PARIS — Signaling its focus on pushing into China and the Middle East, French department store Galeries Lafayette has created an international development division as part of a broader management reshuffle.
Headed by Philippe Pedone, chief financial officer and executive management committee member, the division will be charged with expanding the Galeries Lafayette and BHV Marais brands outside of France and accelerating a push into China and the Middle East.
As department stores around the world struggle to find a strategy in the face of stiff competition from online retailers, the French department store, is also shoring up its own Internet offer through the acquisition of catalogue business La Redoute and seeking growth in expansion abroad.
Nicolas Retailleau, who has been a financial director in the privately-owned company since 2015, will become chief financial officer of Galeries Lafayette and BHV Marais, joining the executive committee.
The company is also folding the Galeries Lafayette and BHV Marais French store network into one division under the direction of Olivier Bron, also an executive committee member.
BHV Marais director Alexandre Liot will take over management of the Galeries Lafayette Haussmann store while its former director Agnès Vigneron will take charge of integrating the group’s new catalogue-turned-Internet retailer La Redoute.