The department stores in the city center

Source: Image by prostooleh on Freepik

The retail industry’s response to the demands of the 19th century middle class was the creation of department stores. These stores, such as Marshall Field, Harrods, Selfridges, Le Bon Marché, and Galeries Lafayette, dominated metropolitan centres until the post-war period. With the advent of car use, retailing in the suburbs of cities began, with supermarkets and discount stores gaining popularity. The success of department stores is now judged by their management’s ability to plan effective strategies and exploit local or temporal opportunities. In Greece, department stores like Athenée, Bros. Lambropoulis, Claoudatos, and Mignon were established in the post-war period, and they continue to play a vital role in the vitality of urban shopping centres. However, they faced a crisis in the mid-1990s, as they gradually gave way to regional shopping centres and malls. Department stores attract mainly middle and high-income consumers, as well as tourists, but they were severely affected during the pandemic. Today, they are attempting to adapt to omnichannel and health requirements to reduce queuing and shopping time.