PARIS — Galeries Lafayette has forged an agreement with Boulanger to distribute the retailer’s household appliances in stores and online in France, as local players scramble to bulk up their defenses against the encroachment of Amazon and Alibaba.
The deal, which comes into effect in September, matches the department store’s prime, city-center BHV and Galeries Lafayette locations with the electronics dealer’s selection of upmarket products from brands like KitchenAid, Bosch, Samsung and Apple.
Retailers in France have embarked on a frenzy of tie-ups in a bid to adapt to the shift of consumers to online avenues. In one example, Carrefour SA, the world’s biggest retailer after Walmart Stores Inc., in December struck a purchasing alliance with Fnac Darty — the result of a merger between a consumer electronics dealer with a seller of household goods.
As part of the agreement announced on Wednesday, Boulanger will set up shop-in-shops in Galeries Lafayette stores in Paris and Nice, as well as BHV stores in Paris and the outskirts of the capital.
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Services will include “click and collect” shopping, with items available in stores within an hour time-frame, installation of household appliances within two days, and after-sales services.
Other stores in the Galeries Lafayette network in France will sell small electronic goods from Boulanger.