Aditya Birla Group brings Galeries Lafayette to India, fills the 'luxury gap'

High teas and yacht parties at the 179-year-old Royal Bombay Yacht Club marked the inaugural celebration of the partnership between Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL) and Galeries Lafayette, a luxury French department store chain.

Galeries Lafayette’s signature pink colour announced its arrival in India in various avatars; think yacht sails dyed pink with Lafayette’s branding and promotional sky balloons floating next to the Gateway of India in the same hue, along with smoke guns giving passerby yachts the illusion of painting the Arabian Sea pink.

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Even the buses transporting media and dignitaries prominently featured Lafayette branding.  

Founded in 1893 by cousins Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn in Paris, Galeries Lafayette is considered a global ambassador for the French "Art of Living".

In France, it offers an extensive selection of high-end fashion, accessories, luxury timepieces, cosmetics, interior decoration, homeware, gourmet foods, and dedicated wellness services. 

Addressing the launch, Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, said, “At the heart of this evolution has been a sharp focus on the Indian customer. Over the past three to four years, we have deepened our commitment to the consumer space, responding to its shifts with deliberate speed."

"Last year alone, we launched two major brands, one in paints called Birla Opus and the other in jewellery retail called Indriya, each aimed at a customer base that is increasingly more discerning, aspirational and brand conscious,” he added.

According to Birla, Aditya Birla Group has established a presence that spans the full breadth of the consumer pyramid, from mass to premium to luxury, and "this is not a recent pivot but a sustained effort to meet the Indian consumer where they are and where they aspire to go”.

“Luxury in our country today stands at the threshold of transformation in the span of less than a decade. The market is set to grow over fourfold from 20 billion dollars to almost 90 billion dollars by 2030,” he said.

Birla asserted that India is experiencing a transformation in its luxury market, fuelled by a rapidly growing affluent population and a new generation of globally connected consumers who embrace high-end goods as a statement of aspiration. 

However, as per Birla, despite this immense appetite, the domestic luxury retail sector does not meet its full potential, primarily due to a lack of “the right mix of real estate, supply and service excellence”, which has historically forced consumers to shop internationally. 

“To bring the best global brands home, deliver them through world-class environments like here today, and serve them with Indian warmth” is the ethos behind the launch of Galeries Lafayette in Mumbai. 

For its upcoming Mumbai flagship, the offering will be primarily focused on luxury and designer fashion, featuring a curated selection of over 270 mostly global brands with an emphasis on introducing new international luxury labels to the Indian market.

Beyond retail, the store will also introduce personal styling, private lounges, concierge services, and curated cultural programmes designed to deepen engagement and drive repeat experiences.

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Galeries Lafayette’s flagship store on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris is known for its Neo-Byzantine stained-glass dome. It is one of the most-visited tourist sites in the French capital.

Hence, keeping up with the tradition, the collaborators have ensured that their first flagship store in India is also noteworthy from a heritage lens. 

Spanning 90,000 sq. ft across five levels and two historic buildings in Mumbai’s heritage district of Kala Ghoda, Galeries Lafayette finds a home in the 112-year-old Turner Morrison and the over 100-year-old Voltas House buildings. 

The flagship has been designed by the London-based architectural firm Virgile + Partners. The space reinterprets Galeries Lafayette’s global concept through an Indian lens, blending Parisian refinement with Mumbai’s architectural heritage to create a destination that balances legacy and modernity.

Interestingly, the Galeries Lafayette Group as well as the Aditya Birla Group are family-run legacy businesses.

The 4th generation of the Birlas (Kumar Mangalam Birla, overseeing ABFRL) and the 6th generation of the founding family of Galeries Lafayette (Nicolas Houzé and Arthur Lemoine) have partnered for this launch. 

“Our partnership with Aditya Birla is much more than a collaboration; it is the meeting of two worlds and two renowned families that share the same values, excellence, creativity and passion. Galerie Lafayette brings 130 years of French heritage, and Aditya Birla brings unmatched local expertise and a deep understanding of Indian customers," said Nicolas Houzé, executive chairman, Galeries Lafayette Group. 

Together, the two companies seek to create a world-class experience that "feels both global and is distinctly Indian”, he added.

Galeries Lafayette currently operates in France, China (Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Macau, and Chongqing), Indonesia (Jakarta), Luxembourg, Qatar (Doha), and the UAE (Dubai), with new flagship stores opening soon in Mumbai and New Delhi. While the Haussmann store in Paris is a historic landmark, international locations are typically luxury anchor stores within modern, upscale neighbourhoods with similar curations.