Michelin to try retailing at Westgate
With first store on Greenville's Main Street, company to open next in mall

The ShopMichelin store to open soon at Spartanburg's Westgate Mall will sell a variety of clothing and other products bearing the tiremaker's logo.

Michelin on Main in downtown Greenville has been such a success for the tire maker that it plans to open a store in an Upstate mall to test its branded merchandise in a strictly retail environment.

The company, with its North American headquarters in Greenville, plans to open ShopMichelin in Westgate Mall in Spartanburg late next month, according to Jeff Jacobs, director of Michelin North America brand identity merchandise. The 2,000-square-foot store was designed by Neal Prince Architects of Greenville.

"We've had a pleasant surprise with our success in merchandise sales" at Michelin on Main, he said. "As Michelin has ramped up our merchandising effort over the last year, we are finding consumers open to interacting with the Michelin brand in this way."

In addition, the company's online shopping site -- ShopMichelin.com -- is up and running, Jacobs said.

The Spartanburg retail location is an attempt to test Michelin merchandise in a total retail environment.

"It is totally different from Michelin on Main," he said. "The vision for Michelin on Main was to serve as a unique retail destination in downtown Greenville, where the emphasis is on helping consumers experience Michelin as a brand."

He said the company wants to know if Michelin merchandise is "cool enough" to compete with other retail but is moving carefully in the current retail environment.

"With ShopMichelin at Westgate, our goal is to put the merchandise front-and-center. It's much more appropriate for an indoor mall location," he said.