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AGE SHALL NOT WEARY HER

She has transcended time, war and global financial meltdowns yet the

true strength of French brand Galeries Lafayette lies in her proud heritage as much as it does the international

retailer ’s ability to innovate, as Tracey Porter discovers.

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Un ique Luxu r y 133

Aja Barbo Gruden had earned the right to be a little disinterested.

Not only had she spent a gruelling 23-hours plus flying half around the world for work, she had then spent all three days since landing talking non-stop about her place of employ.

But there she stood, animated, poised and more than capable of tackling any questions that a noisy group of excitable journalists cared to throw at her.

But given Gruden’s role is as national sales manager of one of the most prestigious department stores in the world, and her job is to explain just how many unexpected treats lie in store for its customers, she would perhaps find it a harder task sating her excitement.

For there is much to share about the goings on behind the world’s most instantly recognisable department store chain.

Having remained in private ownership for five generations, Galeries Lafayette is the place where every shopper wants to be seen and every brand wants to be admired.

Founded in 1893 by cousins Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn, it has grown from a simple 70m² haberdashery to a 64-store colossus with an international footprint operating across several different markets with Berlin, Beijing, Jakarta, Casablanca and Dubai among them.

Gruden says from its humble beginnings in 1859, Galeries Lafayette has always strived to combine luxurious fashion and innovation.

When the store was still in its infancy, its co-founder Bader decided he needed to do something to ensure his store stood out from rivals. Eager to remain true to his philosophy of stocking only the most envied fashions, he set up and acquired production facilities to make clothing exclusively for Lafayette under its own private label.

To ensure the store was always up-to-date, Bader would go to the races and the opera, accompanied by a designer, who would discreetly copy the most stylish outfits designed by the most famous couturiers and put them into production as quickly as possible.

Constant diversification was key. Appearing in addition to the traditional aisles were men’s tailoring, furnishings, toys and tableware. In 1896, the renters become owners of the building and set up over five floors. The two cousins quickly purchased shops,

premises and buildings in the neighbourhood, including the one on Boulevard Haussmann.

A champion of fashion in all its forms, Lafayette encouraged young designers to launch their ready-to-wear lines, by agreeing to showcase them in small boutiques or concessions. A tradition that continues to this day.

The first designer to hit the big-time was Sonia Rykiel and soon other big names followed including Daniel Hechter, Pierre Cardin, Cacharel, Yves Saint-Laurent and Dorothée Bis.

Today Lafayette’s flagship store, still located on Paris’ boulevard Haussmann and noted for its 43-metre neo-Byzantine glass dome, is the destination of choice for up to 100,000 shoppers each day - on par with that other famous Parisian tourist attraction, the Louvre.

Home to a raft of international brands including Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Bottega Veneta, Fendi and Prada, these days the site consists of three buildings. The first has nine levels, half of which are dedicated to women and children’s fashion and accessories (known locally as Coupole) and atop of which sits the Terrace.

The second, L’Homme, has four floors of menswear and accessories while the third (Maison & Gourmet) has five floors and includes homewares and an entire floor given to a luxury food market.

Gastronomy is also an area of focus for both staff and visitors alike with the Paris buildings housing 20 different eateries and dining areas where brands such as Le Pain Quotidien sit alongside a French-style tea parlour or a Japanese canteen.

In addition Lafayette’s La Cave space is a 450m² area dedicated entirely to wines, spirits and champagnes that stocks more than 2500 different wine labels across 20,000 bottles.

For those for whom art and culture are a priority Lafayette’s main Parisian store also has Galerie des Galeries, a free-entry art gallery dedicated to exhibiting the cross-over between art, fashion and design. Fashion shows are staged once a week here while the gallery boasts a new exhibition every 12 weeks. In addition make up and perfume workshops are also held to ensure customers are kept abreast of the latest international trends.

Gruden says while all visitors are welcome, the chain has made a concerted effort to welcome those for whom French is not their first language by introducing English-speaking concierges specifically for foreign visitors.

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In terms of rolling out the red carpet, few do it better. While all visitors are welcome, VIP customers enjoy extra special attention with a personal shopper service available as well as use of a 400 square metre suite where everything from dinner parties to tax refunds can be accessed.

As men are a growing segment for the retailer, Gruden says Lafayette has also launched a men’s concierge to complement its male VIP Jazz lounge where men are able to recline with a whiskey and kick back while their partners shop.

Yet despite being considered the grand dame of European department store shopping and posting retail sales in excess of €3.8 billion, the family-owned group behind the brand are eager to keep pushing ahead.

In keeping with his employer’s vision for the company, CEO Nicolas Houzé recently launched what he calls his “Ambitions 2020” plan, a strategy that its owners hope will see it becoming the key omnichannel fashion retailer in France and in international capitals.

It kicked off in September when the brand announced it had parted ways with its advertising agency of 14 years, and moved its account to Wednesday, the same UK agency responsible for Net-A-Porter’s marketing activities. The pairing has resulted in the brand unveiling a new logo, better aligned to the modern day retailer than the 25-year-old one it replaced.

“We didn’t want to do the same [as we’d always done],” Gruden says. “We wanted to be different.”

To help align to what the company terms its “reappraisal of our

brand territory” while remaining true to its 123-year heritage, it has also launched a new “Le Nouveau Chic” advertising campaign that has employed a series of ambassadors including musician Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis, models Camille Rowe and Anais Mali, chef Pierre Jancou, dancers/choreographers Laurent and Larry Bourgeois and prima ballerina Marie-Agnes Gillot, all of whom the owners feel embody the true spirit of the retailer.

To celebrate the launch, the store also added 150 brands to its stable, engaged Louis-Gabriel Nouchi, a finalist at the 2014 Hyeres Fashion Festival, to produce an exclusive capsule collection for the Galeries Lafayette private label and undertook an extensive revamp of its online store.

Further plans include an extensive renovation of the men’s store at the flagship site while new stores are slated for Istanbul, Doha, Milan and the city of love’s own Champs Elysees.

On average there has been a 10 percent year-on-year increase in the number of Australian visitors hosted by the chain. Yet despite the obvious affection for the brand Gruden says there are no plans yet to open down under.

“Australians who are travelling are very important to us. Maybe, one day we will open a store here,” she says.