In the aftermath of the result of these elections which saw the presidential majority eliminated in many regions, the disowned president at the polls did not however change the agenda (until then kept strictly secret) on Monday morning.
Better, by accepting the invitation of Bernard Arnault, president of LVMH, to come and inaugurate the Samaritaine - bought by the group in 2001, closed for 16 years and under construction since 2015 -, Emmanuel Macron offered himself a long sequence of applause fed by some 800 employees of the department store.
Aligned on all floors of the flagship building, in navy blue uniform and face mask, striped with small foam and immaculate white sneakers with golden yellow laces, they greeted the presidential couple with a most fervent ovation on the day before opening to the public (Wednesday 23 June).
Reopening of the Samaritaine: Macron hails a "French heritage treasure"
A sequence of relaxation, obviously, for Emmanuel Macron who does not shy away from this comforting welcome and launches with gusto a speech all in the joy of the rehabilitation of a historic heritage complex and the "
return to life, in this temple of shopping and the French art of living
”he will say. A first too, for a President of the Republic in office, who has just inaugurated a major commercial activity of Bernard Arnault. The latter having, in other contexts, already had the honors of the presence of President Trump, in October 2019, to open a Louis Vuitton workshop in Texas, or that of François Hollande to cut the cord of The Louis Vuitton Foundation, in Jardin d'Acclimatation in Paris, in October 2014.
Emmanuel Macron offered himself a long sequence of loud applause from some 800 employees of the department store. Anne-Sophie Von Claer.
"
The reopening of the Samaritaine is an event which marks the end of a tragic period, the outcome, I hope, of this crisis which hit the world and our country in particular
" declares the French entrepreneur, after having welcomed Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron under the immense vault of the Art Nouveau building. At the foot of the spectacular wrought-iron double staircase, the inaugural plaque will be unveiled by the two men who will then stroll on all floors for almost an hour. "
I see in this place a triple symbol of French genius
", continues Bernard Arnault, "
that of artistic genius, of architectural and economic genius.
". Before recalling how much the values of the LVMH group are close to those of the founders Ernest Cognacq and Marie-Louise Jaÿ, at the beginning of the last century: “
Creativity, the permanent search for quality - concerning products made in France and sold in the the whole world, as well as the 280 French craft companies called upon to carry out this restoration - the entrepreneurial spirit - tinged here with perseverance! -, the long-term vision and the search for meaning. This unique place in the center of Paris, had been empty of permanent jobs for 15 years. When everything has reopened, this site will employ around 3,000 people
. "Then, addressing Anne Hidalgo, whose unwavering support he praised,"
Madam Mayor, you are unlikely to hear that you are transforming Paris into a museum city!
"
"
I am extremely proud and happy to be with you today
," assures President Macron in turn, addressing the staff who have been waiting for this moment for more than a year (the reopening was scheduled for early 2020), at the Arnault family reunited - Hélène Arnault, the children Delphine accompanied by her husband Xavier Niel, Antoine, Alexandre and Frédéric -, Anne Hidalgo, Ariel Weil mayor of the 1st arrondissement, Jean-Jacques Guiony, CEO of Samaritaine and CFO of the LVMH group and the European president of DFS (which operates the department store), Eléonore de Boysson.
After having underlined the quality of the colossal works which will have made it possible to restore "
this formidable French heritage treasure, Art Nouveau and Art Deco, which testifies to the architecture of our capital, and to this capacity to reinvent the places which made the history of our cities
”, Emmanuel Macron saw in this inauguration“
a perfect metaphor for the moment we are living while our country, like the rest of the planet, has been going through a difficult period for 15 months. Now is the time to prepare for renewal, and this Music Festival day is particularly suitable. The LVMH group, which creates jobs throughout our territory, based on the know-how of many crafts in our country, illustrates the French genius which consists in combining our art of living, our collective choices and our attractiveness. Far from the malls which homogenize, it is the French specificity that is valued. There is an art of living here: a great Parisian business in its purest tradition, hotels, restaurants, hospitality - so many trades that have suffered so much in this period -, with social housing,a nursery, offices and therefore an inscription in the city which will not only create thousands of jobs but revive the places and welcome our fellow citizens and the whole world in this group, which is deeply our vocation. Despite the masks that everyone still wears here, I see the smiles, I see the enthusiasm. The time has come to set out again, to re-attract the world here, to find life in all its components. When there are strong wills, when there is the best of what France is, - that is to say the sense of traditions, of anchoring in history, and creativity - the time don't stop usjobs but to revive the place and welcome our fellow citizens and the whole world in this group, which is deeply our vocation. Despite the masks that everyone still wears here, I see the smiles, I see the enthusiasm. The time has come to set out again, to re-attract the world here, to find life in all its components. When there are strong wills, when there is the best of what France is, - that is to say the sense of traditions, of anchoring in history, and creativity - the time don't stop usjobs but to revive the place and welcome our fellow citizens and the whole world in this group, which is deeply our vocation. Despite the masks that everyone still wears here, I see the smiles, I see the enthusiasm. The time has come to set out again, to re-attract the world here, to find life in all its components. When there are strong wills, when there is the best of what France is, - that is to say the sense of traditions, of anchoring in history, and creativity - the time don't stop usto find life in all its components. When there are strong wills, when there is the best of what France is, - that is to say the sense of traditions, of anchoring in history, and creativity - the time don't stop usto find life in all its components. When there are strong wills, when there is the best of what France is, - that is to say the sense of traditions, of anchoring in history, and creativity - the time don't stop us
. "
