La Samaritaine
 

Does anyone know what's going on with La Samaritaine? I always go there for great linens (at a reasonable price), cool "Parisian" dishtowels, the best souvenir shop in the city and one of the best rooftop views. It was closed when I went there a couple of weeks ago and the sign, whether in French or English (and which is also posted on the website) is pretty useless:

"Department store closed due to works for the purpose of security."

http://www.lasamaritaine.com/en/global.html

Sad to report that the department store has closed - indefinitely. It closed this past summer. It was big news in the newspapers and on TV in France.

Here is an article (in English):
http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/200...r0508101n.html

Thanks for that. Six years - that's pretty incredible. I can't believe they'll ever reopen, at least as La Samaritaine. :(

Try BHV as an alternative.

Try BHV as an alternative.

Thanks, but finding a place to shop isn't the issue. It's what's going on with this place.

There has been much speculation about the future of La Samaritaine when the management took the decision to shut it down for works. Unions feared this magnificient art deco and art nouveau building might be converted into a luxury hotel...

... or into a luxury mall, with all LVMH brands .

Whatever it turns into they say it wont reopen till 2011.

MY sources tell me that this place is in very poor shape and could collapse and was shut down due to that reason.

Well, this is the official version, the one from LVMH. For sure the building is not in good shape, and it caused trouble to the employees and customers. But as journalists are not ingeneers, we do not really know about collapse.

French unions has reported that LVMH wants to took advantage that the building is closed to refurbish it as a luxury mall.

Add to this that LVMH owns the bulding next to this (which actually hosts a Castorama store from LVMH public enemy PPR, quite funny in a sense), and that they are located in prestigious downtown Paris, I would not be surprised if such a luxury area opens after renovation.

This is sad news to me. One of my favorite French restaurants "Le Toupary" (I think it is a play on the phrase "le tout Paris") was on the top floor of this department store. It had magnificent views across the Seine. Lots of French people went there to eat but I never saw a lot of tourists there.

Of course the restaurant is closed during the renovation : link

:(

La Samaritaine should reopen in 2011, according to LVMH. It will mostly remain a shopping temple but will also include "services" not explicitly defined by LVMH at the moment.

The last heir of the Renan family, the historical owners, decided to sell La Samaritaine after his father died and then his sister also died not long after that. He did not want to go on with it.

LVMH bought it and then sold off some of the buildings as there were 4 total. The department store ended up with only one of the original buildings, the one facing the Pont Neuf.

Now there is speculation that it might be sold off in the future for luxury condominiums or offices. That is one beautiful art deco building.