Galeries Lafayette Shakes Up Leadership Amid Generational Transition

Galeries Lafayette looks to the future with a new management team. The French department store company, one of the flagships of European retail, has reorganized its executive structure in the midst of a generational handover process, following the death of its historic matriarch, Ginette Moulin.

Last week, the group appointed Arthur Lemoine as the new CEO, and has now announced the promotion of three key executives to pilot the new phase. Guillaume Houzé, heir to the family legacy and until now director of communications, has been promoted to director of image and innovation. Emmanuelle Greth will take over as director of human resources and corporate social responsibility, while Matthieu Caloni will be the group’s new chief financial officer.

With these appointments, the company is seeking to consolidate a management model that is more agile, cross-functional and adapted to the structural changes in the sector. “By strengthening our governance with transversal functions and clear lines of responsibility thanks to the expertise of Guillaume, Emmanuelle and Matthieu, we are laying the foundations for a more coherent and forward-looking model,“ said Nicolas Houzé, group executive chairman and brother of Guillaume.

The new role of Guillaume Houzé, who also serves as president of Lafayette Anticipations and the Andam fashion award, will aim to integrate creativity and technology as strategic pillars of differentiation. The group has described his position as a key cross-cutting position to reinforce its positioning at the crossroads between culture, brand and innovation.

The moves are part of a profound generational transition. Following Ginette Moulin’s retirement as president of Motier (the family holding company), her son-in-law Philippe Houzé took the reins, and with him a redistribution of responsibilities among the fifth generation has been activated.

Galeries Lafayette faces the generational transition and consolidation of the legacy through a battery of appointments

Lemoine, the new CEO, is a cousin of the Houzé brothers. Emmanuelle Greth, who until now was in charge of human resources and sustainability, consolidates her influence as head of people and corporate social responsibility. For his part, Caloni, who has been with the group since 2016 at the helm of finance, strategy and transformation, takes over from Ugo Supino, who left the company in June after a 25-year career.

“With these decisions, our ambition is to consolidate the positioning of the Galeries Lafayette group as a benchmark in retail and creation, capable of anticipating changes in our environment and carrying an innovative, sustainable and committed vision,“ the chairman stressed.

The internal reorganization process also responds to the need to redirect the group’s direction. Although sales at its flagship store on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris have recovered to pre-pandemic levels and reached €2 billion in 2024, the regional network of stores remains weakened.

In recent years, Galeries Lafayette has closed or transferred dozens of stores in medium and small cities in France. One of the most high-profile transactions was the sale of 26 stores to businessman Michel Ohayon, who is now also in financial difficulties. In addition, other assets of the holding, such as the e-commerce La Redoute, continue to accumulate losses.

At the same time, the group is committed to strengthening its international presence as a means of growth. Among the strategic projects underway are future openings in Mumbai and New Delhi, in partnership with the Indian holding company Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd., with which Galeries Lafayette has signed a partnership to enter India.

The current reorganization marks a turning point in its recent history. In a France marked by the transformation of consumer habits, the digitalization of commerce and the emergence of new global players, Galeries Lafayette’s commitment to transversal innovation, professionalized family leadership and international expansion marks the beginning of a new cycle that, despite the change of protagonists, remains in the hands of the same family.