lululemon gets physical in Greece as it opens first stores in country and ramps up EMEA growth plans
lululemon has announced the opening of its first store in Greece through its franchise partnership with Arion Retail Group.
The first location opened on Saturday at Akadimias 17 & Voukourestiou in Kolonaki, central Athens. A second one is set to go live on Friday, 12th June at the Golden Hall shopping mall.
“We’re excited to welcome more guests to lululemon with the opening of the first stores in Greece, marking another milestone in our continued growth across EMEA,” says Sarah Clark, Senior Vice President, EMEA, lululemon. “Together with our franchise partner Arion Retail Group, we look forward to introducing our premium performance products that blend technical innovation with elevated style to new guests in the market and building meaningful connections with the local community here in Athens.”
The Greece move marks the brand’s third new market entry of the year, following Poland and Hungary in March. This year through its franchise partnership model, lululemon plans a record six new market entries over a 12-month period. Further planned launches in 2026 include Romania, Austria, and India.
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Physical stores will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
