The bet had been won. The ramp of the central staircase, inspired by the one in Opera Garnier, was designed by Art Nouveau architect Louis Majorelle. The breathtaking, neo-Byzantine dome, which is 43m high, was conceived by glass artist Jacques Gruber and quickly became the symbol of Galeries Lafayette.
The famous window displays started playing an important role in the theatralization of stores; their aim was to awaken all envies, desires, and possibilities.
The surface rapidly doubled: on top of the 96 different departments, a tea room, a reading room, a fumoir and a terrace with a panoramic view of Paris are incorporated to the building… shopping became a lavish leisure activity. We and our partners use cookies to better understand your needs, improve performance and provide you with personalised content and advertisements.
By Galeries Lafayette employed over 1, people, and mail-order operations, begun in , represented about a quarter of sales. In the Paris market, Galeries Lafayette was of equal importance to its near neighbor and competitor, the Printemps department store, which was some 30 years older. In Bader brought Raoul Meyer, his year-old son-in-law, into the management of the company.
This was followed in by the appointment of Max Heilbronn, another son-in-law, aged The three managed the group until when Bader became seriously ill, after which Meyer and Heilbronn directed the firm for another 35 years.
During the s the main store expanded gradually toward rue Mogador and rue de Provence. Expansion also took place outside Paris: in a store had been opened in Nice, followed by the purchase in of Les Grands Magasins des Cordeliers in Lyons. A store opened in Nantes in and another in Montpellier in , and at the same time the mail-order operations were consolidated, with a network of agents throughout France.
By Galeries Lafayette had become the second-largest department store group in France, overtaken only by La Samaritaine, but ahead of Printemps. An important development in Galeries Lafayette's commercial policy took place in and , when variety-store operations started.
At the end of a subsidiary company, La Nouvelle Maison, was formed, and two variety stores called Lanoma were opened in Paris, followed in by two others, called Monoprix and located in the provinces. The early years of the Monoprix variety stores were difficult, and they operated at a loss. By the situation improved, and Monoprix continued to expand up to , when a French law banning the opening of new one-price stores slowed down the development of owned stores; other retailers, though, were encouraged to join the SCA central buying organization.
In there were 38 Monoprix stores. Twelve were owned stores and the rest were affiliates. World War II was a troubled period for the Galeries Lafayette, and, being under Jewish management, it suffered severely during the German occupation of France. The leadership was disbanded, and the business landed in the hands of French collaborateurs --those who collaborated with the Germans. Raoul Meyer went into hiding in unoccupied territory.
Bader, the company's founder, died in At the end of the war Meyer and Heilbronn, who together owned 80 percent of Galeries Lafayette, began to rebuild the company. In they were joined by Etienne Moulin, aged 35, who had helped to save Max Heilbronn's life in Buchenwald and had subsequently married his daughter.
Their main efforts in the postwar years were directed toward the expansion of the Monoprix variety stores. By there were 60 Monoprix stores in France, half of which were owned and half of which were affiliates. Ten years later there were Monoprix stores, and by , there were owned and affiliated--with , square meters of selling space. These affiliated stores had joined the SCA in , when Galeries Lafayette, through Monoprix, acquired a 14 percent share in the company. For Monoprix and Galeries Lafayette, the early s were marked by what can be called the Inno-France interlude.
In Innovation S. The aim of this company was to establish large self-service units in France, selling food and other merchandise. These were similar to hypermarkets, but were situated in downtown locations without parking facilities rather than in outlying areas. Before the first Inno-France store opened, Galeries Lafayette reacted vigorously, buying shares in the La Bourse department store group in Belgium, a competitor of Innovation.
The first Inno-France store opened in Paris in , followed by five more by All the Inno-France stores lost money, and in Galeries Lafayette made an agreement with Innovation to buy a stake--first 25 percent, then 33 percent--in Inno-France and to manage non-food buying for the group.
The following year all six Inno-France stores, with 2, employees, came under the direct management of the Monoprix organization and within four years became profitable. In Galeries Lafayette acquired the outstanding shares of Inno-France for a symbolic one franc. The company became part of the Monoprix organization, and the investment made by Galeries Lafayette in La Bourse of Belgium was written off. Two other developments marked the Galeries Lafayette group in the s, one a failure, the other a success.
The former were related to the mail-order operations, which had continued somewhat sleepily since Bader had started them in Mail order was beginning to be a growing business in France, and Galeries Lafayette decided to revitalize and modernize its operations. The flagship store kick-started its modernisation by unveiling the highest escalator in Europe, in the Christmas of Shortly afterwards, the interior halls were phased out of operation and, between and , the building was raised by two more floors.
Architectural modernisation was accompanied by expanding the product range, thanks to setting up a design office in , creating the post of Fashion Director , sourcing products from abroad and launching new promotions. This new growth phase also saw the store play host to large international exhibitions. In the early sixties, young designers began launching their ready-to-wear lines, sitting between haute couture and traditional tailoring.
Each season Galeries Lafayette would showcase these new talents by providing them with small boutiques or concessions in the store.
The first designer to hit the big-time was Laura, in , which later went on to become Sonia Rykiel. For the first time, this club gathered together several different product ranges clothing, pharmacy, music embodying this particular lifestyle. In , a new chapter began with the removal of the legendary central staircase and then, a decade on, the central ground floor was reconfigured to make way for high-end boutiques.
In , the brand went even further upmarket and enlisted the services of Jean-Paul Goude to manage its public relations. Since then, Galeries Lafayette has proudly enjoyed a triple presence on the Boulevard Haussmann.
Galeries Lafayette has long enjoyed strong links with the worlds of fashion and contemporary design. The Haussmann department store regularly hosts prestigious events, showcasing key designers of the moment as well as introducing its customers to artists whose work has endured the test of time.
In , the Galeries Lafayette group decided to cement its links with contemporary design by creating the Galerie des Galeries, a free-entry art gallery on the first floor of the store, dedicated to exhibiting the cross-over between art, fashion and design.
Acutely aware of the added value represented by design, but also of its own role in making beauty accessible to all, Galeries Lafayette continues this commitment through numerous sponsorship activities. Galeries Lafayette has remained a family business for five generations. It has transcended time, war and financial crisis to prove its unrivalled capacity for innovation. These archives retrace the complete history of the Group in all its complexity and unique originality.
The Tale of Galeries Lafayette…. From the 19th century to the present day, from a small haberdashery to a huge institution, discover the history of Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann.
Culture and heritage The remarkable tale of Galeries Lafayette begins in the 19 th century. Find us in store.
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