Arion Retail Group runs Irani Group's Lululemon franchises in five European countries. See the ownership chain, the six-country discrepancy resolved, and what remains undisclosed.
Arion Retail Group is the Amsterdam-based company Israel's Irani Group formed in 2024 to run franchises outside Israel. Its first disclosed mandate covers Lululemon stores in five European countries. Corporate records tie Arion to Al-Srad Ltd., the Irani family holding company behind Factory 54. That makes Arion the vehicle for turning decades of importing global brands into Israel into operating them abroad.
Quick answer: Arion Retail Group is the international retail arm of Irani Corp, the privately held Israeli fashion group behind Factory 54. Arion Retail Group B.V. was incorporated in the Netherlands in August 2024 and has established operating subsidiaries in European markets including Poland. Corporate records identify it as an Irani-controlled holding, not a joint venture with Lululemon. Its disclosed franchise mandate covers Greece, Austria, Poland, Hungary and Romania. There is no public evidence that Irani holds comparable international rights for SKIMS.
- Company: Arion Retail Group B.V.
- Parent group: Irani Group (Al-Srad Ltd.)
- Based in: Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Established: August 2024
- Known international franchise: Lululemon
- Lululemon markets: Greece, Austria, Poland, Hungary and Romania
- Israeli retail platform: Factory 54
- Ownership: Irani-controlled; no disclosed Lululemon equity stake
How Did Irani Group Build Its Position in Israel?
Irani Group built its Israeli position over roughly four decades by importing international fashion brands through Al-Srad Ltd., the family company behind Factory 54. A Calcalist profile published January 5, 2023 reported that the group represented approximately 150 fashion brands and operated 140 stores with 1,800 employees. Factory 54 became the public face of that model, giving global brands access to Israeli merchandising, logistics, marketing and retail infrastructure. Irani Group remains privately held, so consolidated revenue and the economics of individual franchise agreements are not publicly disclosed. That scale places Irani among Israel's largest fashion retailers, though it ranks behind Fox Group by revenue and store count.
| Category | Irani Group / Al-Srad | Arion Retail Group |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Israeli parent and operating business | International franchise arm |
| Legal entity | Al-Srad Ltd. | Arion Retail Group B.V. |
| Incorporated | May 15, 1987, Israel | August 2024, Netherlands |
| Headquarters | Tel Aviv | Amsterdam |
| Ownership | Privately owned by the Irani family | Owned through the Irani corporate structure |
| Operating platform | Factory 54, wholesale, e-commerce and branded stores | European subsidiaries and single-brand stores |
| Company-reported footprint | Approximately 150 brands, 1,800 employees and 140 stores in 2023 | Operations across 14 European countries; full portfolio and country breakdown not publicly disclosed |
| Representative relationships | Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, Lululemon, SKIMS, Diesel, UGG and Asics, among others | Lululemon is its only publicly documented international franchise mandate |
| Financial disclosure | Consolidated results not published | Standalone revenue and profit not published |
Where Does Arion Fit Into the Irani Corporate Structure?
Arion sits inside the Irani family's ownership chain as the European holding company, not as a rebranding of the wider Israeli business. Polish corporate records identify Arion Retail Group B.V. as the sole shareholder of Arion Retail Group Poland. The filings trace that ownership back through Al-Srad and Micmoret Yellow to the Irani family. The chain runs: the Irani family, then Micmoret Yellow, then Al-Srad, then Arion Retail Group B.V., then the European operating subsidiaries. No reviewed registry record identifies Lululemon as an Arion shareholder.
Why Did Lululemon Become Irani's Route Into Europe?
Lululemon became Irani's route into Europe after other Israeli retail groups had already pursued the brand. Globes reported on May 11, 2022 that Irani secured the local Lululemon franchise ahead of competing bidders. The first Israeli Lululemon store opened at Ramat Aviv Mall in 2023 after a reported investment of NIS 10 million.
Ynet reported on January 22, 2025 that Roni Irani had received rights to operate Lululemon stores in six European countries. The report called it Irani's first expansion abroad and linked the award to the brand's Israeli performance. The same report noted only one comparable precedent: Harel Wiesel, the Fox Group chairman who received Nike's franchise for Europe and Canada after building Nike's success in Israel. Ynet did not name the six countries. Lululemon's own December 18, 2025 announcement named five Arion markets instead: Greece, Austria, Poland, Hungary and Romania. India was awarded separately to Tata CLiQ. Publicly available information therefore supports five European markets for Arion, not six. The timing suggests that the Israeli Lululemon operation served as a proof of concept for Irani's broader relationship with the brand, though neither company has stated that connection directly.
| Market | Initial location | Opening date and status |
|---|---|---|
| Poland | Warsaw, Westfield Arkadia | Opened March 13, 2026 |
| Hungary | Budapest, Fashion Street | Opened March 27, 2026 |
| Greece | Athens, Kolonaki and Golden Hall | Opened May 23 and June 12, 2026 |
| Romania | Bucharest, Băneasa Shopping City | Opened June 5, 2026 |
| Austria | Vienna, Kärntner Straße | Scheduled to open September 4, 2026 |
The four completed market entries show Arion putting the infrastructure of a multi-country franchise platform into practice: establishing local entities, securing prominent retail locations and recruiting teams across several jurisdictions. Store-level sales, investment costs and profitability have not been disclosed. The Warsaw store became Lululemon's 100th location across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
What Does Arion Change for Irani Group?
Arion extends Irani's business model from importing brands into Israel to operating them across borders in Europe. That shift requires coordinating leases, inventory, staffing, pricing, e-commerce and brand standards across several legal and commercial systems at once. Arion describes itself as developing international brands across 14 European countries, but its public materials do not name the full portfolio or detail activity in each market. Its independently documented record centers on Lululemon, so Arion is best described as a platform with expansion potential rather than an already diversified European fashion conglomerate.
Does Irani Group Own the SKIMS Franchise Outside Israel?
No public evidence indicates that it does. Irani is SKIMS' authorized partner inside Israel, running the brand through Factory 54 and the group's domestic infrastructure. That arrangement is separate from Arion's European Lululemon franchise. As of September 2026, no public announcement or corporate record reviewed for this article shows SKIMS authorization for outside Israel. Neither Arion nor Irani has been granted comparable rights to develop the SKIMS brand beyond Israel. Operating both brands inside Israel does not extend Irani's geographic rights to SKIMS in Europe.
The Takeaway
Irani Group spent decades becoming the Israeli partner that brought international brands into Israel. Arion tests whether that experience converts into a repeatable role as the operating partner that takes brands the other direction, out of Israel and into Europe. Lululemon is the only disclosed mandate so far, confirmed across five countries by corporate filings and Lululemon's own announcements. The larger question, covered alongside Factory 54's other partnerships in how global fashion brands enter Israel, is whether other brands will eventually hand Irani similar rights beyond Israel's borders.