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Printemps

Coordinates: 48°52′27″N 2°19′42″E / 48.874076°N 2.328469°E / 48.874076; 2.328469
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This article is about the chain of department stores. For the album by Leslie Cheung, see Printemps (album). For the ballet, see Printemps (ballet). For other uses, see Printemps (disambiguation).

Printemps
IndustryRetail
Founded1865 (159 years ago) (1865) in Paris, France
FounderJules Jaluzot and Jean-Alfred Duclos
Headquarters
Paris
,
France
Number of locations
19 (full-line) 2 (outlet)
Area served
France, Qatar
Number of employees
3,000 (2022)
ParentDivine Investments SA
Websiteprintemps.com

doha.printemps.com

us.printemps.com

Printemps (/præ̃ˈtɒ̃/; French: [pʁɛ̃tɑ̃], lit. 'springtime') is a French chain of department stores (grands magasins, lit. 'big stores') with a focus on beauty, lifestyle, fashion, accessories, and men's wear. Its flagship store, known in French as "le Printemps Haussmann" (French: [lə pʁɛ̃tɑ̃ osman]), is located on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, along with other well-known department stores like the Galeries Lafayette. Since 2013, the company has been the property of a Luxembourg-based Qatari-backed investment fund, Divine Investments SA.

As of 2023, Printemps operates twenty stores in France (including three in Paris), as well as one international location in Doha, Qatar. The company was a founder of the International Association of Department Stores as well as one of its members from 1928 until 1997.[1][2]

Early history (1865–1940)

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An early photograph of the Printemps Haussmann, c. 1865–70

The first Printemps store, now commonly known as "Printemps Haussmann", was opened on 3 November 1865 under the name "Grands Magasins du Printemps" (abbreviated as "Au Printemps") by Jules Jaluzot his wife Augustine Jaluzot and Jean-Alfred Duclos. The store was located on the corner of Rue du Havre and Boulevard Haussmann in Paris, France.[3] In 1874 the store had a large expansion and elevators (some of the first) from the 1867 Universal Exposition were installed.

The policies of Printemps revolutionised retail business practices. The store marked items with set prices and eschewed the haggling based on customer appearance that had previously been standard in retail shopping. Like other grands magasins (lit. 'big stores', department stores), Printemps used the economies of scale to provide high quality goods at prices that the expanding middle class could afford. They also pioneered the idea of discount sales to clear outdated stock, and later the use of window models to display the latest fashions. Printemps was noted for its branding innovations as well, handing out bouquets of violets on the first day of spring and championing the new Art Nouveau style, with its nature inspired motifs.[4]

The Printemps Haussmann with its new façade, c. 1889
Share of the Grands Magasins du Printemps, issued 1. October 1905
One of the Printemps Haussmann's frontage mosaics, reading 'Au Printemps' ('At the Printemps')

In 1881 the store caught on fire causing the entire building to be destroyed, but after the fire the store was rebuilt with the new building designed by architects Jules and Paul Sédille.[5][3] The store also became the first to use electric lighting with the rebuild and customers were even able to observe the power station behind a glass wall.

The store became one of the first department stores with direct metro access when the Métro was connected in 1904.[4] Also in 1904 a near collapse of the business led to the resignation of Jules Jaluzot with this he was succeeded by Gustave Laguionie, who announced the construction of a second store in 1905. The second store designed by architect René Binet, the store was opened five years later and dominated by a glass domed hall 42 meters in height and an Art Nouveau staircase which was later removed in 1955.

The first store outside of Paris was opened in 1912 in Deauville.[6]

Pierre Laguionie, the son of Gustave, took the helm of the store in 1920, rebuilding it after another large fire in 1921.

In 1923 with the reconstruction of the Haussmann store an elaborate cupola was installed above the main restaurant.

Pierre Laguionie was the first president of the International Association of Department Stores in from 1928 to 1930, a position he held again in from 1937 to 1938 and 1952 to 1953. Jean Vignéras held the position from 1962 to 1963 and Jean-Jacques Delort was president from 1981 to 1982.[7]

In the 1930 a store opened in Antananarivo, Madagascar, the store was later converted into a Prisunic.

