The smallest, most chic, most selective and most creative of Parisian department stores: Come on a guided tour with Hôtel Raspail

The Story of Le Bon Marché

In 1852, Aristide and Marguerite Boucicaut threw themselves into a major overhaul of the store they had just bought. Their aim was to develop a new store concept that operated on low margins, accepted exchanges and returns of goods, offered promotions and sold a diverse range of products. This concept revolutionised the world of retail and the department store was born.
Madame Boucicaut even had the Lutetia, today a prestigious hotel, built for her customers.
In 1877, Le Bon Marché occupied 50,000m² of retail space and employed 1,800 people. In his novel Au Bonheur des Dames, Emile Zola described what Le Bon Marché was like.

The most elegant Parisian department store

Christmas Illuminations

Le Bon Marché is the smallest, most chic Parisian department store. Today, it covers 37,500m² across two buildings, one of which is home to the famous Grande Epicerie de Paris concept: one of the largest, most spectacular spaces dedicated to the culinary arts in Paris.
Le Bon Marché is a lovely department store to visit because of its location (near Saint Germain des Prés and Rue du Bac), elegant interior architecture and carefully selected product ranges. It is also not as busy as Galeries Lafayette and Printemps.
Le Bon Marché’s teams focus on seeking out the best of the best and products that exude Parisian good taste.

Home textiles – Store 2

A range of shoes under one of the store’s prettiest glass canopies (by architect Eiffel)

A shoe section in a rotunda

The most cultural Parisian department store

The store is first and foremost a cultural space, thanks to its history and the architects who have worked on it (Gustave Eiffel and Andrée Putman).
Art also has a home in the store, with the collection featuring over 80 pieces from modern artworks to 20th and 21st century furniture.
Le Bon Marché also hosts themed exhibitions such as “Brooklyn Rive Gauche”, which saw some 100 daring designers from the trend-setting New York district invited to Paris.

Staircases designed by Andrée Putman

Brooklyn Rive Gauche Exhibition

Grande Épicerie de Paris: a major culinary and gastronomic hub

This is by far and away the best place in Paris for culinary products, and gastronomy in general. A sight not to be missed is that of food industry professionals working in their splendid stores. Go on a journey of gastronomic discovery, moving from the fishmonger to the cheese maker, butcher, delicatessen and the bakery. Everything looks, and tastes, delicious.
Watch these artisans at work, then sit down to savour Gillardeau oysters, pata negra ham, nacarii caviar and the bakery’s macarons. Pure joy.

One of the cafés

The cellar holds some 20,000 bottles

A selection of the best products in the world is on show

One of the Grande Epicerie’s restaurants

Christmas window displays

In the tradition of all department stores, Le Bon Marché installs animated window displays every year to delight and amaze children.
You can easily spend two hours looking around Le Bon Marché and can also have lunch there, selecting from a wide range of dining options.
Enjoy your visit!

Practical information:
Le Bon Marché
24 rue de Sèvres
Monday to Saturday: 10am to 8pm

Web site: www.lebonmarche.com