GALERIES LAFAYETTE

Description

Essentials about Galeries Lafayette in brief

What Harrods is to London and KaDeWe is to Berlin, Galeries Lafayette is to Paris. The flagship store of the Galeries Lafayette department store chain is the largest department store in Paris, one of the oldest department stores in France and definitely one of the most beautiful in the world. Every day, over 60,000 people visit Galeries Lafayette to shop to their heart’s content on 68,000 square meters.

The history of Galeries Lafayette

Historically, the department store dates back to the lingerie fashion store opened in 1893 by merchants Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn. At that time, the store space was still a modest 70 square meters, but it was already in a prime location at No. 1 Rue La Fayette. A year later, the merchants renamed their store “Aux Galeries Lafayette” after the street. Business took off so well that in 1895 the company bought the entire building and expanded it into a department store on five floors. Due to the ever-increasing need for space, in 1906 the order was placed for the ten-story new building that still houses Galeries Lafayette today. Built between 1910 and 1912 in the Art Nouveau style, the building is a real architectural beauty. A 33-meter high gallery hall was topped by a 40-meter high colored glass dome.

Shopping in Galeries Lafayette

Today, Galeries Lafayette has a department store in almost every major French city and has also expanded internationally. However, the flagship store in Paris is and remains the most famous of all department stores. Galeries Lafayette has remained true to itself with its focus on women’s and men’s fashion. In addition, however, there are now also departments for living and food.