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El Palacio de Hierro

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El Palacio de Hierro
Company typeDepartment store
IndustryRetail
Founded1850 as Las Fábricas de Francia, 1888; 136 years ago (1888) as El Palacio de Hierro
HeadquartersMexico City, Mexico
Number of locations
31
Key people
Juan Carlos Escribano (CEO)
ProductsApparel and accessories, cosmetics, electronics, home furnishings and appliances, gourmet food, services (restaurants, food halls, hair salons, travel agency)
Websitewww.elpalaciodehierro.com
Palacio de Hierro Polanco, Mexico City
Inside of an El Palacio de Hierro store
Art Nouveau stained-glass ceiling by Jacques Grüber at the downtown flagship (1921)[1]

El Palacio de Hierro (English: The Iron Palace) is an upscale chain of 16 full-line Palacio de Hierro department stores, 3 Boutique Palacio junior department stores, 2 Casa Palacio home stores, and 2 outlets located in Greater Mexico City and 8 other major cities across Mexico. Operated by the corporation Grupo El Palacio de Hierro S.A.B. de C.V., it has two flagship stores - one the original historic flagship in the Historic center of Mexico City and the "Palacio de los Palacios" (Palace of the Palaces) store in the Polanco district, reopened in 2016 after an extensive renovation costing US$300 million, and at 55,200 m2 (594,168 sq ft), the largest department store in Latin America.[2] Palacio de Hierro has been a member of the International Association of Department Stores since 2000.[3]

History

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Origins

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In the 1850s, French immigrant Victor Gassier opened a clothing store, Las Fábricas de Francia (The Factories of France), not related with the currently operating Fábricas de Francia chain. In 1860, Gassier teamed up with Alexander Reynaud, forming a business called Gassier & Reynaud. In 1876, José Tron, his brother Henri and José Leautaud bought in, forming the association V. Gassier & Reynaud, Sucs. S. en C.. In 1879 the business' formal name was changed to J. Tron y Cía. (J. Tron and Co), but continued to trade as Las Fábricas de Francia.

Tron and Leautaud's business kept growing and in 1879, they started plans to build a store in Mexico City along the lines of the upscale stores that had already opened in Paris by that time, such as Le Bon Marché. In 1888 they bought the land to build their store, and later hired the Mexican architect Ignacio de la Hidalga to build a five-story building, the first in Mexico City made of iron and steel. As such, people who passed by would ask "what iron palace (palacio de hierro) are they building?". In 1891, when construction finished, Tron and Leautaud decided to rename the business El Palacio de Hierro, taking advantage of the publicity earned during construction.

On April 15, 1914 a fire destroyed the building. Other buildings were then used. As the Mexican Revolution made immediate reconstruction difficult or impossible, it took until 1921 to open the new store. French architect Paul Dubois designed the store in art nouveau style, featuring dual stained-glass ceilings by Jacques Grüber[1] (1870-1936) of Nancy, France, and which opened for business on October 14, 1921.[4][5]

Nowadays, El Palacio de Hierro is part of Grupo BAL, a Mexican conglomerate with interests in insurance, mining and retail.

Product lines

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Product lines are broader than those carried by U.S. department stores today, including full ranges of electronics (televisions, laptops, cellphones), large home appliances (white goods, small appliances, furniture and home furnishings and accessories, mattresses, domestics (bed linens, towels), sporting goods, books and magazines, candy, gourmet food, wines, and liquors. In-store services include restaurants, food halls, hair salons, spa services, and a travel agency.[6] However, women's, men's and children's apparel and accessories, fine jewelry, cosmetics, and fragrances, still dominate. In these areas, Palacio is the high-end chain in Mexico, compared to others such as Liverpool and Sears Mexico.

