Louis Vuitton arrives at Marriott

Louis Vuitton opened its first store in Bucharest yesterday, “the first genuine luxury store in the Romanian capital”, as Jean-Marc Gallot, President of Louis Vuitton Europe, put it. Three years after company officials’ first visited Bucharest, and six months after works started in the wake of an over one million-euro investment, Romania’s first Louis Vuitton store has finally arrived, located in the Bucharest’s Marriott hotel, and covering 130 square metres. To begin with, the store, whose design is very similar to the one in the Galleries Lafayette in Paris, will sell the brand’s leather products, footwear, and accessories (belts, wallets, sunglasses, and jewellery, but not haute-joaillerie).
In addition, Louis Vuitton will also sell trunks – luggage that can be personalised to suit all tastes, as was clear to see yesterday when the statue in front of the hotel was covered by a huge monogrammed trunk. Louis Vuitton has yet to decide when to introduce its ready-to-wear line, (for which a significant customer base is required, as well as a 2-3 times larger retail area). “Louis Vuitton’s entry on the market is also important because we are renowned for our pioneering spirit,” says Jean-Marc Gallot. “It will be very interesting to look around in one or two years, and see how many other luxury brands have followed in our footsteps and decided to invest in Romania.”