liberty33r1b
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found this in the guardian. Has anyone seen the gallery yet? should be interesting.....
Store beats trade ban with bags of culture[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]Kim Willsher in Paris
[/FONT][FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]Tuesday May 9, 2006
[/FONT][FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]
Guardian
[/FONT][FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]When is a shop not a commercial enterprise? When it calls itself Louis Vuitton and transforms itself into an "art gallery".
Until now, the French luxury goods chain, whose leather bags adorn the arms of the rich and famous, has shown no cultural pretensions outside the fashion industry. But, in what is seen as an attempt to circumvent France's strict Sunday trading laws, the company has turned its Champs-Elysées branch into a store with a "cultural role".
It has created a spacious gallery on the top floor of the seven-storey building, opened last year after a two-year renovation. The change of classification, from commercial to cultural, has been approved by the Paris authorities. But it has angered the CFTC-Commerce shopworkers' union, which opposes Sunday opening.
The union is taking legal action against the firm, saying the move is a ruse to get round Sunday trading laws. "The cultural activity of this store is very small compared with the commercial activity," a union official told Le Parisien newspaper.
LV boasts that the store is the "largest luxury boutique in the world", with 1,800 square metres of retail space and 6,000 customers a day.
But it also insists that the new building, which has retained its famous art deco facade, is focused on contemporary art and culture - hence its new "Espace Louis Vuitton".
"We have done everything necessary to obtain permission to open on Sundays," a company spokesman told Le Parisien. "We have put enormous investment into the creation of this cultural space where leading contemporary artists will be exhibited.
"We've also recruited at least 70 staff to enable us to open seven days a week. Apart from the debate one could have about the notion of 'Sunday' in a tourist area such as the Champs-Elysées, these jobs are at risk."
Louis Vuitton, which at times has had to ration the number of handbags sold to Japanese tourists who queue for hours outside the store, admits it hopes the gallery will attract more customers. Yves Carcelle, the chairman and chief executive of the luxury goods firm, said: "Sell more handbags? Yes, that's my dream."
Day of rest
Under France's strict trading laws only small food outlets are allowed to open on Sundays, but there are exceptions. Shops run by the patron or a relative are allowed to open, as are stores catering for tourists in designated areas.
There are seven tourist zones in Paris: Montmartre, the Champs-Elysées, the Rue de Rivoli (opposite the Louvre), the road outside Notre Dame, the Viaduc des Arts at Avenue Daumesnil, Place des Vosges and Place Saint-Germain. Clothing and luxury goods shops are not permitted to open on Sundays, even in these areas, and face fines if they do.[/FONT] [FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006[/FONT]
Store beats trade ban with bags of culture[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]Kim Willsher in Paris
[/FONT][FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]Tuesday May 9, 2006
[/FONT][FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]
Guardian
[/FONT][FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]When is a shop not a commercial enterprise? When it calls itself Louis Vuitton and transforms itself into an "art gallery".
Until now, the French luxury goods chain, whose leather bags adorn the arms of the rich and famous, has shown no cultural pretensions outside the fashion industry. But, in what is seen as an attempt to circumvent France's strict Sunday trading laws, the company has turned its Champs-Elysées branch into a store with a "cultural role".
It has created a spacious gallery on the top floor of the seven-storey building, opened last year after a two-year renovation. The change of classification, from commercial to cultural, has been approved by the Paris authorities. But it has angered the CFTC-Commerce shopworkers' union, which opposes Sunday opening.
The union is taking legal action against the firm, saying the move is a ruse to get round Sunday trading laws. "The cultural activity of this store is very small compared with the commercial activity," a union official told Le Parisien newspaper.
LV boasts that the store is the "largest luxury boutique in the world", with 1,800 square metres of retail space and 6,000 customers a day.
But it also insists that the new building, which has retained its famous art deco facade, is focused on contemporary art and culture - hence its new "Espace Louis Vuitton".
"We have done everything necessary to obtain permission to open on Sundays," a company spokesman told Le Parisien. "We have put enormous investment into the creation of this cultural space where leading contemporary artists will be exhibited.
"We've also recruited at least 70 staff to enable us to open seven days a week. Apart from the debate one could have about the notion of 'Sunday' in a tourist area such as the Champs-Elysées, these jobs are at risk."
Louis Vuitton, which at times has had to ration the number of handbags sold to Japanese tourists who queue for hours outside the store, admits it hopes the gallery will attract more customers. Yves Carcelle, the chairman and chief executive of the luxury goods firm, said: "Sell more handbags? Yes, that's my dream."
Day of rest
Under France's strict trading laws only small food outlets are allowed to open on Sundays, but there are exceptions. Shops run by the patron or a relative are allowed to open, as are stores catering for tourists in designated areas.
There are seven tourist zones in Paris: Montmartre, the Champs-Elysées, the Rue de Rivoli (opposite the Louvre), the road outside Notre Dame, the Viaduc des Arts at Avenue Daumesnil, Place des Vosges and Place Saint-Germain. Clothing and luxury goods shops are not permitted to open on Sundays, even in these areas, and face fines if they do.[/FONT] [FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006[/FONT]
