A customer shows a QR code via mobile payment service WeChat Pay of Tencent on his smartphone. (Photo: IC)

The Galeries Lafayette group, which attracts over 15 million international visitors to its stores every year, is the first offline retailor to connect to WeChat Pay services at its Galeries Lafayette Haussman and BHV MARAIS flagship stores in Paris.

The roll-out of WeChat Pay, Tencent’s leading Chinese mobile payment solution, is announced on November 8,2017. Under a partnership with Verifone and BNP Paribas, the services, effective from September 25, will also be rolled out over the next few months in a selection of Galeries Lafayette stores across France.

As an iconic retailor, the Galeries Lafayette group is constantly looking for ways to improve the shopping experience for its customers, including those from China. Galeries Lafayette Haussman has launched several initiatives in this area over the past few months, including opening a new 2800 ㎡ store on Boulevard Haussman dedicated to Chinese customers travelling in groups and the design of an electronic sales refund information system approved by the French customs authorities (the only retailor to date in France to have such a system in place).

Rolling out WeChat Pay, adopted by more than 600 million monthly active Chinese users, the Galeries Lafaytte group is raising its standard of services higher still and allow its Chinese customers to use a familiar, convenient and secure payment system, with transactions based on a QR code generated directly on their smartphones.

Philippe Pedone, Chief Financial Officer of Galerie Lafayette and BHV MARAIS, said: "Today more than ever, our role as a merchant is to bring together the very best of physical and digital to offer our French and international customers a unique shopping experience. We are delighted to be the first to make WeChat Pay available to our Chinese customers as part of our continuing efforts to serve and cater to their needs more effectively."