Career Aristide Boucicaut

1 career

1.1 career
1.2 au bon marché videau
1.3 le bon marché

career
early career

boucicaut worked in family shop, then, @ age of 18, street vendor selling fabrics. in 1834 moved paris , went work in novelty store on rue de bac, petit saint-thomas, sold women s clothing, hats, fabrics , other items. began salesperson of shawls, because of diligence promoted head of department.

au bon marché videau

in 1848, petit saint-thomas closed. boucicaut had made acquaintance of paul videau, owned nearby variety store called au bon marché videau. became videau s partner, , put new novel ideas of marketing work; buying in bulk , selling low profit margins; fixed prices; allowing customers browse , touch clothing; seasonal sales; reduced prices on selected items, elaborate window displays, , newspaper advertising. videau not comfortable boucicault s flamboyant style of salesmanship, , on 31 january 1851 sold share of store boucicaut.

le bon marché

le bon marché (1892)

between 1852 , 1860, combination of deft pricing, public relations , customer service, boucicaut increased sales of store 500,000 francs 5 million francs.

boucicaut introduced number of marketing innovations; reading room husbands while wives shopped; prizes , entertainment children; first mail-order catalog, in 1867; , seasonal sales, including white sale , designed sell sheets , bedding in winter when sales slow. boucicaut introduced several social innovations employees, half of whom women. dormitory housing provided unmarried women employees in rooms on upper floors of store. provided career track advancement, second salesperson chief of counter department manager. established fund, taken store profits, employees sick, , offered pensions employees had worked in store twenty years.

boucicaut s next grand project build larger store. had met french entrepreneur, henry-françois maillard, had made fortune in new york, told boucicaut america businessman named alexander turney stewart in 1846 had constructed marble palace on broadway in new york, first multi-story building devoted entirely selling merchandise, using iron frame , large plate glass windows increase light , space. in 1862, stewart built larger store, 8 stories high. maillard loaned boucicaut 1.5 million francs finance similar store in paris. first stone new store laid on rue de sèvres in 1869. architect l.a. boileau, , framework of iron, large glass windows displays. building hardly finished before enlarged again, designed boileau of engineering firm of gustave eiffel.