Breathtaking spaces with men's fashion at the new Gentleman Store in Karlín

What motivated you to open a brick-and-mortar store in the age of e-commerce? Is it the only address where customers can personally visit?

Yes, the Gentleman Store is our only brick-and-mortar shop. Opening a store in a time when retail sales have been declining for over 12 consecutive months across the market, and clothing stores are particularly affected, may seem like an illogical move at first glance. However, we have been preparing and planning carefully for a long time. We believe that this step will significantly enhance the shopping experience for our customers and further solidify our position as the leading player in premium men's fashion and cosmetics in the Czech Republic.

What range of products can customers find in your store? What type of clientele do you aim to attract with your offerings?

Customers can find a wide range of products in our store. There are two floors filled with men's global fashion, cosmetics, and accessories, covering approximately 200 square meters of retail space. In addition to the largest Barbour collection in the Czech Republic, we also carry other flagship brands such as Bellroy, Beviro, Capt. Fawcett, Berwick, and many other international brands. Our portfolio includes more than 4,200 items, and we refresh it every 3 weeks. Customers can find styles ranging from smart casual, business casual, to leisurewear and outdoor clothing. We aim to appeal to men who aspire to look and feel good. Our typical customer enjoys treating themselves, values quality, and likes discovering new brands. In response to customer requests, we have also added a large women's Barbour collection to our new store.

What sets you apart from the competition and why should customers visit your store?

We personally select all brands and pay attention to their 100% quality, timelessness and sustainability. We don't want to sell fast fashion trends, but brands with a long-standing tradition, handmade and locally produced. In the store, experienced and knowledgeable colleagues are ready to advise on everything customers need. The design interior of the store is spread over street level and in the charismatic basement spaces. The owner of the premises prepared the entire area in such a way that the architects from the ORA studio could design the interior in a non-traditional way and that the resulting appearance of the store was one of the best that interior design offers in the field of Czech commercial premises.

What was your experience with our real estate agency when looking for these premises?

We must openly admit that when looking for a suitable place, we had the opportunity to see a lot of other spaces within Prague and work with different levels of services offered, but the professionalism of your real estate agency was evident in every detail. Whether it was the speed of communication, the presentation of the offer or the fine-tuning of details in the contract. We greatly appreciate the informal but still professional approach.

How do you rate the collaboration with Katarína Pokrupová?

Working with Katarína was very pleasant, she was able to respond promptly to all our questions and always fulfilled what she promised to find out or verify during the meeting, on time. I think the most telling thing is that the entire deal was closed within 3 weeks, which underlines the already mentioned professionalism, including the preparation of documents and all information.

What are your plans for the future development and expansion of the business? Will you turn to Engel & Völkers again next time?

In the near future, we will focus on the store that has just opened, so that we can verify and possibly improve our concept. We have exclusive representation of major brands, including the iconic Barbour, for the Czech, Slovak and Hungarian markets, so we will be looking for other exceptional spaces. We would like to open at least 2 more stores in the Czech Republic, and if Engel & Völkers will help us with this again, we will certainly welcome it.

From the perspective of the property co-owner Robert Landa…

Mr. Landa, how satisfied are you with the tenant who now operates his shop in the premises you co-own?

We are satisfied with the tenant. We believe that he ideally combined the character of the goods offered by him with the atmosphere of the renovated store. The tenant has a clear ambitious plan and this is also how we conceived the reconstruction of the premises, i.e. with a vision to offer the market one of the best retail stores in Prague and thus also in the entire Czech Republic, both in terms of architecture, design and technical equipment. The goal was to create retail spaces for the 21st century while preserving the historical character. We didn't want to compete with shopping centers, we wanted to create unique added value.

What was decisive for choosing the real estate agency that you entrusted your premises to?

Decisive for choosing a real estate agency was its reputation, professional approach and activity on the market. There is no doubt that Engel & Völkers is playing a growing role in the commercial rental market

How do you rate the communication with Katarína Pokrupová and the service we provided you during the rental process?

We expected an agile approach and business spirit, and thanks to Ms. Pokrupová, we got that. She was always perfectly prepared for negotiations, she knew how to listen and respect our ideas, opinions and requests. The work of renting such premises is not easy, and Mrs. Pokrupová managed to successfully guide us through the entire process, the amount of negotiations, overcoming obstacles. All with great grace and a nice human approach. We also greatly appreciate that Engel & Völkers, in addition to real estate services, also provides legal services, based on experience and detailed knowledge of issues and local specifics.