A high-end Paris grocery store owned by luxury goods conglomerate LVMH has an American food section consisting of items such as marshmallow paste and six varieties of microwave popcorn.
The Great SpiceryLocated about a mile from Napoleon Bonaparte’s final resting place, it is known for selling international foods.
A French-speaking shopper who was seen taking a package of Reese’s sauce-dipped pretzels from the American aisle said: Sports IllustratedIt’s a mix of sweet and salty, and Americans love sweet and salty.
Other American foods offered at the store include corn syrup, jarred hot dog-style sausages and boxed macaroni and cheese.
La Grande Épicerie has two branches in Paris, on Rue de Sèvres and Rue de Passy.
The American food section of La Grande Épicerie in Paris offers items such as marshmallow cream, boxed macaroni and cheese and six types of microwave popcorn.
The first outpost opened in 1923 on the ground floor of what is now LVMH’s French headquarters.
The store, designed by Louis-Hippolyte Boileau, was one of the first places where consumers could buy food year-round.
La Grande Épicerie eventually opened patisseries in its store in 1934 and became a place where shoppers could earn coupons in exchange for old clothes, according to Gault and Millau.
Today, its establishment on rue de Sèvres offers around 30,000 products, some of which are available exclusively in the store or are manufactured on site.
Shoppers at the Rue de Sèvres store can also visit its wine cellar, the wine bar Le Balthazar and the restaurant La Table.
“The new Grande Épicerie in Paris, which opened in 2013, is the most ambitious food hall concept in Europe,” said Patrice Wagner, CEO of LVMH, following its opening.
“The know-how of our artisans, our architects and the artists chosen for this project allowed us to make this desire of becoming an unmissable gastronomic destination a reality.”
Some American visitors were not impressed by the American-themed items on offer.
The first La Grande Épicerie opened its doors in 1923 on the ground floor of what is now the French headquarters of LVMH.
The shop on rue de Sèvres offers some 30,000 products, some of which are available exclusively in the shop or are manufactured on site.
“I think it’s a little weird. I wouldn’t want to have ‘hot dogs’ in a jar,” tourist Katie Laurino told Sports Illustrated.
The UK section offers shortbread biscuits, various teas and beef jerky, which employee Cécile Irtelli described as “very popular”.
“We have French people coming from all over France,” said Irtelli, who helps select the UK selection. “You can’t find these products anywhere else.”
Other items that have received rave reviews include a Vermont goat cheese.
“I was very happy to find an American product that was artisanal,” Christy Shields, an associate professor of anthropology at the American University of Paris who studies food, told Sports Illustrated.
On social media, some have enthusiastically recounted their experiences at La Grande Épicerie.
The UK section offers shortbread biscuits, beef jerky and various types of tea.
A buyer from France wrote in French: ‘My life project: to do all my shopping at the Grande Épicerie and my shopping at the Bon Marché. Every day.’
Several X (formerly Twitter) users around the world have spoken highly of La Grande Épicerie and praised its food products.
