A look inside Galeries Lafayette's first department store in India
The opening of this first Galeries Lafayette in India, developed as a franchise with Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail (ABFRL), a subsidiary of the global conglomerate Aditya Birla Group, was announced in October 2025.
It is part of the Galeries Lafayette group's desire to establish itself as a leading destination to promote the French 'Art de Vivre' in major world capitals, in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Among the new information regarding the official opening, the press release specifies that Galeries Lafayette is located in Mumbai, in the historic Turner Morrison and Voltas House buildings, fully restored and interconnected.
The architectural concept, designed by the London-based studio Virgile + Partners, is a dialogue between tradition and modernity. It features the use of noble materials, a preference for sculptural forms and the presence of artworks created by local and international talents.
The target audience is “a young, high-end, demanding and cosmopolitan clientele, already evolving in an environment marked by high standards in terms of offer and services, but looking for differentiating retail experiences”.
280 brands present, 70 percent international making debut in India
The total area is 9,000 square metres. The space is designed as a meeting place between design, contemporary fashion and young designers. It is distributed as follows:
- On the lower ground floor, La Beauté is dedicated to fragrances, skincare and make-up, recalling the location of the beauty area at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann. La Beauté integrates numerous exclusives new to the Indian market.
- The ground floor, named La Coupole, brings together leather goods and fashion accessories from luxury brands and emerging designers.
- On the first and second floors, L’Atelier and L’Édition Femme celebrate the womenswear universe through a complete wardrobe ranging from haute couture to contemporary essentials.
- On the third floor, Le Vestiaire and L’Édition Homme offer menswear ready-to-wear, high-end tailoring and sophisticated urban silhouettes.
- On the fourth and fifth floors, a concept floor creates a dialogue between urban fashion and avant-garde creations. Sphere and La Suite welcome customers in spaces dedicated to exclusive services, private experiences and personalised advice.
Among these exclusive services, Galeries Lafayette cites high-end dining with a panoramic view of Mumbai, a concierge service, personal shoppers and a VIP lounge.
The department store adds an artistic dimension to its commercial ambition with integrated installations and an ambitious cultural programme.
Galeries Lafayette Mumbai: bridge between French art de vivre and Indian cultural elegance
“After two years of work, the opening of our first department store in India is much more than an inauguration: it is a strong signal of our targeted international ambition,” indicated Nicolas Houzé, chairman of the management board of the Galeries Lafayette group, in the release. “Being the first French player to establish itself in this market of the future marks an important strategic step for our development. With Mumbai as an anchor point, we want to offer the Indian public a French-style department store experience where heritage, creativity and innovation come together.”
“We have imagined each space as a dialogue between French creativity and the contemporary energy of India,” added Arthur Lemoine, chief executive officer of Galeries Lafayette. “Thanks to the close collaboration with Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail, this project has come to life in a spirit of boldness and sharing, thanks to the commitment and passion of our teams. This flagship embodies our desire to invent a new kind of department store, where service excellence, design and customer emotion come together to offer an experience that is both local and universal. Mumbai thus signs the opening of an exciting horizon for Galeries Lafayette.”
This article was translated to English using an AI tool.
FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@fashionunited.com