The novelty at Galeries Lafayette is pre-owned watches and jewels, with the opening of a dedicated shop-in-shop in the department store’s Haussmann flagship. The 3,200-square-foot space, which bowed in mid-July on the ground floor, is called Hojo Vintage, a moniker inspired by “horlogerie-joaillerie,” the French terms for and jewelry. Dovetailing with the recent overhaul of the Haussmann store’s luxury offering, this addition was a year-and-a-half in the making, said Stéphanie Hernandez Barragan, buying and marketing director of the watches and division of the French department store.
“There were real expectations, many things that already exist on the market and a number of digital platforms, and we believe that the Galeries Lafayette have a real role to play in the secondhand market,” she told WWD. “Given our position, it was unthinkable not to go into that market. It was logical and, in our opinion, very complementary to the rest of our offer today in watches and jewelry.
” Given the complexity of the market, often considered a gray one particularly in terms of authenticity, the department store did not go at it solo. “We want to make sure there can be no doubt in clients’ minds about our second-hand watch and jewelry offer,” Hernandez Barragan said. It signed a trio of partners for the occasion: Rolex and its certified pre-owned (CPO) program, becoming the first department store to offer it; French luxury secondhand watch specialist Kronos 360, and .