Galeries Lafayette department store was founded in 1893. It was no more than a modest shop bought by Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn, two cousins from Alsace. This was several years after the launch of Le Printemps department store and over forty years after Le Bon Marché. Everything has changed in 130 years.
How to find your way around Galeries Lafayette Haussmann - Preparing your visit
The Galeries Lafayette Haussmann store is huge, with practically everything fashionable spread over 3 adjoining buildings. If you're interested in Galeries Lafayette, you'll probably want to visit it. To avoid getting lost and wasting time looking for what you're looking for, you'll first find below the floor plan and the various departments of Galeries Lafayette.
To get a clear understanding of the Galeries Lafayette "organisation", the best is to clic on "Map of Galeries Lafayette". You will get the map of each of the 3 buildings and what you can find on the different levels.
First building at 40 Boulevard Haussmann, Paris 79009 - the main building "La Coupole store"
Where to eat when at Galeries Lafayette ?
There's a lot to see, and therefore a lot of time to spend within the walls of Galeries Lafayette. This means you'll probably be a little (or a lot?) hungry, and you'll find what you're looking for on the spot: there are over 10 restaurants or places to eat spread between the 3 Galeries Lafayette buildings.
"Maison et Gourmet" building at 35 Boulevard Haussmann. Le Gourmet is located in the basement, first floor and level 1 of this "Maison et Gourmet" building. It's not one restaurant, but more than 10, a marketplace, a delicatessen, a cellar, gourmet stores and restaurants that make up this 3,500 m2 "food court".
"Coupole" main store at 40 Boulevard Haussmann
This building is the highest with 8 levels. It is the one with "the Coupole" in the middle of the building. There is a panoramic terrace on the 8th floor with restaurants, from which you can admire the whole of Paris
- On the lower first floor, the DS Café offers dishes to eat in or take away, as well as freshly squeezed juices and vitamin-packed smoothies, and homemade desserts such as apple crumble and açaï bowl. The à la carte menu features tasty, well-balanced recipes prepared with food sourced from the best local producers.
- On the 2nd floor of the Coupole store, JOE & THE JUICE, the concept offers a wide range of fresh, green and healthy products: fresh fruit and vegetable juices, sandwiches and bowls, homemade cakes and cakes and a wide selection of coffees.
- 3rd floor: Café Coutume, where you can enjoy a coffee while admiring the Coupole.
- On the 4th floor of Magasin Coupole, EL&N LONDON, with its magical, luxurious decor and tasty signature recipes, the EL&N London concept takes you on a unique experience.
- In the same store, but on the 6th floor, the Lafayette Café. There's something for everyone, with a huge buffet of starters, a variety of hot dishes and a multitude of self-service fruits and desserts. The hardest part is choosing! The grill with its wide selection of cuts of meat, the buffet of starters to choose from, the homemade burgers or the perfect Caesar salad. And there's no shortage of desserts to choose from, with a huge variety for those with a sweet tooth, and a multitude of fruits for more balanced meals.
- Two restaurants on the Terrace, on the 8th floor of the main store at 40 Boulevard Haussmann. Pierre Sang Express, an Asian restaurant also located in the "Le Gourmet" section (see above), and CRÉATURES, an ephemeral 100% vegetarian restaurant open only during the summer season.
Enough to fill you up without difficulty.
Impressive growth des Galeries Lafayette
But what you see today began in 1894. Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn opened Les Galeries Lafayette department store on the corner of rue La Fayette and rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin. The store is ideally located near the brand-new Opéra Garnier, the Grands Boulevards and the Saint-Lazare train station. It soon attracted office workers and the petite and middle bourgeoisie.
In 1896, the company bought the entire building at 1, rue La Fayette and, in 1903, the buildings at 38, 40 and 42, boulevard Haussmann, as well as 15, rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin. Georges Chedanne and then Ferdinand Chanut were responsible for the layout of these new acquisitions.
In 1900, the "Aux Galeries Lafayette" brand was registered, and in 1908, the first store on Boulevard Haussmann was opened.
