France’s iconic Galeries Lafayette closed its flagship Beijing department store on Wednesday after 13 years in the Chinese capital – citing weaker spending, changing shopping habits and a slowdown in the luxury sector. Its stores in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Macau will remain open.
Issued on: 27/05/2026 - 17:30
3 min Reading time
A steady stream of shoppers browsed for last-minute deals on Tuesday, the French news agency AFP reported, as employees packed away unsold merchandise inside the six-storey, 48,000-square metre store, located about three kilometres west of the Forbidden City. “I noticed there weren’t many customers, but I never imagined that one day it would suddenly close down and then leave,” finance worker Qian Linlin said. “After it opened, at the time, it was also a landmark building, and us young people would all come over to shop. We can only look back on memories.” The retailer announced the closure earlier this month in a social media post. Upmarket French store BHV opens fast-fashion Shein outlets outside Paris Luxury within reach When Galeries Lafayette opened in mainland China in 2013, the country’s fast-growing middle class was becoming a major force in the global luxury market. International brands that had once seemed out of reach were becoming accessible to millions of Chinese consumers. But the Covid-19 pandemic and a prolonged property crisis weakened domestic spending and forced luxury brands to adjust to slower growth. Consumer spending in China grew at its slowest pace in more than three years last month, official data showed.
