Reinventing Retail: Galeries Lafayette Champs-Elysées

The opening of Galeries Lafayette’s newest department store on the Avenue des Champs-Elysées signals the beginning of a new retail format

PARIS, France – Galeries Lafayette has just opened a new location on the iconic Champs-Elysées. The department store group has reinvented itself to adapt to the new form of consumerism, by placing focus on customer service, storytelling, and experiences.

A new sales model has been created with the hiring and training of 300 “personal stylists” along with grooms and concierges. The sales team is comprised of trend and style experts, cultural influencers and high-end hotel concierges focusing on the customer, sharing their product knowledge, in a relaxed and professional manner. Assisting the customer through their journey, the staff works to build relationships, and create a community, thus making the experience no longer just transactional.

Digital innovation enhances this new sales approach, with the use of the “personal stylists 2.0” app, a communications tool between sales staff and customers. Galeries Lafayette also worked with developers to create a patented “smart hanger” using RFID and Thread technology to give customers a seamless shopping experience. The smart hanger, which is activated by movement, can tell what sizes are available, order your size and have it waiting for you in the fitting room.

The customer journey has been transfigured. A mélange of timeless luxury brands, emerging designers, and original products – special and limited editions, collaborations – are presented in mixed-use, modular spaces, which change regularly and welcome pop-ups. A flexible assortment is created by mixing merchandise categories, grouping by styles and trends, making no differentiation by gender, and transcending generations. The furniture is used in a new way, combining display spaces and integrated seating that give a great vantage point for views and Instagram moments.

Retail has evolved from a shopping space to an engaging, active experience, inspiring and surprising through distinctive products and brands that evoke emotion. Galeries Lafayette Champs-Elysées is promising a powerful bold assortment – casual yet spectacular. This reinvented retail model has a lot of potential for success.

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