Several dozen Galeries Lafayette stores have seen their future called into question since 2024. Between safeguard procedures, actual closures, and name changes, the landscape of French department stores is undergoing a profound reorganization. Sorting through what is closing, what is changing names, and what remains open requires understanding who manages what in this more fragmented universe than it seems.
Groupe Galeries Lafayette and franchisees: two circuits, two destinies
Before going through the list of affected stores, one point deserves clarification. Not all stores bearing the Galeries Lafayette name depend on the same structure. Two circuits coexist.
The first includes stores owned and operated directly by the parent company, the Galeries Lafayette group. The second consists of franchised outlets operated by third-party companies such as Hermione Retail (Nosoli group) or the Société des Grands Magasins (SGM).
The safeguard procedure announced in 2024 primarily concerned the 26 regional franchised stores operated by Hermione Retail. The 19 stores managed by the parent company were not directly targeted by this procedure. An article detailing the closures of Galeries Lafayette stores provides a view of all the affected outlets.
This distinction is fundamental. When a closure is announced, it does not automatically signal a retreat of the Galeries Lafayette group itself. It may reflect the financial difficulties of an independent franchisee.
Confirmed closures in 2025: Marseille in the spotlight
Among all the affected cities, Marseille is drawing attention. Two Marseille stores will close in 2025: the Prado and the Centre Bourse. Approximately 145 jobs are directly impacted by these two closures, according to figures reported by Le Figaro.
The timeline has also been tightened. The originally planned closure date has been moved up from November 30 to November 15 for certain provincial sites as part of the overall restructuring plan.
For the Centre Bourse site, the situation is even more concerning as no buyer has been identified. The commercial vacancy in the hypercenter of Marseille poses a concrete problem: an empty space of this size undermines the attractiveness of an entire shopping district.
Other cities affected by closures
Marseille is not an isolated case. Hermione Retail’s restructuring plan involves around twenty stores in medium and large cities. Press reports regularly mention struggling sites in several regions of France, although not all closures have been confirmed yet.
Three elements distinguish the most threatened stores:
- The absence of an identified buyer a few months before the deadline, making closure almost certain
- A commercial lease expiring without possible renegotiation with the owner of the shopping center or building
- A constantly declining turnover, exacerbated by competition from online commerce and peripheral shopping centers
Seven stores renamed BHV: closure or transformation
You may have seen the news: seven Galeries Lafayette stores will change their name to become BHV. This is not a closure in the strict sense, but the end of the Galeries Lafayette brand in these cities.
This operation is led by the Société des Grands Magasins (SGM), headed by Frédéric Merlin. The SGM operates these seven outlets under the Galeries Lafayette franchise but has decided to transition them to the BHV brand, with a controversial partnership involving Shein.
For employees and customers, the distinction matters. The store remains open, employment is theoretically maintained, but the commercial identity changes radically. Shifting from Galeries Lafayette to BHV-Shein alters the positioning: moving from the premium segment to a mix that includes fast fashion.
Several points deserve attention in this transformation:
- The partnership with Shein has already faced strong criticism, particularly in Paris where the project at BHV Marais was abandoned
- The anti-fast fashion law under discussion could complicate this type of alliance in the medium term
- The seven affected stores lose access to the Galeries Lafayette brand, which may impact their attractiveness to the historical clientele
Consequences for employment and downtown commerce
Each closure of a department store creates a domino effect. Direct jobs represent only part of the impact. The brand corners hosted in these stores also lose their point of sale. Neighboring businesses, which benefited from the customer flow generated by the brand, see their foot traffic decline.
In medium-sized cities, an empty department store in the city center accelerates commercial depopulation. This phenomenon is not new, but it takes on a particular dimension when the brand in question is Galeries Lafayette. The brand has embodied a certain idea of downtown commerce for over 130 years.
About a thousand jobs at stake nationwide
The restructuring plan of Hermione Retail concerns around a thousand employees spread across all threatened franchised stores. Negotiations with employee representatives and legal proceedings (safeguard, potential recoveries) dictate the timeline of the closures.
For employees, the uncertainty is twofold. Those whose store closes lose their jobs. Those whose store changes brand retain employment, but under different commercial conditions, with a less clear future.
The map of Galeries Lafayette in France is gradually being redrawn. The stores of the parent company, concentrated in major metropolitan areas, remain safe for now. The provincial franchisees, however, are going through a pivotal period where each month brings its share of announcements. Following the evolution city by city remains the only reliable way to know which stores will remain open in the coming months.