Paris Games Week 2026 : Le District by JouéClub

JouéClub is giving teenage and adult enthusiasts a dedicated destination with Le District by JouéClub, a concept bringing manga, gaming, heroes, kawaii and trading card games together under one identity. Introduced around Paris Games Week 2026, the initiative reorganizes and expands an existing offer so that collectors and players can find their interests more easily. Its launch combines a full-scale exhibition presentation with an announced rollout across the retailer’s stores.

We attended the show’s press preview on October 21, ahead of the public opening at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. The retailer’s invitation placed its first Le District presentation in PGW Pop Culture, at stand F0. This provides a fitting setting for a concept connecting screen-based entertainment with physical objects: the same characters and fictional worlds can inspire a gaming session, a display shelf or a collection of cards.

The wider event runs from October 22 to 25 and is billed by its organizers as the fifteenth edition and the “Playground Edition.” That context matters to JouéClub: presenting the concept at a gaming exhibition puts it before an audience already gathering around games and popular culture, before the format becomes a familiar feature of everyday shopping.

Manga, gaming and trading cards share a recognizable home

The announced assortment includes figurines, collectible cards, games, construction products, merchandise and new releases. Each themed universe is intended to retain its own selection and visual codes within the wider Le District by JouéClub identity. The ambition is to make established passions easy to locate while encouraging visitors to discover neighboring interests. Someone arriving for cards, for example, could encounter a construction product or a figurine associated with another favorite world.

The launch statement offers a revealing explanation from Franck Mathais, spokesperson for JouéClub. He describes adults as people who play, build and collect, and presents the new space as a way to help them find familiar universes while discovering others. His emphasis is on ongoing interests and new releases. The concept therefore addresses customers shopping for themselves as well as those choosing a gift for another enthusiast.

There is also a visible change in presentation. The Fédération du Commerce Coopératif et Associé describes a design combining black with colored neon elements. Its report puts the exhibition space at 200 square meters, larger than the approximately 50-square-meter format outlined in the launch announcement. The show installation should therefore be understood as a showcase for the concept, rather than a promise that every participating store will reproduce the same footprint.

Around 1,000 products and an offer refreshed every month

According to JouéClub, the announced store format brings approximately 1,000 product references into a 50-square-meter space positioned at the entrance. That placement is a particularly telling detail: it gives teenage and adult interests immediate visibility as shoppers arrive. The retailer is using the first part of the customer journey to communicate that its offer includes collecting, fandom and leisure activities for older audiences.

The assortment is scheduled to be refreshed monthly. For the concept, this creates a reason to return beyond an initial discovery visit, although the announcement does not mean that all 1,000 references will be replaced each month. [1]
The trade association also reports that store corners can range from 50 to 150 square meters, depending on the location. Taken together, these descriptions suggest a shared identity with room for different store layouts. Customers should consequently treat the headline assortment and footprint as the announced model, rather than assume that every local branch will carry an identical selection from the outset.

Why the French toy market makes this launch significant

The broader market helps explain the timing. In its January 2026 release with the French toy industry and specialist retail federations, Circana reported that France’s games and toys market reached €4.7 billion in 2025, up 7.1% in value. Construction products rose 32%, strategic cards 78%, and licensed toys accounted for 30% of sales. These are national category figures, not sales results for JouéClub or Le District.

One concrete detail in that report illustrates how varied this demand has become: adult botanical ranges from The LEGO Group and the introduction of its Formula 1 license helped drive construction growth, while Pokémon led strategic cards. The relevance to Le District is the coexistence of building, collecting and entertainment interests within the same retail opportunity. These examples describe the wider market; they do not establish a confirmed product list for the exhibition stand.

Fifty stores targeted for 2026, with wider expansion planned

JouéClub says 50 stores are due to welcome Le District by the end of 2026, with the objective of reaching the entire network in the following twelve months. Those numbers describe a planned deployment, not a verified count of completed installations. The distinction matters for readers looking for a nearby opening: the launch materials establish the overall timetable without supplying a complete store-by-store calendar.

The concept is also intended to extend through social media, content, activities and events. Franchise Magazine reports a dedicated online destination linked from the retailer’s main website. Together, these elements indicate that Le District by JouéClub is conceived as an identity spanning several points of contact.

You can discover our photos in our Flickr page

Event recap and Le District rollout dates

Le District by JouéClub press presentation.
Where : Paris, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, PGW Pop Culture, stand F0,
When : October 21, 2026, during the press preview.
What : The announced first full-scale presentation of the concept, its themed universes and its intended experience for teenagers and adults.

Photos: Boris Colletier / Mulderville