Aristide Boucicaut
Encyclopedia
Aristide Boucicaut created what is considered to be among the first department store
s.
Born in Bellême
, Orne
, at 3:00 A. M. on Bastille Day
, the son of a banker, he began as a simple clerk in Bellême
before he left to become a fabric salesman selling shawls. In 1829 he settled in Paris and married Marguerite Guerin in 1836.
He set up Le Bon Marché
as a goods store in 1838, but his innovations in distribution became most noticeable after 1852. After this, the store grew to be among the, if not the, largest in Paris, and where he spent the rest of his life. The world's Fair in 1855 gave him further ideas on how to innovate. These involved the notion of browsing, greater advertisements, fixed prices and in 1856 a catalogue. His wife also played an important role in expanding the business. He also has a hospital named after him. He died in Paris.
Émile Zola
's novel Au Bonheur des Dames
involved research on the store and a Zola-created character, named Mouret Octave, is said to be based on Aristide.
In 2011 a TV documentary Seduction in the City the birth of shopping describes Boucicaut as a genius. To target the new middle class woman and attract her to a fantasy land where all types of goods were available and where she could go un-chaperoned.
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s.
Born in Bellême
Bellême
Bellême is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.-Location:At the heart of the Parc Naturel Régional du Perche, two hours from Paris, Bellême, situated in the Department of the Orne, is a paradise for lovers of nature and tranquil countryside...
, Orne
Orne
Orne is a department in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne.- History :Orne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution, on March 4, 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Normandy and Perche.- Geography :Orne is in the region of...
, at 3:00 A. M. on Bastille Day
Bastille Day
Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July of each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale and commonly le quatorze juillet...
, the son of a banker, he began as a simple clerk in Bellême
Bellême
Bellême is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.-Location:At the heart of the Parc Naturel Régional du Perche, two hours from Paris, Bellême, situated in the Department of the Orne, is a paradise for lovers of nature and tranquil countryside...
before he left to become a fabric salesman selling shawls. In 1829 he settled in Paris and married Marguerite Guerin in 1836.
He set up Le Bon Marché
Le Bon Marché
Le Bon Marché is the name of one of the best known department stores in Paris, France. It is sometimes regarded as the "first department store in the world". Although this depends on what is meant by 'department store', it may have had the first specially designed building for a store in Paris...
as a goods store in 1838, but his innovations in distribution became most noticeable after 1852. After this, the store grew to be among the, if not the, largest in Paris, and where he spent the rest of his life. The world's Fair in 1855 gave him further ideas on how to innovate. These involved the notion of browsing, greater advertisements, fixed prices and in 1856 a catalogue. His wife also played an important role in expanding the business. He also has a hospital named after him. He died in Paris.
Émile Zola
Émile Zola
Émile François Zola was a French writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism...
's novel Au Bonheur des Dames
Au Bonheur des Dames
Au Bonheur des Dames is the eleventh novel in the Rougon-Macquart series by Émile Zola. It was first serialized in the periodical Gil Blas and published in novel form by Charpentier in 1883....
involved research on the store and a Zola-created character, named Mouret Octave, is said to be based on Aristide.
In 2011 a TV documentary Seduction in the City the birth of shopping describes Boucicaut as a genius. To target the new middle class woman and attract her to a fantasy land where all types of goods were available and where she could go un-chaperoned.