Palacio is the only Mexican department store chain that carries and in many cases, hosts in-store boutiques for, a broad range of global luxury brands. In late 2023, for example, the chain featured Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Carolina Herrera, Saint Laurent Paris, Alexander McQueen, Dolce & Gabbana, Ferragamo,Givenchy, Chloé, Balmain, Golden Goose Deluxe Brand, Moschino, and Rimowa on its website.[7] Other brands carried in recent times have included Bvlgari, Bottega Veneta, Hermès, Tiffany's, Cartier, Esprit, Max Mara, BCBG Max Azria, Emporio Armani, Fendi, Gucci, Tory Burch, Prada, Ermenegildo Zegna, Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Versace, Swarovski, Burberry, Escada, Juicy Couture. It also carries some Mexican high-end brands. But Palacio also carries many upper middle-range brands such as Emilio Pucci, Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, and Spain-based Carolina Herrera, Adolfo Domínguez, Purificación García[es] and Mango.

Store formats

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Grupo El Palacio de Hierro S.A.B. de C.V. operates various store formats:

  • 15 full-line Palacio de Hierro department store
  • 3 Boutique Palacio junior department stores,
  • 2 Casa Palacio home stores, and
  • 2 Palacio Outlet stores
  • Free-standing fashion brand stores in shopping malls.

Palacio de Hierro stores

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Original downtown flagship

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Stained-glass ceiling of the Palacio de Hierro Centro

The original store and historic flagship (1891, rebuilt and reopened 1921),[8] still operates along the north side of Venustiano Carranza street in the Historic center of Mexico City, one block south of the Zócalo (main square), between 5 de Febrero and 20 de Noviembre avenues.

Durango, Colonia Roma

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The Durango store, on Durango street in Colonia Roma Norte, is the only other freestanding Palacio, and was the first branch store, opened in 1958. The architects José Aspe Sais and Vladimir Kaspé designed it in functionalist style, and the department store construction expert constructed the building in only 16 months. In 1967, under visionary leadership of Alberto Baillères, the Durango store was remodeled and modernized. Harper's Bazaar called it the "Store of the Century" due its modern character.[9]

Polanco flagship

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Since its complete remodel and reopening in 2016, the de facto flagship store is the 4-story, 55,248-square-metre (594,680 sq ft) freestanding store in Polanco designed by architect Javier Sordo Madaleno, which the company gave the nickname "El Palacio de los Palacios", "the Palace of the Palaces").[10] The advertising campaign for the 2016 relaunch of the store was "Polanco tiene un nuevo corazón: El Palacio de los Palacios" ("Polanco has a new heart: The Palace of Palaces") and featured top models David Gandy, Isabeli Fontana and Carmen Dell'Orefice. 10,000 people attended the re-opening event on November 6, 2016. Javier Sordo Madaleno was the architect; TPG Architecture designed the interiors of the lower two floors, Gensler the upper two floors.[11]

Each floor was designed with a theme of different famous neighborhoods in Mexico City, a nickname of which is the "City of Palaces":[11]

  • The ground floor, with the cometics area and luxury brand boutiques (with internal walls or similar features distinguishing them as separate spaces from, with distinct entrances from, the main store area. The turn-of-the-20th-century Paris-inspired Paseo de la Reforma, and the colonial Alameda Central park are the themes of this floor.
  • The 1st floor up (U.S.: 2nd floor) with the women's and children's areas, recreates Lomas de Chapultepec and Polanco
  • The 2nd floor up, (U.S.: 3rd floor) with the gourmet food hall, men's and technology departments, has the Roma and Condesa areas as its inspiration. The food hall is partially inside from and partially on a 1,500 m2 (16,000 sq ft) patio with views over Polanco.
  • The 3rd floor up (U.S.: 4th floor) with the home store, emulates Jardines del Pedregal

The property originally was a mall called Molière222, opened in 1997, and included a smaller Palacio store; in 2015 the mall area was incorporated into the Palacio store as part of the US$300 million remodel and expansion.[8]

Coyoacán (Mitikah)

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In 2022, a new store at the new Mítikah shopping center in Xoco neighborhoods adjacent to Coyoacán replaced the store built in 1989 just to the west at the Centro Coyoacán mall. The new Coyoacán Palacio has 5 levels and 38,000 m2 (410,000 sq ft) of floor space in the current phase, with plans to expand to 47,000 m2 (510,000 sq ft). It features a 9.7 m (32 ft)-high crystal dome measuring 1,652 m2 (17,780 sq ft) at its base and which uses 2,100 sq ft (2,100 sq ft) of crystal and 163 metric tons of metal.[12]

Others

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There are 4 other full-line Palacio branches in Greater Mexico City, and like the Mitikah store, each anchors an upscale mall across the metropolitan area's affluent western half: Perisur (1980), Santa Fe (1993), Satélite (1998), and Interlomas (2011).