The new boom of 1912 at Galeries Lafayette department store
In October 1912, the new store was inaugurated. It features 96 departments, a tea room, a library and a hairdressing salon. It has five floors, balconies and a large cupola.
In fact, on October 8, 1912, the huge Art Nouveau dome was inaugurated: circular in architecture, its highest point is 43 meters above the ground, this glass dome is crowned by ten concrete pillars (a very modern material for the time, and a favorite of Théophile Bader).
The decorations were created by masters of the Nancy Art Nouveau school: Édouard Schenck (metal clusters sculpted with floral motifs), Jacques Grüber (neo-Byzantine stained glass) and Louis Majorelle (ironwork for the balconies and triple flight staircases).
The latter, inspired by the Byzantine style, consists of ten clusters of painted stained glass, set in a metal frame richly sculpted with floral motifs. The balusters on the lower floors, adorned with foliage, are by Louis Majorelle, who also designed the staircase banister.
In accordance with Théophile Bader's wishes, golden light from the dome floods the main hall, with its grand staircase, and makes the merchandise sparkle.
At the top of the building, a terrace offers a view of Paris and its then new Eiffel Tower.
The first export steps at Galeries Lafayette department store
By 1916, Galeries Lafayette was already 27 years old and the luxury bazaar concept conceived by its founders Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn was flourishing in Paris.
The two cousins decided to export the concept to other countries, notably Morocco, then under French protectorate. Their sons-in-law, owners of the French company "Paris-Maroc", already had a newly constructed building in downtown Casablanca, Place de France. On the first floor, they set up "modern stores", with the annotation at the bottom: branches of Galeries Lafayette Paris.
Since then, the history of Galeries de Casablanca has been closely linked to that of the building. The building was designed by the famous Perret brothers, "the fathers of concrete". They also designed the Champs Elysées theater, which opened at the same time as the Casablanca building.
The 1919 publicity stunt with aviator Jules Védrines "on a broomstick"
In January 1919, Jules Védrines, pilot and ace of the 1914-18 war, landed his plane, a Caudron G III, on the terrace of the store on Boulevard Haussmann, despite a ban from the Paris Prefecture. The runway was 28 meters long and 12 meters wide. He pocketed the 25,000-franc prize offered for this feat. He thus became the first aerial delinquent in aviation history. A plaque commemorates the event on the terrace of Galeries Lafayette.
After repairing the plane, he took off again from the terrace to return to his starting field at Issy-les-Moulineaux. This second feat was child's play for Védrines, whose specialty during the war was dropping off and picking up passengers behind German lines (he made 53 such expeditions), in unimaginable conditions.
He died in Saint-Rambert-d'Albon on April 21, 1919, when his plane crashed during the inauguration of the Paris-Rome route.
Numerous other commercial events took place over the years, such as the visit of Édith Piaf in 1950, who agreed to sing at a time when she was France's favorite star.
Exhibitions and the "3J"
In 1953, Galeries Lafayette department store inaugurated a new concept of retailing by launching the first in a long series of exhibitions.
1958 saw the launch of "les 3J", top-quality topical items on sale at exceptionally low prices for three days.
A succession of unprecedented initiatives in luxury retailing
Between 1952 and 1956, the first escalators were installed, the interior halls were removed and two floors were added.
In 1969, a new store, dedicated to men's fashion, was built on the other side of Rue de Mogador.
Galeries Lafayette department store also established itself as a major player in the creative world, revealing new talents every season by providing small boutiques inside the store: Daniel Hechter, Pierre Cardin, Cacharel, Yves Saint Laurent, among others.
In 1974, the grand staircase was dismantled and, in 1984, the central first floor was modified to accommodate prestige boutiques.
The result is a success at Galeries Lafayette department store
By 1975, Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, with its 47,800 m2 of sales space, had become France's leading department store, with sales exceeding those of Printemps, BHV Rivoli, Samaritaine and Bon Marché.
In 1980, the store further affirmed its vocation for fashion by creating the highly successful Festival de la Mode.
Fashion, fashion and more fashion
In 1996, Galeries Lafayette celebrated its 100th anniversary. For the occasion, a number of major brands reissued one of their great classics.
