A 3,100-square-foot yogawear emporium has moved into London’s popular West End district of Covent Garden.

Lululemon has claimed a spot alongside tiny tea shops, upscale brasseries and gastro-pubs packed tight in a centuries-old piazza

On most days, the tourist hub is crammed with shoppers and local business types having lunch (think Robson Street in summer but way more hip), so it’s not surprising that Vancouver-based Lululemon Athletica would choose the location to open its first store in Europe.

The London store and the assertion by new CEO Laurent Potdevin that the company will expand to 42 new locations in Europe and Asia this year are helping to reshape the company’s image following last year’s see-through clothing gaffe that led to a product recall.

Another win for Lululemon on Friday saw a U.S. judge rule that a lawsuit accusing the company of defrauding shareholders by hiding defects in its yoga pants should be dismissed.

It’s been a week since the store launched in England’s capital, and Potdevin, reached in London on Friday, said he believes the company is leaving the controversy behind as it forges ahead with big plans in Europe, targeting areas much like Covent Garden, where tourists, yogis and luon neophytes alike will be sure to flock.

“One of the things I was most inspired about in coming to Lululemon was the amount of untold action stories, the things we do in our communities, what we stand for and who we are — and we need to bring that back to the forefront with confidence and humility, and that is something that I am incredibly excited about,” he said in a phone interview. Laurent was appointed chief executive on Dec. 9, replacing Christine Day.

Although the Covent Garden shop is Lululemon’s first London location, the company has had a presence in the city for the past two years with showrooms, or small test boutiques, in several districts including the posh borough of Chelsea, home to some of Britain’s aristocracy.

“By the time we open the store, we have the local market embracing us, pulling us, as opposed to pushing us,” said Potdevin. “We had an opening last night, and our London guests were having a really good time. There was a lot of excitement.”

He said Lululemon is in the process of building its European team, and couldn’t say for sure how soon the company would be opening shops in other major cities like Paris or Barcelona.

He noted, however, that they’ve already established showrooms in Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Germany and one in Amsterdam, so stores in those locations could be next for the brand.

“We’ll expand with a few more in England, and some in Europe as we move forward,” he said. “I really do feel that from Scandinavia all the way to Switzerland there are markets where our brand has demand.”

Potdevin is no stranger to building a global brand, having worked at the helm of TOMS Shoes and Burton Snowboards — products that emphasize energy and performance. And, in case anyone was wondering, he can do a downward dog.

“I do practise yoga twice a week now,” he said. “I did a lot of it when I lived in Vermont when I was in the snowboarding industry and we did Bikram’s (hot) yoga then, because it was so cold in the winter.”