French luxury group, LVMH will reopen its Parisian department store after a staggering 16 years of restoration.
The French group LVMH has been a majority stakeholder in the iconic shopping destination since 2001, and took the decision to close the centre in 2005. Since then, the group has invested €750M in its restoration and revamp.
Between 2012 and 2015, work on the building was suspended a number of times due to appeals from heritage preservation associations that contested the project.
The ensemble of building consists of a five-star, 72 room Cheval Blanc hotel (a brand also owned by the LVMH group) alongside 15,000sq m of office space, 97 social housing units and four restaurants, with one helmed by Michelin-starred chef Arnaud Donckele.
According to a number of news reports, the highly-anticipated La Samaritaine, which is located on Rue de Rivoli on the edge of the Seine, is now set to open on June 19.
