Galeries Lafayette Haussmann dedicates 3,000 square metres to wellness

By

Marion Deslandes

Translated by
Roberta HERRERA

Published
Apr 12, 2022

The Covid-19 pandemic has left department stores scrambling to come up with new ideas to ensure their future, and better meet the needs of local consumers. After unveiling a circular fashion space in 2021, like its neighbour Printemps, Galeries Lafayette Haussmann is diving headfirst into the burgeoning world of wellness and holistic beauty. The Parisian department store is opening a 3,000-square-metre wellness centre this summer, occupying the entire minus-one floor of the building. The level was previously dedicated to shoes, which relocated to the fourth floor last year.

Galeries Lafayette is setting its sights on becoming "the essential wellness destination in the French capital", and aims to take full advantage of the promising market, which has doubled in size in four years worldwide, according to the Global wellness report.
 
In order to achieve this, the surface area will be equally divided between products (health care products, and sportswear) and services (massages, alternative medicine consultations, and fitness classes). A restaurant offering a balanced diet will also be available. 

The brands distributed on the floor have not yet been specified. The company has simply indicated that most of its partner brands will be offered exclusively, and that some of them will be entering the French market for the first time.   
 
“We are convinced that the store has more room than ever to be at the service of its customers, as long as it knows how to adapt to their needs and offer them an extra special experience,” said Alexandre Liot, general manager of the retailer. “After the two years of unprecedented health crisis that we have just gone through collectively, this unique space in Paris will allow us to offer our customers a new and above all global experience to pamper them.”
 
Last year, Galeries Lafayette Haussmann renovated the century-old cupola and opened a 500-square-metre (Re)store on its third floor, offering second-hand fashion and sustainable brands. On the fourth level, shoes have taken up residence on a 4,000-square-metre space, showing how department stores need to be constantly evolving in order to maintain a strong positioning in the retail market.