There are 6 full-line Palacio stores in the rest of the country, one each in Greater Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Querétaro, Veracruz, and Villahermosa.

  • Painting of the original Palacio (Centro) in 1898
    Painting of the original Palacio (Centro) in 1898
  • 1904 postcard of Palacio–Centro
    1904 postcard of Palacio–Centro
  • 1908 painting of Palacio-Centro
    1908 painting of Palacio-Centro
  • Palacio-Centro, 1912 before fire[1]
    Palacio-Centro, 1912 before fire[1]
  • 1925 postcard of the Palacio de Hierro
    1925 postcard of the current Palacio de Hierro–Centro building, opened in 1921[13]
  • Polanco store exhibiting Uriarte Talavera
    Polanco store exhibiting Uriarte Talavera
  • Entrance to Casa Palacio, Centro Santa Fe, 2013
    Entrance to Casa Palacio, Centro Santa Fe, 2013

Boutiques

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In 2001, Grupo Palacio de Hierro opened its first freestanding branded boutiques: Mango in the Centro Coyoacán mall and Springfield in Galerías Monterrey.[14]

Locations

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Stores operated by Grupo Palacio de Hierro, not including fashion brand free-standing boutique stores.

Store Floor area City/ Metro area Neighborhood Location, Notes Opened Closed Photo
Centro 18,223 m2 (196,150 sq ft)[14] Mexico City Historic center of Mexico City Venustiano Carranza St. 1891/
1921[8] 		open
First store and original flagship.
Durango 45,260 m2 (487,200 sq ft)[14] Mexico City Roma Norte Durango St. 1958[8]
Interlomas 36,815 m2 (396,270 sq ft)[14] Mexico City
(metro area) 		Interlomas, State of Mexico Paseo Interlomas 2011[8]
Coyoacan (Mitikah) 38,000 m2 (410,000 sq ft) Mexico City Xoco near Coyoacán Mítikah. Replaced the store in the Centro Coyoacán mall. 2022
Perisur 37,888 m2 (407,820 sq ft)[15] Mexico City Jardines del Pedregal Perisur 1980[8]
Polanco 52,480 m2 (564,900 sq ft) (net)
86,248 m2 (928,370 sq ft) (gross)[14] 		Mexico City Polanco Moliere St. 1997/2015
"El Palacio de los Palacios". Moliere street #222, full city block between Moliere, Homero, Horacio, and Platón streets. Opened 1997 as part of a mall. Expanded 2015.
Coyoacán (closed store) Mexico City Coyoacán Centro Coyoacán 1989[8] 2022[16]
Replaced 2022 by Mítikah store.
Santa Fe 52,050 m2 (560,300 sq ft)[14][15] Mexico City Santa Fe Centro Santa Fe 1993
Satélite 36,205 m2 (389,710 sq ft)[14] Mexico City
(metro area) 		Ciudad Satélite, State of Mexico Plaza Satélite 1998[17][8]
Guadalajara 43,737 m2 (470,780 sq ft)[14] Guadalajara
(metro area) 		Zapopan Andares November 2008[8]
León León 2024. Temporary store open now.[18]
Monterrey 43,735 m2 (470,760 sq ft)[14] Monterrey
(metro area) 		San Pedro Garza García Paseo San Pedro 2005[8]
Puebla 33,743 m2 (363,210 sq ft)[14] Puebla Angelópolis Angelópolis 2002[8]
Querétaro 48,282 m2 (519,700 sq ft)[14] Querétaro Antea opened 2014[8]
Veracruz 16,040 m2 (172,700 sq ft)[14] Veracruz (city) Boca del Río, Veracruz Andamar 2019[19]
Villahermosa 35,844 m2 (385,820 sq ft)[14] Villahermosa Plaza Altabrisa 2012[8]
Casa Palacio–
Antara 		10,765 m2 (115,870 sq ft)[14] Mexico City Polanco Antara 2006[20][8]
Casa Palacio–
Santa Fe 		9,937 m2 (106,960 sq ft)[14] Mexico City Santa Fe Centro Santa Fe 2013
(April)[20][8] 
La Boutique Palacio
Acapulco 		7,290 m2 (78,500 sq ft)[14] Acapulco December 2008[8]
La Boutique Palacio
Acoxpa 		6,850 m2 (73,700 sq ft)[14] Mexico City Tlalpan borough Paseo Acoxpa September 2010[8]
La Boutique Palacio
Cancún 		9,206 m2 (99,090 sq ft)[14] Cancún La Isla Shopping Village November 2010[8]
Palacio Outlet
Lerma 		4,165 m2 (44,830 sq ft)[14] Toluca Lerma 2001
Palacio Outlet
Punta Norte 		3,358 m2 (36,150 sq ft)[14] Mexico City
(metro area) 		Punta Norte Premium Outlets 2005