In 1931, Printemps created the discount chain Prisunic.[8]

Detail of the cupola above the tearoom of the Printemps Haussmann

In 1939 to avoid the risk of the cupola being destroyed in bombing attacks it was dismantled and stored at Clichy.[9] It was restored in 1973 by the grandson of its original designer, using plans that had been kept in the archives of the family business. In 1975, the façade and cupola of the building were registered as historical monuments.

Printemps alongside Åhlén & Holm, Au Grand Passage (Geneva), Bon Marché (Brussels), Grands Magasins Jelmoli, L'Innovation (Lausanne), Rinascente, S.A.P.A.C. (Printemps purchasing association) and Selfridges founded the Intercontinental Group of Department Stores which they have been a member of since.[10][11]

The figures of the Four Seasons on the façade were sculpted by French sculptor Henri Chapu.[12]

Expansion (1970–1989)

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By 1970 there were 23 Printemps locations and 13 Prisunic discount outlets. The oil-price driven French economic crisis of the early 1970s significantly threatened Printemps business model, in response the firm was transformed into a limited corporation with a controlling interest acquired by Maus Fréres, a Swiss holding company. During the 1970s Jean-Jacques Delort led the company on a turnaround strategy creating specialty stores and brands (such as Armand Thierry clothing) and branching out into different areas such as food and mail.

In 1981 the company started an international expansion by franchising stores it started with the opening of a location in Kobe, Japan, they continued the expansion a year later opening a store in Sapporo.[13]

In September 1983 a store opened in Singapore on the ground floor of the newly built Le Méridien Hotel on Orchard Road.[14]

Printemps Ginza in 2007

In 1984 two new locations opened in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia a second store opened in Malaysia in 1985 in Kuala Lumpur.[15][16] Two more stores opened in Japan in Ginza and Osaka.[17][18]

A store opened in Denver on 6 November 1987, the first and only ever location in the Americas, the store was located at Broadway Plaza and was just over 88,000 square metres, the store had a French bistro.[19][20] Business slowed after the first few months and a shuttle bus started operating from Downtown Denver to get shoppers to the store but in April 1989 the location closed.[21]

In 1988 two new locations opened in Istanbul, Turkey and Seoul, South Korea.[22]

The Singapore store closed in December 1989 after six years of operation.[14]

Recent years (1990–present)

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In 1991 Printemps and its subsidiaries were acquired by François Pinault and merged with other holdings into Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (PPR, was renamed Kering in 2013).[23][24] That year a store also opened in Cascais, Portugal.[25]

In 1994 a store opened in Bangkok, Thailand at Seri Center.[26]

In 1995 a location opened in Taipei, the store opened under a franchise agreement and was operated by the Taiwan-based Jieh Enterprises.[27] Printemps also expanded to China with a six floor store opening on Huaihai Road in Shanghai. Plans were announced for two more Chinese stores to open in 1996 and then a Beijing store in 1997.[28]

Printemps spent $40 million to renovate the flagship Haussmann store in 1997 the renovation redesigned the entire store and also added TV screens and music listening stations around the store whilst also refreshing the brands that the store stocked.[29]

A franchise in Ratu Plaza, Jakarta which was supposed to open in 1998 was under construction but due to the Asian financial crisis and the May 1998 riots the store did not open.[30]

The old logo used from 2000 to 2022

In 2006 Printemps was sold to the Italian Borletti Group (with equity partner Deutsche Bank), they then made major investments to revamp stores.[31][32]

On 16 December 2008, the Paris department store Printemps Haussmann was evacuated following a bomb threat from the terrorist group FRA (Afghan Revolutionary Front). The demining services found five sticks of dynamite in the toilet of the store. The FRA claimed this assassination attempt and demanded the withdrawal of 3,000 French soldiers deployed in Afghanistan.[33][34]

