But already at the end of July
Galeries Lafayette in Berlin is closing earlier than expected
April 5, 2024, 8:23 a.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
The only German branch of the French luxury department store Galeries Lafayette was actually not supposed to close until the end of the year. But the end comes faster: Because the rental agreement on Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse is expiring, it should end at the end of July.
The French luxury department store Galeries Lafayette will close its Berlin location to customers at the end of July, several months earlier than previously announced. A spokeswoman confirmed this. The business will close on July 31 so that it can be handed over to the owner by the end of the year as announced. According to a media report, employees were informed about the closure at a staff meeting on Thursday. The company did not comment on this when asked.
Galeries Lafayette announced in October last year that it would close its only branch in Germany on Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse at the end of 2024. The rental agreement with the property owner Tishman Speyer will not be renewed, it was said. 190 employees are affected.
The glass palace that Galeries Lafayette moved into at the end of February 1996 was designed by the architect Jean Nouvel. Hundreds of people stood in line on Friedrichstrasse for the opening of the gallery. Next to the KaDeWe in the west of Berlin, it is still the most famous luxury department store in the capital.
The closure plans do not come as a surprise. It has been known for a long time that the rental agreement expires at the end of this year. According to its own statements, Galeries Lafayette had tried for a long time to negotiate an extension of the contract with the owner.