References

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  1. ^ a b c Benjamin A. Bross (2021). Mexico City's Zócalo: A History of a Constructed Spatial Identity. Routledge. ISBN 978-1000527308.
  2. ^ "El Palacio de Hierro strengthens Mexico City standing, revamps flagship", NPR; November 3, 2015
  3. ^ "El Palacio de Hierro". www.iads.org. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  4. ^ "Advertisement for the opening of the new El Palacio de Hierro". WIkimedia Commons (in Spanish). El Universal. 14 October 1921. p. 8. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  5. ^ Patrice Elizabeth Olsen (11 September 2008). Artifacts of Revolution: Architecture, Society, and Politics in Mexico City, 1920–1940. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 16. ISBN 978-0742557314.
  6. ^ El Palacio de Hierro website department listing, accessed 16 November 2023
  7. ^ Brands listed separately on the tabDiseñadores (Designers) as well as the body of the page Moda lujo (Luxury fashion) on Palacio de Hierro official website, accessed 16 November 2023
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Historia (History)". Palacio de Hierro (in Spanish). Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  9. ^ Tapia, Patricia. "Desde la Roma, con amor" [From Colonia Roma with love] (PDF). La Gaceta. p. 89. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  10. ^ Pruneda, Ayko (November 8, 2015). "El Palacio de los palacios renace en Polanco, ("The palace of palaces is reborn in Polanco")". Forbes (in Spanish). Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Reyes, Rosario (5 November 2015). "Frenesí en Polanco". El Financiero (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  12. ^ "La ecuación perfecta" [The Perfect Equation] (PDF). La Gaceta (in Spanish). El Palacio de Hierro. September 2022. p. 92. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  13. ^ "El Palacio de Hierro" S.A.: México D.F." Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez virtual library. 1930.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Annual Report 2022" (PDF). El Palacio de Hierro. 2022. pp. 53–59. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  15. ^ a b Francelia Rodriguez Ceballos (3 May 2017). "El Palacio de Hierro se reinventa en Perisur y Santa Fe" [El Palacio de Hierro reinvents itself in Perisur and Santa Fe]. FashionNetwork.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  16. ^ "Revista Código | Arte, Arquitectura, Diseño, Moda, Estilo". Revistacodigo.com. 2017-06-23. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  17. ^ ":: Plaza Satélite ::". www.plazasatelite.com.mx. Archived from the original on 2009-07-30.
  18. ^ "Nueva Tienda en León | Horarios y Direcciones". El Palacio de Hierro (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  19. ^ "El Palacio de Hierro Veracruz: 1.100 metros cuadrados para el lujo". ModaES (in Spanish). November 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  20. ^ a b "Casa Palacio Santa Fe La Inauguración del Año (Casa Palacio Santa Fe - Opening of the Year)". Vive Totalmente Palacio (in Spanish). El Palacio de Hierro. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
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