Galeries Lafayette Unveils First Southern China Store in Shenzhen
LONDON — French department store chain Galeries Lafayette on Monday unveiled its Shenzhen store inside the UpperHills complex downtown.
As the third China location after Beijing and Shanghai and the first one in southern China, the Shenzhen branch is the result of a joint venture with Hong Kong-listed real estate operator Hopson Group. Under the agreements, Galeries Lafayette will also open stores in Chongqing and Macau, with a goal of reaching 10 units by 2025.
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Philippe Pedone, head of international development at Galeries Lafayette, attended the opening ceremony of the Shenzhen store alongside chief executive officer Nicolas Houzé.
Pedone said that “We are thrilled to be here in person to celebrate our third opening in China….As a fashion specialist with more than 130 years of experience, Galeries Lafayette has always offered an unrivaled selection of brands and experiences tailored specifically to local consumers, and that’s exactly what we want to offer them at this new store in Shenzhen.”
Spanning over 48,000 square feet, the two-story department store is inspired by French architecture and offers 100 brands, ranging from major luxury players to international designer labels such as Jacquemus, Maison Margiela, Jil Sander, Ami, Courrèges, Balmain and Paco Rabanne.
The store also comes with a flowers-adorned beauty area, a gifting section, a footwear area, a Café Kitsune, and a VIP room designed like a Parisian apartment.
The opening is accompanied by the “From Paris With Love” campaign created by Gaëlle Gabillet and Stephane Villard’s practice Studio GGS.
Galeries Lafayette entered the China market in 2013 and opened two stores in Shanghai and one in Beijing under its previous partnership with Hong Kong fashion retailer I.T.
Shenzhen has emerged as a fashion-spending powerhouse during the pandemic for its high concentration of wealth and new malls like Shenzhen Bay MixC hosting major luxury tenants. Both Dior and Chanel are set to reprise runway fashion shows this year in Shenzhen.
Once a quiet fishing village, Shenzhen became a role model of China’s economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping. It was set up as one of the first Special Economic Zones in 1979, giving the city a favorable investment environment.
After decades of rapid development, the city, which has a population of 18 million, has become China’s third wealthiest city after Shanghai and Beijing, and a global center in technology, manufacturing, finance, and transportation with the port of Shenzhen being the world’s fourth busiest container port.
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