On 31 July 2013, Divine Investments SA (DiSA) a Luxembourg-based Qatari-backed investment fund bought Printemps[35][36] On 4 August 2013 labor organisations in France asked the Paris prosecutor's office to open a preliminary inquiry into the sale, in response to a complaint from labour representatives.[37][38] On 8 August the French court rejected the request to stop the sale.[39]

Also in 2013 the Beijing-based Wangfujing Department Store which was a rival of Printemps in China acquired Printemps China (PCD Stores).[40][41]

On 15 January 2014, Printemps opened its first new store in 32 years at the Carrousel du Louvre shopping mall in Paris.[42] The store closed in 2023.

In 2017 the last international store closed in Ginza, Tokyo and was converted into an extension of the nearby Marronnier Gate department store, the closing of the store ended a period of international expansion around the world.[43][44][18]

In May 2019 plans were announced to open a store in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan. It would be 2,500 square metres and would open in 2021,[45] but due to the COVID-19 Pandemic plans were scrapped.[46]

Liquidation sale at the Strasbourg store

In 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic it was announced that four Printemps stores would close (Le Havre, Strasbourg, Metz & Place d'Italie).[47]

In September 2022, Printemps announced that they would open a two-level 54,000 sq ft (5,000 m2) at One Wall Street in New York City, the store is expected to open in Spring 2025.[48][49][50]

Printemps Doha opened in November 2022 at Doha Oasis in Doha, Qatar.[49][51] The store is the largest department store in the Middle East at over 40,000 m2 (430,000 sq ft) and the brands second largest store it includes 14 restaurants and over 200 brands exclusive to the store.[52]

The company is currently looking to open a store in Asia and is aiming to have 5-10 new stores by 2030 all of which will be located outside of France.[53]

An outlet opened at the McArthurGlen Paris-Giverny mall in mid-2024.[54]

