Galeries Lafayette is closing its Beijing store on May 27, the French Department Store announced in a surprise WeChat post on Thursday.
“We often assume that familiar landmarks will always be there, yet we forget that encounters tend to be temporary, and the moment to say goodbye can quietly arrive. Don’t be sad — this is not a farewell forever. Trees grow, the seasons turn, and life flourishes. We look forward to a better reunion with you,” wrote the Galeries Lafayette post.
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The store closure is a response to shifting consumer expectations regarding the traditional department store model, the company wrote in a press release shared with WWD.
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“Modern shoppers are increasingly prioritizing greater convenience, elevated service, more meaningful experiences, and a greater sense of wellbeing,” wrote Galeries Lafayette. “The brand intends to introduce more streamlined, operationally agile store formats with a sharper focus on brand and product selection.”
“The robust performance of our Shanghai and Shenzhen locations has established themselves as the strategic anchors of the brand’s operations in China. Moving forward, these locations will serve as essential benchmarks, providing a successful blueprint for the group’s targeted development in China’s leading tier-one cities,” Galeries Lafayette added, reaffirming its commitment to the Chinese market.
Last year, the company said it would reexamine its China strategy, while pursuing “measured international expansions and strengthening its brand globally,” said Nicolas Houzé, fifth-generation member of the Galeries Lafayette Group and chief executive officer of the company, at the time. In November, Houzé marked a milestone for the group by opening Galeries Lafayette’s first store in India, which is the country’s first stand-alone high-street department store.
Around the same time — the company quietly downsized its Shanghai store from four floors to two.
Last March, Galeries Lafayette closed its Chongqing store.
The retailer opened its Beijing location in October 2013. Spanning close to 350,000 square feet, the six-story department store in the Xidan area was the retailer’s second-largest worldwide at the time, after its flagship on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris.
Like Galeries Lafayette, the Hong Kong retailer Lane Crawford has struggled to find its footing in mainland China. In February, it shuttered its Chengdu IFS store, leaving only its Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong locations in operation. Last year, its Shanghai store also underwent significant restructuring.