Retail sales play now a large part in the celebration of St. Valentine's day - we all know that. Therefore a good reason to visit Gallery Lafayette's flagship store in Paris to get some of the excitement of the marketing. Our profile does not fit well the retailers target group: young, hip and ready to buy.
Nevertheless we delighted in the beauty of the Art Nouveau glass and steel dome high up in the 10th floor. The luxury goods offered had lines of customers like the bakeries have for the Sunday baguettes. For baguettes the French, here tourists and to a large part from China.
There is now a Gallery Lafayette department store in Beijing but reasons like price, tax, selection, ambiance - make it attractive to travel to the flagship store. Since I observed these two women clicking pictures from outsides and insides of red leather purses I ask myself if this is a new way of giving a Valentine present?
