Baccarat Unveils a New Era of Retail Design With South Coast Plaza Store That’s a Sparkling Tribute to Its Heritage
Baccarat is shining light on its 260-year history. The crystal purveyor is kicking off a new era of retail design starting with its South Coast Plaza store in Costa Mesa, Calif. — and it’s a sparkling tribute to the brand’s heritage.
Located at the mall’s Penthouse wing, the recently overhauled 1,300-square-foot store beams with floating chandeliers in its windows and architectural details inside that transport shoppers to the Maison’s workshop in Lorraine, France. The brand’s iconic Harcourt, Zenith, Louxor and Mille Nuits collections are housed on shelves and tables carved from charred cedar, which pays homage to the smoldered wooden tools that sculpt each crystal creation. Meanwhile the arches present in the shelving nods to the factory’s furnaces, and the display cases take inspiration from trunks that preciously carried Baccarat pieces to the World Fair on stagecoaches throughout the 19th century.
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“With different colors, textures and shapes that represent Baccarat throughout — such as our signature red and the four elements required to create crystal: water, air, earth and fire — we’ve woven together a rich story for each guest,” Adam Banfield, president and chief executive officer of Baccarat North America, told WWD of the store, created in collaboration with the design agency Moinard Bétaille.
“Baccarat was founded on a daring spirit of innovation,” Banfield continued. “All our pieces pay homage to our rich heritage while continuing to maintain modernity, and we are thrilled to continue to tell this story through our new global retail design.”
In addition to Baccarat’s signature collections, the new South Coast Plaza store also features the New Antique Chandelier by Marcel Wanders, which was inspired by Baccarat’s famed pieces for the World Fair.
“Over the next several years, all our new and existing boutiques will receive this new retail design treatment, establishing consistent themes in retail experience across the globe,” Banfield said. “Additionally, you will continue to see added investment in retail locations and experiences in our key markets of New York, Miami and Southern California.”
South Coast Plaza was a natural place to start, since the mall “consistently ranks among Baccarat’s top three highest-performing locations, alongside Madison Avenue and Miami Design District,” Banfield shared. Baccarat is also bringing its new design to New York City, with a flagship in the Meatpacking District set to open this summer.
Baccarat — which saw a 20 percent revenue growth over the past year with the Louxor collection, and year-over-year growth with Harcourt, Everyday and the Baccarat Rouge 540 fragrance — has also recently expanded its offerings.
“The launch of Baccarat’s ‘New Chapter’ — our foray into bold new materials such as wax, lacquer and porcelain, introduced in November of 2024 — proved the market has a strong appetite for Baccarat beyond crystal, and will be an exciting part to our continued growth and evolution in 2025 and beyond,” Banfield said, adding, “We feel very confident about the U.S. market. 2024 holiday trade beat all expectations and 2025 has started off very encouragingly as well. Additionally, we are investing in several strategic projects that’ll expand our presence across the country, further establishing Baccarat as a global leader in luxury.”
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