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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
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RFI

INSANE: Luxury french retailer galeries lafayette shuts beijing flagship store | Rare Historical Photos

People walk past a Galeries Lafayette mall, with posters advertising new season collections, a day before it closes, in Beijing on 26 May 2026.
People walk past a Galeries Lafayette mall, with posters advertising new season collections, a day before it closes, in Beijing on 26 May 2026. © GREG BAKER / AFP

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.

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.

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