BHV Marais closes abruptly a week after entering judicial recovery
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Tunisia Online
The Paris department store BHV Marais had to close abruptly on Monday, with management citing an administrative regularisation linked to an insurance problem. According to management, the shop should reopen as early as the next day, while unions fear a permanent closure.
The BHV Marais department store in Paris was forced to close at 4 p.m. on Monday, a week after being placed under judicial recovery. Management cites an “administrative regularisation” linked to an insurance problem, according to an internal message from its president, Karl-Stéphane Cottendin, sent to AFP.
The store, like its little sister BHV Parly 2 in Yvelines, remains closed “as a precaution for our teams and our customers”, Mr Cottendin said. According to him, an insurance policy could not be transferred as part of the judicial restructuring, and a new contract is being signed for trading to resume as early as Tuesday. He assures the 660 employees that this regularisation does not affect the continuation of the business.
The judicial recovery, requested by management and the unions, was decided on Monday 2 November by the Paris economic activities court. In late October, management had acknowledged the chain’s insolvency, which it had denied shortly before. Abandoned by several brands over unpaid invoices, BHV had been sold in June to some of its executives by entrepreneur Frédéric Merlin, who had bought it from Galeries Lafayette in 2023. The Asian ultra-fast fashion giant Shein, which moved to the 6th floor last year, will remain until spring, according to the company.
