A high-end Paris grocery store owned by luxury-goods conglomerate LVMH has an American food section consisting of items like marshmallow spread and six varieties of microwave popcorn.
La Grande Épicerie, located about a mile from Napoleon Bonaparte’s final resting place, is known for selling international foods.
One French-speaking shopper spotted snagging a packet of Reese’s dipped pretzels from the American aisle told Sports Illustrated: ‘It’s a mix of sweet and salty, and Americans love sweet and salty.’
Other American foods featured the store include corn syrup, hot-dog-style jarred sausages, and boxed mac-n-cheese.
La Grande Épicerie has two Paris locations, on Rue de Sèvres and Rue de Passy.
The American food section at La Grande Épicerie in Paris features products like marshmallow spread, boxed mac-n-cheese, and six kinds 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 shoppers could by groceries all year round.
La Grande Épicerie eventually opened pastry shops in its store in 1934 and became a place where shoppers could earn coupons in exchange for old clothes, according to Gault & Millau.
Today, its Rue de Sèvres location offers about 30,000 products, some of which are available exclusively at the store or made on site.
Shoppers at the Rue de Sèvres shop can also visit its wine cellar, the Le Balthazar wine bar, and the La Table restaurant.
‘The new Grande Épicerie de Paris, opened in 2013, is the most ambitious food hall concept in Europe,’ LVMH CEO Patrice Wagner said after its opening.
‘The savoir-faire of our artisans, our architects and the artists chosen for this project allowed us to turn this desire to become a unmissable gastronomic destination into a reality.’
Some U.S. visitors weren’t impressed by the American-themed items on offer.
The first La Grande Épicerie opened in 1923 on the ground floor of what is now LVMH’s French headquarters
The Rue de Sèvres location offers about 30,000 products, some of which are available exclusively at the store or made on site
‘I think it’s kind of strange. I don’t wish I had some “hot-dog sausages” in a jar,’ tourist Katie Laurino told Sports Illustrated.
The U.K. section features shortbread, various teas, and beef jerky – which employee Cécile Irtelli called ‘very popular.’
‘We have French people who come from all over France,’ said Irtelli, who helps curate the U.K. selection. ‘You can’t find these products elsewhere.’
Other items earning rave reviews include a goat cheese from Vermont.
‘I was so 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 gushed about their experiences at La Grande Épicerie.
The U.K. section features shortbread, beef jerky, and various teas
A shopper from France wrote in French: ‘My life project: to do all my food shopping at the Grande Épicerie, and my shopping at the Bon Marché. Every day.’
Several X (formerly Twitter) users worldwide have spoke highly about La Grande Épicerie and praised its food items
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