Galeries Lafayette appoints an LVMH / Richemont veteran for their Chinese operations

What: Galeries Lafayette review their organisation for their Chinese operations, co-managed with Hopson Grop.

Why it is important: Such operations are strategically crucial in establishing Galeries Lafayette as a global name for fashion conscious customers.

French department store Galeries Lafayette appointed Nicolas Morineaux, an expert in luxury and finance with extensive experience in Asia, as the managing director of its China operations in December 2023. Morineaux, an ESSEC business school graduate, previously worked for 21 years at LVMH, including roles in Japan and as vice-president finance for LVMH's Asia-Pacific fashion division, and later as sales director Asia at Van Cleef & Arpels.

His appointment aims to boost Galeries Lafayette's growth in China, focusing on an omni-channel and multi-universe strategy. The company, which first entered China in 2013, plans to expand to 10 branches in the country by 2025, including a store in Macau, following a joint venture with the Hopson Group.
Galeries Lafayette currently operates 57 stores in France and 10 internationally. It recently decided to close its sole store in Germany and plans to enter India in 2024 with stores in Mumbai and New Delhi through a partnership with the Aditya Birla Group.