The landmark Parisian store has reopened following a long 16-year closure and a €750M renovation.
LVMH, the luxury group which owns the store, originally planned to reopen the store last April until the pandemic derailed those plans.
While Covid-19 is in retreat in France and the government has lifted most restrictions, the grand relaunch comes at a difficult moment for many retailers. In pre-pandemic times, the French capital received some 10 million tourists each summer, but may get only half that number this year, according to estimates from the Paris Tourism Office. Making matters worse, a shift to shopping online has accelerated during the health crisis.
“We expect it will take one or two years for tourists to really return,” Eleonore de Boysson, Regional President for the unit that houses La Samaritaine, said at a press conference. In the meantime, “we want Parisians to reclaim La Samaritaine,” she said.
The store will showcase established luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, as well as emerging designers such as Austria’s Petar Petrov. The beauty section will offer spa services at Cinq Mondes, where a one-hour session will start at 116 euros.
