. We have opted for our own space, rather than a corner or a distributor, because we want to transmit the entire Bompard universe, control the customer experience and directly test the needs of the market. From there, we do not rule out growing with selective partners such as El Corte Inglés in the future, but this first store will be the cornerstone of our expansion in Spain.

“Spain is a very lively market and receptive to quality proposals.“

Q: The Spanish market is going through a boom moment for luxury, but also for premium brands of French origin such as Soeur or Sézane. Why do you think Madrid is so attractive now?

A: The capital is experiencing a real effervescence, both because of the increase in tourism and the consolidation of a local and foreign clientele with high purchasing power. There are many premium French brands that are betting heavily on the capital because they share consumer codes and values with the Madrid customer. Spain is a priority market for French companies with international ambitions. Madrid’s Golden Mile has become a showcase that offers immediate notoriety and the ability to attract a premium clientele for foreign brands.

Q: What lessons have you learned from your international experience for this project?

A: Our development outside France started very modestly, with occasional openings in nearby countries such as Belgium or Switzerland. In each new country we learn the importance of listening to the consumer and adjusting the offer. Spain has some particularities, especially seasonality, which forces us to adapt fresher proposals, with cashmere blends and other fibers such as silk or cotton, to respond to a different climate. We are prepared to do so.

Q: What is the company’s medium-term vision?

A: We have gone from being a 100% cashmere brand focused on classic sweaters to building a real wardrobe, with skirts, dresses, trench coats and soon leather. We want to strengthen the men’s line, which already accounts for a relevant part of the turnover, and continue to explore the accessories category, where we see great potential. In addition, the digital experience is strategic, because it gives us valuable data and knowledge of the customer. Today, 20% of turnover already comes from the online channel and we complement it with marketplaces such as Farfetch to increase visibility.

Q: How do you see the competition in particular from fast fashion chains , historically established in Spain with Mango and Inditex, which also sell cashmere at lower prices?

A: It is a challenge, because cashmere has become very popular in recent years. However, we believe there is room for a specialist with a very high level of demand in raw materials, colors, tailoring and service. We are targeting a customer who is looking for real quality and who understands the value of a long-lasting garment. We are not interested in competing on price alone. Our proposal is closely linked to sustainability, to the love for the garment, to the idea of gift and generational transmission.

“The Golden Mile is a showcase that offers immediate notoriety and the ability to attract premium customers for foreign brands”.

Q: What are the next concrete steps after Madrid?

A: The Serrano store is the beginning of a broader strategy. We have confirmed openings in Saint-Tropez and are exploring opportunities in London, where we want to strengthen our presence. After that, we will certainly continue to build our presence with a hybrid model, combining our own stores and selective partners in department stores.

Q: Are you considering organizational or team changes to accompany this growth?

A: Yes, we are reinforcing the structure, for example, by incorporating a specific profile to develop the wholesale channel, because until now it hardly existed for us. And we also have a new creative direction within the company, whose first collection will arrive for autumn-winter 2026. We want to consolidate the team to ensure stability and, at the same time, open the door to new ideas that will keep the brand relevant to a younger audience.

Q: What values do you consider essential for the company to remain relevant in the future?

A: Our brand is synonymous with quality, colors, iconic silhouettes, and a close relationship with the customer. That is not going to change. We have built a love brand in France, and we want to repeat it in Spain. Cashmere is part of our DNA, but the brand must be able to evolve and accompany the modern consumer with new categories, without losing the essence of an exceptional, sensory product, made to last and to excite.