PARIS — Galeries Lafayette is opening a store in the Beaugrenelle shopping center in Paris, bolstering the group’s presence in the French capital.
The move is the latest from an active retailer working to maintain relevance as consumers increasingly shop online.
“This opening once again illustrates our strong ambitions to reinvent our French network and will significantly strengthen our presence in the capital,” said Olivier Bron, operations director of Galeries Lafayette and BHV Marais.
The department store chain has been fine-tuning its network and recently sold off a number of stores outside of the capital to be operated under franchise agreement, while opening new ones in a refurbished mall outside of Paris and in a new shopping center in Marseille.
At the same time, the group is striking off into new territories — the Middle East and China — through a franchise model partnership with local operators.
The group’s emphasis on Paris, meanwhile, has been illustrated by a flurry of construction projects, in the Marais neighborhood near its BHV store and on the Champs Elysées, where it plans to open a new flagship.
The new Beaugrenelle store, which is scheduled to open in the second half of 2019, will cover 80,000 square feet and four floors.