Le Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville, or BHV, is one of the four classic department shops in Paris, together with Bon Marché, Printemps, and Galeries Lafayette, and is not to be missed.
The BHV Marais, which spans both Le Marais and Châtelet, can be found just across from the famous Hôtel de Ville on the busy and famous shopping street of Rue de Rivoli. This is the perfect location and street for shopping!
This stylish Haussmannian structure has five floors and houses more than 900 different brands. BHV stocks a wide range of brands, from Urban Outfitters to Givenchy, catering to customers with varying interests and budgets. Perfume, underwear, shoes, and the latest styles are all available here.
The store’s basement is devoted to home renovation goods, including fancy wallpapers and electric gadgets. If you need a break from shopping, there are a few restaurants on the top level that also provide fantastic views of Paris.
But the greatest feature of the building is located on its top floor. Every blogger, hipster, and every person with a passion for scenery appreciates the fashionable Le Perchoir, a modest rooftop pub. With breathtaking sights like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Rue de Rivoli as a backdrop, this pub is unlike any other in Paris.
Different areas of BHV Marais – Le Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville
The shop serves as a reference point for those with an artistic bent and those on the lookout for new fashion and design trends.
In the 1,000m2 beauty and cosmetics department on the ground floor, the two-floor fashion department, the fourth-floor homeware department, or the third-floor culinary arts and fine food products department, you are sure to find items you cannot find anywhere else.
Located near its original location on Rue de la Verrerie, the Men’s BHV Marais is a five-story men’s clothing emporium.
The BHV has an unusually large department dedicated to home remodeling one level below ground.
Visitors from outside the European Union receive a 12% tax return while staying at the BHV Marais, in addition to the standard 10% discount. Additional services such as quick shipping, hands-free purchasing, and tax refunds are offered to better customers’ shopping experiences. The store is open seven days a week (including Sundays), and all customers have access to free Wi-Fi wherever within.
The BHV Marais is a one-of-a-kind concept store that serves as a source of creativity thanks to its extraordinary collection of French and worldwide home brands.
You may discover anything from furniture to dinnerware to lighting to home appliances and more at stores devoted to the world of the home, including both well-known and lesser-known brands. 7
00 square meters of this space are dedicated to the pursuit of artistic recreation; here, you can find anything from haberdashery supplies to scrapbooking tools.
History of BHV Marais – Le Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville
In 1852, Xavier Ruel and his wife relocated to Paris, where he began selling small items from carts around the city. He found that the area around the Hôtel de Ville (Paris City Hall) was the most money-making, so he rented out the ground level of a building on Rue de Rivoli and opened “Bazar Parisien.”
Empress Eugénie (Napoleon III’s wife), whose horses had become frightened after passing outside the store, is said to have been saved by Xavier Ruel, who ran out to calm the horses and received a large sum of money as thanks. In 1856, the store was renamed Bazar Napoléon to honor the empress. After business picked up for Xavier in 1866, he rented out three stories at 54 Rue de Rivoli.
In 1870, all the shops on Rue de Rivoli were run by Bazar Napoléon. The shop was renamed “Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville” (after the nearby Hôtel de Ville) upon the fall of the Second French Empire.
Founder Xavier Ruel passed away in 1900 at the age of 78, leaving behind an organization that had grown to employ 800 employees and a capital of 12 million francs.
Architect Auguste Roy oversaw many remodels of the shop beginning in 1903 and continuing until 1912. The first BHV shop opened in 1963, and since then, many more have followed all around France, with the exception of the one at Parly 2.
Galeries Lafayette purchased BHV in 1991. The shop’s management stated in 2012 that they would be making more structural changes to the building, including renovating each floor to give the store a refreshed feel.
The Galeries Lafayette chain wanted to attract “creative urban inhabitants looking for originality,” as the chain’s CEO, Paul Delaoutre, put it. Because of this, they felt the need to essentially “reinvent” the BHV. As a result, the BHV is now called the BHV Marais, and a new logo was designed.
Conclusion
The BHV is a beloved bazaar among Parisians, located in the center of the city opposite the Hôtel de Ville in the historic Marais area. The BHV is a fashionable and trendy location that is constantly redefining the concept of retail and the department store with its pop-up shops, exclusive fashion brands, home renovation courses, and gourmet snacks.
Located at the 52 Rue de Rivoli in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, the flagship site of the French department store chain known as the Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville or Le BHV Marais is accessible through the Hôtel de Ville Metro stop. Groupe Galeries Lafayette owns the chain. The business also has four specialty stores in addition to the main outlets.