Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville

Paris - La Belle Époque

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History and Evolution

Xavier Ruel, an engineer, and his wife moved to Paris in 1852. Ruel was selling small items through street vendors and realized that the most effective neighborhood was the one around the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall). Therefore, he rented the ground floor of a building to open a boutique, in this neighborhood, which he called, the “Bazar Parisien”. According to the legend, in 1855, Ruel saved Napoleon III's wife, Empress Eugénie, whose horses got frightened while passing in front of his store. To reward him, she gave him a sum of money which, enabled him to expand his store, in 1856, which he renamed “Bazar Napoléon” to show his gratitude to the Emperor and his wife.[2] In 1866, thanks to his successful business, he was able to rent three floors of this same building, on 54 rue de Rivoli. In 1870, his store occupied the whole building. In 1871, due to the fall of the Empire, Ruel changed the name of the store by “Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville” which refers to the Hôtel de Ville, located across the street.

Xavier Ruel was also involved in the political and social life of Paris. He was elected city councillor several times and in 1893, was made Knight of the Legion of Honour. He was 78 years old when he died in 1900. He left behind a business who employed 800 people. His company, then named “Société Veuve Ruel et Compagnie” recorded a capital of twelve millions francs.

The BHV, like other department stores born in this time, were innovative since they offered fixed price and sometimes, promotions to attract the customers.They also invested in advertisement which was a new aspect of trade. Advertisement for the Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville published in the magazine L'Œuvre d'art in Paris, in 1895.

The store underwent several some renovations in 1903-04 and in 1913, a new building was built with its famous rotunda, by the architect Auguste Roy