Case Study: Galeries Lafayette
Profile, History, and Status Quo
In 1893, Théophile Bader founded Galeries Lafayette; in 1912, the famous flagship department store (“grand magasin”) on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris was opened which is the largest of Paris’ 12 major department stores. Today, the Galeries Lafayette group operates the following business segments:
Figure 10.1
Galeries Lafayette group In 2005, group turnover totalled 4,493 million EUR, up 0.7 % from the previous year. Around 35,000 employees work in one of the group’s 422 stores or 56 affiliates. Galeries Lafayette's total surface area of nearly 500,000 m2 includes a number of outstanding features, like the famous neo-Byzantine dome built in the 19th century atop the
In the course of the store’s makeover, the walkways have been widened, something that characterizes each of the floors and results in the impression of more space which improves the shopping atmosphere. Instore navigational signage, other than at the escalators, is largely redundant, owing to the clarity of the shopping worlds’ layout which groups logically complementary products together (Ryan 2005).
In the 1970s, Galeries Lafayette evolved from a general merchandise department store (“Universalkaufhaus”) into a department store specializing in fashion. This vocation for fashion is regularly demonstrated since 1980, when the first “Festival de la Mode”, a runway fashion show free of charge and a renowned tourist attraction, was held. This successful event has also been transferred to the Berlin store (Gebauer 2003, pp. 43-44).
Long-term instore marketing: basic layout
The bases of Galeries Lafayette’s holistic approach of instore marketing are the different shopping worlds, whether integrated in the different floors, such as Lafayette Enfant or Lafayette V.O., or in the case of freestanding buildings, such as Lafayette Maison or Lafayette Homme. Designed for a longer time frame to indulge customers in, they are nonetheless subject to change in order to respond to current trends. The basis for the specialised concepts is a detailed analysis of the customers’ lifestyle; the focal point is no longer the product offer, but the