海外「パリのショッピングモールは大きいです」

Gallery Lafayette began with a shop opened in 1893 by Teophil Bade and his cousin Alphonse Khan. In 1894, the shop was relocated and an episley named “Gallery Lafayette” (a privately run grocery store) was set up on the corner of La Fayette Street and Shose=Dantan Street. The original size of the shop was 70 square meters. Forty years after Bon Marche, the world’s oldest department store on the left bank, was built. Just around the same time, the nearby San Lazar station was reopened with iron and glass materials, and the gallery Lafayette area was crowded with people.

The times were Bell Epoch. Products (ribbons, gloves, etc.) that fascinate women of the time were sold, and they became very popular with women working nearby. In 1896, he bought Lafayette Street No. 1, and in 1905 he expanded his shop to include 38-4042 Ottoman Street and 15 Shose=Dantan Street. In 1906 he commissioned architect Georges Sedan to design the Ottoman store (main building). In 1912, the remaining Neo-Byzantine round ceiling (glass dome) will be completed. At this time, leaf-designed handrails and graceful escalator lights by designer Louis Majorell (1859–1926), known for his Earl Nouveau furniture, were also made. After that, the sales floor and products will increase, and men’s clothes, furniture, lighting, travel supplies, photographs, and toys will be sold, and Gallery Lafayette will develop. On the top floor of the department store, there are coffee shops, bookstores and beauty salons, making it a place for visitors to breathe. In 1950, French national singer Edith Piaf visited a department store and sang “Love Psalms,” “Rose Life” and “A Beautiful Love Story” in hopes of peace. From 1952 to 1956, the first escalator was installed in the main building, and the department store gradually approaches its present shape. In 1958, the company had its first sale and received favorable reviews, and it has become an annual event and continues to this day. In 1969, the Men’s Fashion Museum was opened, when a direct subway system was established. In 1974, the great old-fashioned stairs were removed, and in 1984, the ground floor was renovated to complete the brand boutique. The shop is almost the same as it is now. In 1996, the company opened a new store in Berlin to mark its 100th anniversary. From 2019 to 2021, the dome, a specialty of the department store, was renovated. The renovation period was just when Covid-19 was prevalent in France, but department store sales exceeded 1 billion euros in 2022. Many tourists and Parisians visit the department store in Paris, which is still innovating.