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AGE
SHALL
NOTWEARY
HERShe has transcended time, war and
global financial meltdowns yet the
true strength of French brand Galeries
Lafayette lies in her proud heritage
as much as it does the international
retailer’s ability to innovate, as
Tracey Porter discovers.
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A
ja Barbo Gruden had earned the right to be a little
disinterested.
Not only had she spent a gruelling 23-hours plus flying half
around the world for work, she had then spent all three days since
landing talking non-stop about her place of employ.
But there she stood, animated, poised and more than capable of
tackling any questions that a noisy group of excitable journalists
cared to throw at her.
But given Gruden’s role is as national sales manager of one of
the most prestigious department stores in the world, and her
job is to explain just how many unexpected treats lie in store for
its customers, she would perhaps find it a harder task sating
her excitement.
For there is much to share about the goings on behind the world’s
most instantly recognisable department store chain.
Having remained in private ownership for five generations, Galeries
Lafayette is the place where every shopper wants to be seen and
every brand wants to be admired.
Founded in 1893 by cousins Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn,
it has grown from a simple 70m² haberdashery to a 64-store
colossus with an international footprint operating across several
different markets with Berlin, Beijing, Jakarta, Casablanca and
Dubai among them.
Gruden says from its humble beginnings in 1859, Galeries Lafayette
has always strived to combine luxurious fashion and innovation.
When the store was still in its infancy, its co-founder Bader decided
he needed to do something to ensure his store stood out from rivals.
Eager to remain true to his philosophy of stocking only the most
envied fashions, he set up and acquired production facilities to make
clothing exclusively for Lafayette under its own private label.
To ensure the store was always up-to-date, Bader would go to
the races and the opera, accompanied by a designer, who would
discreetly copy the most stylish outfits designed by the most famous
couturiers and put them into production as quickly as possible.
Constant diversification was key. Appearing in addition to the
traditional aisles were men’s tailoring, furnishings, toys and
tableware. In 1896, the renters become owners of the building and
set up over five floors. The two cousins quickly purchased shops,
premises and buildings in the neighbourhood, including the one on
Boulevard Haussmann.
A champion of fashion in all its forms, Lafayette encouraged
young designers to launch their ready-to-wear lines, by agreeing to
showcase them in small boutiques or concessions. A tradition that
continues to this day.
The first designer to hit the big-time was Sonia Rykiel and soon
other big names followed including Daniel Hechter, Pierre Cardin,
Cacharel, Yves Saint-Laurent and Dorothée Bis.
Today Lafayette’s flagship store, still located on Paris’ boulevard
Haussmann and noted for its 43-metre neo-Byzantine glass dome,
is the destination of choice for up to 100,000 shoppers each day - on
par with that other famous Parisian tourist attraction, the Louvre.
Home to a raft of international brands including Gucci, Ralph Lauren,
Bottega Veneta, Fendi and Prada, these days the site consists of
three buildings. The first has nine levels, half of which are dedicated
to women and children’s fashion and accessories (known locally as
Coupole) and atop of which sits the Terrace.
The second, L’Homme, has four floors of menswear and accessories
while the third (Maison & Gourmet) has five floors and includes
homewares and an entire floor given to a luxury food market.
Gastronomy is also an area of focus for both staff and visitors alike
with the Paris buildings housing 20 different eateries and dining
areas where brands such as Le Pain Quotidien sit alongside a
French-style tea parlour or a Japanese canteen.
In addition Lafayette’s La Cave space is a 450m² area dedicated
entirely to wines, spirits and champagnes that stocks more than
2500 different wine labels across 20,000 bottles.
For those for whom art and culture are a priority Lafayette’s main
Parisian store also has Galerie des Galeries, a free-entry art gallery
dedicated to exhibiting the cross-over between art, fashion and
design. Fashion shows are staged once a week here while the
gallery boasts a new exhibition every 12 weeks. In addition make up
and perfume workshops are also held to ensure customers are kept
abreast of the latest international trends.
Gruden says while all visitors are welcome, the chain has made a
concerted effort to welcome those for whom French is not their first
language by introducing English-speaking concierges specifically for
foreign visitors.
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In terms of rolling out the red carpet, few do it better. While all
visitors are welcome, VIP customers enjoy extra special attention
with a personal shopper service available as well as use of a 400
square metre suite where everything from dinner parties to tax
refunds can be accessed.
As men are a growing segment for the retailer, Gruden says
Lafayette has also launched a men’s concierge to complement its
male VIP Jazz lounge where men are able to recline with a whiskey
and kick back while their partners shop.
Yet despite being considered the grand dame of European
department store shopping and posting retail sales in excess of €3.8
billion, the family-owned group behind the brand are eager to keep
pushing ahead.
In keeping with his employer’s vision for the company, CEO Nicolas
Houzé recently launched what he calls his “Ambitions 2020”
plan, a strategy that its owners hope will see it becoming the key
omnichannel fashion retailer in France and in international capitals.
It kicked off in September when the brand announced it had parted
ways with its advertising agency of 14 years, and moved its account
to Wednesday, the same UK agency responsible for Net-A-Porter’s
marketing activities. The pairing has resulted in the brand unveiling a
new logo, better aligned to the modern day retailer than the 25-year-
old one it replaced.
“We didn’t want to do the same [as we’d always done],” Gruden
says. “We wanted to be different.”
To help align to what the company terms its “reappraisal of our
brand territory” while remaining true to
its 123-year heritage, it has also launched
a new “Le Nouveau Chic” advertising
campaign that has employed a series
of ambassadors including musician
Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis, models Camille
Rowe and Anais Mali, chef Pierre Jancou,
dancers/choreographers Laurent and Larry
Bourgeois and prima ballerina Marie-Agnes
Gillot, all of whom the owners feel embody
the true spirit of the retailer.
To celebrate the launch, the store also
added 150 brands to its stable, engaged
Louis-Gabriel Nouchi, a finalist at the
2014 Hyères Fashion Festival, to produce
an exclusive capsule collection for the
Galeries Lafayette private label and
undertook an extensive revamp of its
online store.
Further plans include an extensive
renovation of the men’s store at the
flagship site while new stores are slated for
Istanbul, Doha, Milan and the city of love’s
own Champs Elysees.
On average there has been a 10 percent
year-on-year increase in the number of
Australian visitors hosted by the chain. Yet
despite the obvious affection for the brand
Gruden says there are no plans yet to open
down under.
“Australians who are travelling are very
important to us. Maybe, one day we will
open a store here,” she says.