View from the Haussmann stores rooftop

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ De Bijenkorf official website. "Histoire". De Bijenkorf.
  2. ^ "List of members". iads.org. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Au Printemps". la-malle-en-coin.com. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b Camille, Rey (2004). Christophe, Charles (ed.). Histoire du Printemps, 1865–1924, mémoire de maîtrise [History of Printemps 1865–1924, Memoire of the General Manager] (in French). Université Paris 1.
  5. ^ "European Heritage Days". groupe-printemps.com. 14 October 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  6. ^ Remoleur, Marie-Madeline (30 December 2022). "À Deauville, le Printemps ferme pendant cinq mois : le grand magasin se transforme et change de style". actu.fr (in French). Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  7. ^ "IADS Presidents". iads.org. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  8. ^ "The Prisunic store is back on the Champs-Elysées in Paris". sortiraparis.com. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  9. ^ Clichy, Entrepôts du Printemps (in French)
  10. ^ "Intercontinental Group of Department Stores – 50th Anniversary" (PDF).
  11. ^ "Printemps". IGDS. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  12. ^ "L'Automne". pop.culture.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  13. ^ "プランタン銀座閉店！「フランス系デパート」歴史に幕――跡地はどうなる？ « ハーバー・ビジネス・オンライン". hbol.jp (in Japanese). 17 January 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  14. ^ a b Singapore, Remember (7 November 2020). "15 Defunct Department Stores We Miss the Most". Remember Singapore. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  15. ^ "History". groupe-printemps.com. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  16. ^ Jayne, Tamara. "12 Department Stores And Supermarkets We Used To Visit And Why They Disappeared".
  17. ^ US, FashionNetwork com. "Printemps Ginza closes ahead of rebirth as Marronnier Gate Ginza". FashionNetwork.com. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  18. ^ a b Author, Name (31 December 2016). "Printemps Ginza closes after 32 years of operation". The Japan Times. Retrieved 29 April 2023. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  19. ^ Zaslowsky, Dyan; Times, Special To the New York (12 November 1987). "In Denver, Printemps Opens Its First American Branch Store". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  20. ^ "French Retailer Printemps Will Test Market in Denver". Associated Press. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  21. ^ Moin, David (29 August 2023). "What to Watch: Printemps' New York City Venture". WWD. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  22. ^ Diderich, Joelle (2 October 2015). "Printemps' Fresh Start". WWD. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  23. ^ TFL (21 January 2020). "Kering: A Timeline Behind the Building of a Luxury Goods Group". The Fashion Law. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  24. ^ "Introducing Kering". ELLE. 22 March 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  25. ^ "Cinclus – Cascais Shopping Mall".
  26. ^ Chaiwanichkit, Amornrut. "The Development of the New Thai Shopping Center from a Blending of American and Thai Influences".
  27. ^ China (Taiwan), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of (1 June 1995). "The Lure of Luxury". Taiwan Today. Retrieved 12 September 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ PUEL, Caroline. "On trouve tout au nouveau Printemps de Shanghai. Le grand magasin franchisé vise la classe moyenne". Libération (in French). Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  29. ^ Staff, W. W. D. (16 January 1997). "PRINTEMPS: MIXING IT UP". WWD. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  30. ^ DBG (7 January 2020). "Ratu Plaza". Setiap Gedung Punya Cerita (in Indonesian). Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  31. ^ "Our Business – Private Equity". Borletti Group. Amministrazione Borletti. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  32. ^ Fahmy, Dalia (31 July 2013). "Deutsche Bank Unit Sells Printemps Stores to Qatari Buyers". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  33. ^ "Explosives found in Paris store". BBC News. 16 December 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
  34. ^ Katz, Basil; Bennhold, Katrin (16 December 2008). "Bomb Found at Paris Dept. Store". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
  35. ^ Karmali, Sarah (1 August 2013). "Printemps Department Store Sold To Qatari Investment Fund". Vogue. UK. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  36. ^ "Printemps sold to Qatari-backed investors". FashionUnited.info. FashionUnited Group. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  37. ^ Diderich, Joelle (5 August 2013). "Paris Prosecutor Probes Printemps Sale". WWD. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  38. ^ "French prosecutors investigate Printemps sale". Thomson Reuters. Reuters. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  39. ^ Diderich, Joelle (8 August 2013). "French Court Rejects Bid to Block Printemps Sale". WWD. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  40. ^ Asia, Inside Retail (21 July 2013). "Wangfujing acquires Printemps". Inside Retail. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  41. ^ "关于我们_王府井集团官方网站". wfj.com.cn. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  42. ^ Diderich, Joelle (15 January 2014). "Printemps' New Owner Ignites Retail Expansion". WWD. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  43. ^ "Printemps Ginza closes after 32 years of operation". The Japan Times. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  44. ^ "Printemps Ginza to change name, part ways with French partner". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  45. ^ "Le Printemps looks abroad as it seeks to double sales by 2030". Reuters. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  46. ^ "French luxury retailer Printemps to open first US store". Vogue Business. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  47. ^ "Printemps to close stores". Shift London. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  48. ^ "Wall Street Is Getting a New Luxury Department Store in 2024". Bloomberg News. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  49. ^ a b "Paris's Printemps Plans Luxury Department Store on Wall Street". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  50. ^ Moin, David (16 January 2023). "Printemps CEO: What's on Tap for New York City". WWD. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  51. ^ "PRINTEMPS ANNOUNCES ITS INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITH ITS "NEXT GENERATION" DEPARTMENT STORE IN DOHA" (PDF).
  52. ^ Sandran, Aravin (1 November 2022). "Printemps Doha opening November". GQ Middle East. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  53. ^ WW, FashionNetwork com. "Newly opened Printemps Doha offers innovative customer experience". FashionNetwork.com. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  54. ^ FR, FashionNetwork com. "Le Printemps prépare l'ouverture d'un outlet en Normandie". FashionNetwork.com (in French). Retrieved 27 June 2024.
[edit]
Look up Printemps in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Printemps.

48°52′27″N 2°19′42″E / 48.874076°N 2.328469°E / 48.874076; 2.328469

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