Lululemon’s European expansion is taking shape along two parallel tracks. On one side, the Vancouver-based athleisure brand keeps opening franchise-operated stores across central and eastern Europe. On the other, it has given Zalando exclusive first access to a 55-piece collection, weeks ahead of its own channels, making the marketplace a parallel and privileged route to European consumers.
Track one: stores on the ground
Lululemon’s 100th EMEA store opened in Warsaw on March 13, 2026, becoming the brand’s first location in Poland and marking one of six franchise-led market entries planned for the year through partner Arion Retail Group. Greece followed with two Athens stores. Hungary entered in March, with a store on Budapest’s Fashion Street at Deák Ferenc utca 19. Romania entered the network in June through a debut location at Bucharest’s Băneasa Shopping City. Austria joined the roster in September with a store on Vienna’s Kärntner Straße. Together, the openings show how Lululemon is using franchise partnerships to build a faster presence across central and eastern Europe while limiting capital commitments.
| Lululemon — European store footprint | ||
| Selected markets, as of September 2026 | ||
| Market | Operating model | Notable location |
| United Kingdom | Company-operated | Covent Garden, London (first EMEA store, 2014); 24 UK locations |
| Netherlands | Company-operated | Leidsestraat, Amsterdam flagship (500 sqm, opened May 2023) |
| Italy | Company-operated | Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan (~5,700 sq ft, two floors, opened July 2025) |
| Poland | Franchise (Arion Retail Group) | Warsaw (100th EMEA store, March 13, 2026) |
| Hungary | Franchise (Arion Retail Group) | Fashion Street, Budapest (Deák Ferenc utca 19, March 2026) |
| Greece | Franchise (Arion Retail Group) | Athens (two stores) |
| Romania | Franchise (Arion Retail Group) | Băneasa Shopping City, Bucharest (June 2026) |
| Austria | Franchise (Arion Retail Group) | Kärntner Straße, Vienna (September 4, 2026) |
| Germany | Company-operated / marketplace | Largest EMEA online purchase share; Zalando exclusive lead market |
Source: Lululemon corporate statements andSGIE reporting, as of September 2026.
At the larger-format end of the portfolio, Lululemon opened its first Italian store in Milan in July 2025. Located at Vittorio Emanuele II 24/28, the roughly 5,700-square-foot flagship spans two floors and features a custom 3D-printed facade inspired by the brand’s Define Jacket pattern. London remains the company’s longest-established EMEA market. Lululemon entered the region through Covent Garden in 2014, had reached 13 stores in London by early 2026 and 24 locations across the UK by mid-year.
Track two: the Zalando exclusive
The 55-piece collection, spanning yoga, Pilates, running and training pieces, launched exclusively on Zalando’s site on September 1, three weeks ahead of its release in Lululemon’s own stores and digital platforms. The tie-up runs as a six-week campaign across Berlin and Munich, extending into Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Poland and Austria, and is fronted by lululemon ambassador and professional runner Marc Tortell.
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Zalando is already Lululemon’s largest retail partner in Europe, and Germany represents the brand’s largest share of online purchases across the EMEA region, according to comments from Lululemon senior vice president for EMEA Sarah Clark.
Two tracks, one growth strategy
The store openings and Zalando launch are two parts of the same expansion model: franchise partnerships deliver local scale in newer markets such as Poland, Greece, Romania, Hungary and Austria, while company-operated stores in cities including London and Milan build visibility in more established ones. The Zalando exclusive supports both, giving Lululemon immediate access to a large European digital audience without having to build demand market by market.
Recent results show international revenue continuing to outpace the Americas business, raising the strategic importance of overseas markets: both on the ground and online. The focus is not only China, where competition has intensified, but increasingly Europe.
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