Did you shop with coupons on the National Day holiday? Department stores were originally born here……

The National Day holiday has come, and festive consumption has once again ushered in a mini-peak. So are you ready to go out shopping? But did you know that the department stores we often go to when shopping are actually one of the derivatives of the Expo?

Origin of department stores

In 19th-century Europe, the seller was in charge of the sale of goods, and consumers were not allowed to enter the store at will. At that time, the prices of the goods were not clearly marked and were not fair.

Department stores, on the other hand, were the first to introduce the trading method of "inviting consumers to look at the products freely, so that they could know the prices even without asking them individually.

As the name "department store" suggests, it was born in the second half of the 19th century, and introduced the format of "a full range of goods, so that you can not only buy the target goods but also see all the goods as you go," allowing customers to enjoy shopping.

Two major cities have a strong connection with Expo and department stores: London and Paris.

London

London, the birthplace of the World Expo, has a department store with deep roots in the Expo.

A man named Charles Henry Harrod bought a small store a few hundred meters southwest of Hyde Park in London two years before the first London World Expo (1849). Later, in 1851, the Crystal Palace of the Expo, built in Hyde Park, welcomed more than six million visitors, many of whom entered the store, bringing Harrod great benefit.

The first World's Expo： 1851 London

A few years later, Harrods not only purchased the surrounding land to expand the store but also continued to add to its product range. Today, the store is still the most famous department store in London - Harrods.

In 1898, Harrods built the world's first escalator

Until today, Harrods is still the largest department store in the UK and the largest in the world (on par with Macy's in New York)

Today's Harrods in London, England

Paris

In addition to London, Paris also has a department store with a strong connection to the World Expo.

The oldest department store in Paris is Le Bon Marché(which means cheap goods market). It was opened in 1852, the year after the Expo 1851 London. The small store was run by a couple named Aristide Boucicaut and Marguerite Boucicaut. The store continued to receive positive reviews for its large selection of "Expo de Brand" shirts, smocks, underwear, suits, towels and other clothing. The use of "Exposition de Brand" may suggest that the inspiration came from the Expo.

Aristide Boucicaut and Marguerite Boucicaut

In 1874, Le Bon Marché completed the second phase of its renovation, with the participation of Eiffel, famous worldwide for the Eiffel Tower. Eiffel was commissioned by his employer to use steel and glass in this grievous project, and named the store the "Crystal Pavilion". After the renovation, the mall resembles the Crystal Palace of Expo 1851 London and became a shopping destination.

Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923) and the Eiffel Tower

Le Bon Marché Department Store

Inspired by the World Expo held in Paris in 1855 and 1867, Mr. and Mrs. Boucicaut proposed new methods of merchandising and promotion for the retail industry.

Exterior of the Industrial Palace in Paris, 1855

Interior of the Industrial Palace in Paris, 1855

Bird’s Eye View of the Expo in Paris, 1867

Christofle’s silver booth at the Expo 1867 Paris

After that, Le Bon Marché continued to participate in the Expo.

In 1878, the "Boucicaut Glove" won the gold medal at the Third Exposition and in 1900, Le Bon Marché was presented in the form of a pavilion at the Fifth Expo in Paris.

In addition, Marguerite Boucicaut provided a research grant to Louis Pasteur, the bacteriologist who won the highest prize at the Second Expo in Paris for his invention of the method for the sterilization of wine at low temperatures. She is remembered as one of the six main sponsors of Louis Pasteur's research laboratory.

Louis Pasteur (1822—1895）

French microbiologist and chemist

Émile Zola's (1840-1902)’s book The Ladies' Paradise (1883) is based on Le Bon Marché. The writer, famous for his Little Hotel (published in 1877) and Nana (published in 1880), also wrote in praise of the Paris World's Expo at its opening in 1878, predicting that it would be a big success. In his novel The Ladies' Paradise he gives an interesting account of the cheap shopping malls of the time and the female shoppers.

Émile Zola（1840-1902）

French naturalist novelist and theorist

On the side opposite Gaillon Place , a tall glass door, from top to bottom, with all kinds of gold-encrusted decorations, rises to the mezzanine floor. Two mannequins - two smiling women with their breasts Exposed and their faces tilted up unveil a sign:"The Ladies' Paradise".

——The Ladies' Paradise

Opening ceremony of the Expo 1878 Paris

What’s more, the French department store Pinault Printemps Redoute, which still has a branch in Japan, was founded in 1881 by Jules Jaluzot. He used to work at Le Bon Marché.

Jules Jaluzot

Founder of Pinault Printemps Redoute, France

The Expo is a great convergence of the latest civilizational achievements and human wisdom from every era. The inspiration and creativity thus inspired still profoundly affect our lives today.