It is through 9, rue de la Monnaie (Ier) that the entrance to the new Samaritaine, completely renovated, will mark visitors. Once past the glass doors, former regulars of the store which has long been the favorite of Parisians should be amazed by the staged staircase enhanced with gold leaf and by its fresco of Peacocks, located just under the glass roof. . “They might be a little surprised the first time around. Curiosity is going to make them push the door open and I think at the end of the day they won't be disappointed. I take up the challenge, ”says Eléonore de Boysson, president of DFS Europe and conductor of this renaissance for its commercial part. A know-how recognized by Emmanuel Macron who hailed the rebirth of a "French heritage treasure", during the inauguration of the premises, this Monday morning,in the presence of Bernard Arnault, CEO of the LVMH group (owner of the “Parisien”).
The advantage of localization
Long considered the oldest department store in Paris, La Samaritaine was created by Ernest Cognacq. He settled in the district in 1870, quickly joined by his wife Marie-Louise Jaÿ. Already, the advantage of the location, between Pont Neuf and the Louvre, is well understood: they buy shop after shop to build in 1910 the Art Nouveau building signed Frantz Jourdain in metal frames. Then, on the Seine side, in 1928, the Art Deco building designed by Henri Sauvage. La Samaritaine was therefore unmissable with its four buildings and its 80,000 m2 of retail space. It remained so until the 1970s. But with the closure of Les Halles, the store experienced an inexorable decline. Until its closure, as a security measure and by prefectural decision, in 2005, despite its takeover four years earlier,by the LVMH group (Owner of the “Parisien”).
La Samaritaine (Paris I), June 15. After a 750 million euro project, the Samaritaine is finally ready to reopen. Milla Morisson
“You have to project yourself into the future with the wealth of the past. We inherited a building that posed real security problems and it was not easy to restructure. In reality, the Samaritan woman of yesteryear had not been around for a long time and was therefore partly fantasized, ”underlines Jean-Jacques Guiony, Chairman and CEO of Samaritaine. “We looked ahead, doing a mixed project: department store, housing, offices and the hotel. With an architectural ambition: we renovated with great care what was classified as a historical monument and we rebuilt the Rivoli part to have a strong architectural testimony of the 21st century and an obvious functionality ”, he adds with the cap of the master. work of this vast transformation operation.
It lasted sixteen years, both to convince the town hall of the viability of the project and to defend it against appeals from heritage defense associations.
Then five years of a vast project costing 750 million euros, the results of which we can see today.
Finally, it took more than a final year of patience because of the various confinements.
Closed since 2005, the Samaritaine has had a makeover.
LP / Milla Morisson
600 brands over 20,000 square meters
The corrugated glass roof on rue de Rivoli will undoubtedly remain a subject of debate for a long time to come, for its aesthetic choice.
“We made an extremely strong architectural gesture.
Today, when you walk around becoming this facade, which I find extraordinary in itself, we see the reflection waving
buildings opposite, it is a total success ”, assumes Jean-Jacques Guiony.
As for the contents of the store, the choice is also affirmed. “We wanted to breathe a Parisian spirit into this new Samaritan and celebrate the French art of living,” enthuses Eléonore de Boysson. “Yes, of course we have all the international luxury brands. So much the better. But we also offer an offer with the creators of the moment, products that we have specially selected for our customers, in particular in the concept store Rivoli, with sportswear and street-wear, always in search of the latest trends ”. More than 600 brands are gathered in 20,000 m2 of bright spaces, where all the openings have been found with new windows open in the contemporary part.
Amazed?
The regulars of the old Samaritan woman will no doubt be.
"But our ambition is for Parisians to be proud of this department store again and to reclaim it", insists Eléonore de Boysson, assuring that she has always been keen to offer products at affordable prices.
"We wanted to infuse this new Samaritaine with a Parisian spirit and celebrate the French art of living," enthuses Eléonore de Boysson, in charge of the renovation of the department store. LP / Milla Morisson
"The joy of our sellers in striped tops and sneakers will play a role"
“We have created a place of life so that the visit of the Parisian as well as the future tourist is a walk punctuated by surprises by many ephemeral events, discoveries with no less than twelve food outlets.
The pride and joy of our sailors and sneakers sellers will have a lot to do with it.
All the facets are united so that the Samaritan woman is truly unique and rich in the creativity of her spirit of the past.
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Due to the latest health restrictions, the reception of foreign travelers will be delayed.
Parisians will take the opportunity to discover the places.
The Cheval-Blanc hotel will only open on September 7.
But already, no less than 1,500 jobs have been created ... including a dozen former Samar, who could find a post between Seine and Rivoli.
La Samaritaine, 9, rue de la Monnaie (1er) and rue de Rivoli. Open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 7 days a week.