In 2009, a 3,000 m2 sales area dedicated to women's shoes was opened on the 1st basement floor. This makes it the world's second-largest shoe store, behind London's Selfridges.
2010 sees the opening of a Bordeauxthèque, the world's largest Bordeaux wine cellar (1,500 references).
The dome's centenary of Galeries Lafayette department store
In 2012, the dome turns 100. After a thorough cleaning, a new lighting system is installed, designed by artist Yann Kersalé.
Mass arrival of Chinese and international clientele
In recent years, and until 2019, the Chinese have become Galeries Lafayette Haussmann's leading foreign customer group, ahead of Americans and Japanese. Since September 1, 2009, sales by Chinese customers have doubled. According to the store, they mainly buy perfumes and accessories, and are particularly fond of French luxury and savoir-faire.
To welcome them, the store has set up a team of a dozen Mandarin and Cantonese-speaking employees. Maps in Chinese and special welcome kits have been designed to make discovering the store easier.
But Chinese are not the only Asian customers. Other countries are also represented: from Japan, Malaysia and Thailand, for example. These Asian customers are greeted in the Haussmann store by agents who speak these different languages, in a specially equipped "Asia" zone.
Galeries Lafayette expansion
Back in 2005, Galeries Lafayette had 63 stores, including 10 affiliates and 5 stores outside France: Berlin, Casablanca, Dubai, Jakarta and, since 2013, Beijing.
On September 16, 2015, Galeries Lafayette unveiled a new communications plan entitled "the new chic", including a new logo.
The Galeries Lafayette group and its own brands
The Boulevard Haussmann store is the group's "flagship" and also its largest. But it's just the tip of the iceberg that juts out of the sea, for the group as a whole includes the following brands:
- Galeries Lafayette: 19 directly-operated stores, 38 franchises, 5.4 million website visitors
- including Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann: 37 million annual visitors, 70,000 sq. m.
- and Galeries Lafayette Champs-Elysées, new concept, 6500 m².
- La Redoute: 12 million unique visitors per month, 90% of sales online
- Eataly: 1 store, 1,600 Italian wines, 900 delicatessen references
- Louis Pion, watch distribution, 118 stores and points of sale
- Galeries Lafayette - Royal Quartz Paris, haute horlogerie, 16 stores
- BazarChic and Galeries Lafayette Outlet: 2 million active members
- Mauboussin: haute horlogerie and jewelry in city centers, over 100 points of sale
The group generates annual sales of 4.5 billion euros. It is owned by the french Moulin family.
In November 2023, the group announced that Galeries Lafayette Haussmann had passed the €1 billion sales mark again, It was €1,613,993,000 for fiscal 2019 (before Covid).
Owners of the Galeries Lafayette Group: the Moulin family
Until 2005, the Group was always run by the descendants of founder Théophile Bader, the Moulin and Meyer families. On this date, the Meyer family sold its shares. The Moulin family and BNP Paribas share ownership of the Group. In 2009, the Moulin family regained full control of the Group.
The Moulin family is also a shareholder in a number of other businesses. In 2014, for example, the Moulin family acquired a 6.1% stake in Carrefour super markets. In 2015, it controlled 9.5% of the Carrefour Group. The family has two seats on the Board of Directors, held by Philippe Houzé and Patricia Lemoine. In 2016, it became the Carrefour Group's number 1 shareholder, holding 11.51% and 15% of voting rights. It also owns four Bordeaux vineyards, including Château Beauregard.
In 2018, the Moulin family's wealth was valued at 3.9 billion euros. In 2020, Challenges ranks it as the 35th richest family in France, and classe the matriache Ginette Moulin (96 years) the 5th richest woman with 3 billion euros.
Galeries Lafayette in the movies
Galeries Lafayette has been the setting for several films:
- in Jean Yanne's "Les Chinois à Paris", released in 1974, a Chinese occupying army invades Galeries Lafayette
- and in "Peur sur la ville" (Fear in the City), starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, a memorable chase takes place on the rooftops and inside the store. At the same time as the gunshots, a leitmotif sounds: "There's always something going on at Galeries Lafayette".
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