Aristide and Marguerite Boucicaut acquire Le Bon Marché
Le Bon Marché opened in 1838 as Au Bon Marché Videau, a modest haberdashery founded by Paul and Justin Videau.
It was renamed Au Bon Marché in 1852, a name it retained until 1989, before adopting its current name.
Le Bon Marché is the only department store on the Rive Gauche (Left Bank) of Paris, and the oldest in the city and the world!
Printemps Haussmann was indeed founded in 1865, La Samaritaine in 1870, and Galeries Lafayette in 1895.
The store’s remarkable history began when Aristide Boucicaut and his wife Marguerite, initially employees of the haberdashery, partnered with the Videau brothers.
Together, they transformed the establishment into a department store to meet the evolving needs of their clientele. Thus, they offered high-quality products while implementing innovative sales techniques, such as competitive pricing, clear price labeling, and a “satisfaction guaranteed or your money back” policy.
They revolutionized the shopping experience. In 1863, they bought out the Videau brothers’ shares and solidified the store’s reputation as a leading shopping destination on the Left Bank, attracting middle-class clientele not only with the quality of the products but also by inspiring their desire to buy.
In 1869, the Boucicaut’s acquired an adjacent plot of land to expand their Au Bon Marché store. The new establishment, inaugurated in 1872, was an immediate and resounding success, prompting them to hire Gustave Eiffel in 1879 to enlarge it. However, the architect Louis-Charles Boileau was primarily responsible for the construction of the current building, completed in 1887.
Le Bon Marché, which began as a modest shop employing 12 people, had become by 1877 a vast department store employing 1,788 people!
The Boucicaut’s entrepreneurial skills
The Boucicauts are considered pioneers of entrepreneurship, demonstrating remarkable foresight in understanding the importance of attracting a female clientele.
Specialising in fashion, they introduced innovative services such as home delivery, mail order, and the concept of sales, notably with their Semaine du Blanc , home linen sales.
Their entrepreneurial spirit extended to their staff, as they employed a majority of women to meet the needs of a female clientele. They also placed great importance on improving working conditions and the quality of life for their employees, providing on-site housing, a cafeteria, uniforms, opportunities for advancement based on merit, and even establishing a weekly day off and a pension plan after 20 years of service.
In short, the Boucicauts were not only innovative and astute business people but also caring employers.
New century, new transformations
The rise of rail transport and the World’s Fairs brought an influx of workers and families to Paris, prompting Le Bon Marché to broaden its customer base by offering affordable prices.
This strategy proved a resounding success, necessitating further expansion. An Art Deco building was constructed between 1911 and 1913 at the corner of Rue de Sèvres and Rue du Bac to meet the growing demand of the clientele. Destroyed during the First World War, it was rebuilt in 1924 and today houses La Grande Épicerie, a renowned gourmet food store.
Le Bon Marché continued to thrive despite the economic repercussions of the 1929 stock market crash. In 1932, just seven years after the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, Le Bon Marché inaugurated a department exclusively dedicated to household goods, thus adapting to the evolving needs of society.
However, the post-war period brought its own set of new challenges. In the 1950s, the department store nearly went bankrupt, but was acquired in 1984 by Bernard Arnault. After renovations and expansion in 2012, and a new name, Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche is now part of the LVMH group and focuses exclusively on luxury goods.
One can only wonder what the Videau brothers, founders of this modest haberdashery, would think of the remarkable evolution of their establishment!
Le Bon Marché is a wonderful place, and you could spend hours there, and is one of the best places to be on a rainy day!
Directions: 7th district – 24 rue de Sèvres
Coordinates: Lat 48.851266 – Long 2.324531
