Le Printemps pampers VIP customers with new Augustine suite in Paris
Le Printemps Haussmann has invested in pampering its high-spending customers. The Parisian department store has opened a dedicated space on the sixth floor of its boulevard Haussmann branch, which includes a rotunda called the Augustine suite. The 350-square-metre apartment has been named as a tribute to Augustine Jaluzot, who co-founded the store in 1865. It includes a lounge, a bar area, fitting rooms, and a private terrace where the store can offer personalised services to its VIP customers.
The suite's interior design was curated by architect Tristan Auer, and echoes the typical codes of a Parisian private residence, and the motifs of the department store's façade. It also has a view of the Eiffel tower. Attached to the suite is a dedicated international staff taking care of services like personal shopping assistance, concierge services, on-demand catering, and the organisation of exclusive events.
The suite is out of sight of prying eyes and can only be accessed by appointment, proof of how Le Printemps intends to take good care of its high-spending customers, often from abroad. A few years ago, Parisian department store Bon Marché opened its 'Private Salons', transforming an offices floor into a customised fitting area with separate reception.
Le Printemps, which was bought in 2013 by Qatari investors through the Disa investment fund, is transforming as it strives to remain competitive in the retail landscape. In March, it opened a flagship in New York, in the Wall Street area, designed to boost the department store's international standing.
Le Printemps currently operates 21 branches and is part of the eponymous group, which also owns the Citadium chain (with nine stores) and the Place des Tendances and Made in Design e-shops. The group is led by Jean-Marc Bellaiche and has approximately 3,300 employees.
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