French retailer Grain de Malice focuses on Spain, seeking local partners to enter the country

Madrid – The Spanish retail scene continues to attract interest from international groups, firms and chains, including French brand Grain de Malice. The fashion label, specialising in womenswear and accessories, has now focused on Spain as a first and decisive step in its internationalisation journey. It is currently seeking its first local partners to open its initial brand stores in the country.

In mid-March, Grain de Malice first announced it had engaged the consultancy firm Barbadillo y Asociados. This move is part of the strategic growth and internationalisation plan for the French fashion chain, which is owned by the Ephigea group. It marks the first step in its carefully planned expansion into the Spanish retail landscape. Spain is the first new international market for the French fashion brand. The consultancy, which specialises in advising retail companies on franchise expansion, has since been finalising the details of the brand's entry into the country.

Building on earlier reports that indicated the chain's intention to establish a solid retail network in Spain with stores of approximately 100 square metres, Barbadillo y Asociados has now announced it is actively seeking the first franchise partners for Grain de Malice in Spain, in collaboration with the French chain's management. The process will be furthered by the official presentation of the French retail chain's business model to a specialised audience. This presentation will occur during the upcoming FranquiShop Madrid trade show on October 8, 2026, at the Palacio Municipal de Congresos de Madrid del Campo de las Naciones.

To fuel its growth beyond the French market, “Grain de Malice is currently looking for its first partners to drive the brand's first openings in Spain,” the Spanish consultancy stressed. The French chain will enter a “new stage” of growth with these partners. In pursuit of them, “the company will be present on October 8 at FranquiShop Madrid, where interested business owners and entrepreneurs can learn first-hand about the expansion project, its business model and the opportunities available in the Spanish market”.

With sales of 154 million euros and more than 240 physical stores in France

Founded in 2007 within the iconic French company Phildar, a specialist in knitting wool and yarn linked to the wealthy Mulliez family, Grain de Malice was established as a womenswear brand. The chain and its parent company became independent corporate entities following an internal restructuring in 2012. This process led to the creation of the Ephigea group, a new holding company under which both French companies began to operate.

A decisive turning point occurred following the complexities of the Covid-19 pandemic, with Phildar entering administration in July 2020. The process concluded with its court-authorised sale on September 22 of that year to PP Yarns & Co, a company also involving members of the Mulliez family. This transaction left Grain de Malice as the sole commercial brand of the Ephigea group. The company remained under the ownership of the Mulliez family, through the Association Familiale Mulliez (AFM), until its sale in June 2023. It was acquired by a group of investors comprising the Philippe Ginestet Group, owner of the French homeware chain Gifi; the investment fund FE2T, from the capital management company IRD Invest; and Jean-Christophe Garbino. Garbino is an executive with extensive experience in senior retail roles, having served as chief executive officer of Kiabi from 2007 to 2014 and CEO of the FashionCube division of the Mulliez family's AFM business group from 2016 to 2022. He currently serves as president and chief executive officer of Grain de Malice.

This acquisition marked a new phase of development for the French fashion chain. The new management at Grain de Malice set a primary objective to accelerate the brand's development, building on the continuous growth experienced since 2019. To support these goals, a new corporate headquarters was opened in Villeneuve d’Ascq, north of Paris near the Belgian border, in July 2025. The facilities were specifically designed to support the firm's growth and the development and training of its teams. This move was a precursor to subsequent actions by Grain de Malice aimed at strengthening the brand for its next growth phase. In 2026, the chain underwent a rebranding, introducing a new logo and slogan: “On n’en fera jamais assez pour les femmes” (We will never do enough for women). This refreshed the brand ahead of its new growth and expansion plan. The roadmap for Grain de Malice has a main objective of opening 15 to 20 stores annually, primarily through franchising, in France and international markets such as Spain.

The chain currently has approximately 248 points of sale, a mix of company-owned stores and franchises, all located in France. During the 2025 financial year, it added 14 new physical stores to its retail network and expanded its online presence by offering its collections on Zalando for sale in Spain. These initiatives had a particularly positive impact, paving the way for Grain de Malice's upcoming entry into the Spanish market. The chain concluded the 2025 financial year with sales of 154 million euros (175.7 million dollars), representing a +7.9 percent year-over-year growth. Its EBITDA also increased by +10 percent compared to the previous year, and it announced an expansion of its fashion range up to size 52.