A ‘monumental’ design challenge

The Arc de Triomphe is part of the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, a public administration run by the Ministry for Culture and Communication. The Centre wanted to develop a new concept of stores for its network of nearly 100 national monuments. It asked Dragon Rouge to look at the Arc de Triumph gift shop, one of its flagship stores welcoming 1,500,000 visitors yearly, in a new and contemporary manner and come up with a prototype concept.

A new look for a piece of history

The design management of a museum shop requires both retail branding and merchandising solutions (of Centre des Monuments Nationaux) to meet walk-in customers. One of the gift-shop best-sellers is a small gold- coloured reproduction of the Tour Eiffel. Dragon Rouge has given the shop a fresh look with a large colourful frieze made of several monument icons. Black and white, the store appears as a glass cube in an arcade of the monument.

A complete turnaround

Opened in Autumn 2011, the new gift shop has exceeded all expectations. Nearly 4,000 people visit it every day. In a three-month period, its turnover has doubled, compared to the old gift shop.