The end of an era. This Thursday, the Galeries Lafayette group announced that it had entered into “exclusive negotiations” with a small property company of Lyon origin, the Société des Grands Magasins (SGM), to sell it the emblematic department store located opposite the Paris City Hall. , the BHV Marais, former City Hall Bazaar.
The Galeries Lafayette indicated in a press release “to consider passing on the torch of BHV Marais to a family player”, who wants to “continue its development with the help of its teams while preserving employment”. The sale remains “subject to the usual information-consultation processes as well as the authorization of the Competition Authority”, but should take place in 2023.
Already seven stores affiliated with SGM
The BHV, created in 1856, had been bought by the fashion retail specialist in the city center in 1991. In 2021, the Lafayette Group had already sold seven of its stores to SGM (Angers, Dijon, Grenoble, Le Mans, Limoges, Orleans and Reims).
In the press release, Nicolas Houzé, General Manager of Galeries Lafayette and BHV Marais, said on this subject: “We are convinced that BHV Marais would be in the right hands to write a new chapter in its history in the heart of the capital. »