PARIS — Famed French department store Galeries Lafayette is setting up shop in India.
The retailer will open its doors in Mumbai and New Delhi through an exclusive partnership agreement with local fashion group Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd., and will launch a dedicated website for the country.
The 86,000-square-foot space in the southern city of Mumbai is scheduled to open in 2024. London-based architectural firm Virgile & Partners will helm the project, which will be housed inside two century-old buildings in the historic Fort district. Virgile has previously helmed the revamp of the Harrods luxury accessories space, as well as the design of the Andaz hotel in New Delhi.
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The store will carry more than 200 local and international brands, with personalized shopping, digital check-in and omnichannel connections to cater to the “Millennial luxury” customer.
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The second location in India’s capital will open in the upscale DLF Emporio shopping center in a 60,000- square-foot space there.
“We are proud to expand our international footprint in such a prestigious and refined market as India, where we believe our brand can benefit from a strong potential,” Galeries Lafayette and BHV Marais chief executive officer Nicolas Houzé said in a statement.
“This is a coming-of-age moment for Indian luxury. India is now home to a generation of young and affluent consumers with global exposure, who are willing to spend on the finer things in life. This is visible in the boom and dynamism of the luxury market. The partnership with Galeries Lafayette is a ringing endorsement of India’s significance as a global luxury market and a future engine of growth for luxury brands,” said Aditya Birla managing director Ashish Dixit.
“The Aditya Birla Group’s deep and nuanced understanding of the luxury landscape on the back of our portfolio of designer brands, combined with Galeries Lafayette’s global experience, will enable us to create a world-class destination for Indian consumers and global luxury brands,” he added.
Aditya Birla operates 3,500 stores across India, with a mix of international and local brands in single and multibrand retailers, as well as being the distributor of American Eagle, Fred Perry, Hackett London, Ralph Lauren, Reebok and Ted Baker in the country.
The India outposts are part of Galeries Lafayette’s plan to open 20 stores outside of France by 2025, with a focus on China, Asia and the Middle East.
The group opened stores in Doha, Qatar; Luxembourg, and Shanghai, China, in 2019. Its outposts in Beijing and Shanghai are run with partner I.T Limited, and Galeries Lafayette has announced further projects in Macau and Chongqing. A Shenzhen store is planned for early 2023, and the group aims to have 10 stores in China by 2025.