After eleven years of operation, the YellowKorner photography gallery in Montpellier, France, will permanently close its doors on Saturday, September 13, 2025. The announcement has surprised contemporary photography enthusiasts who have frequented the gallery since its opening in December 2014 on rue de la Loge, before relocating to rue Foch in 2023.

The closure is primarily attributed to challenging economic conditions affecting the business. "I'm closing reluctantly, of course. I would have preferred not to have to close it," admitted Eric Teissandier, the gallery's director. He cited multiple factors contributing to the decision, ranging from the general economic climate to local constraints that have impacted foot traffic and sales.

Ongoing construction work in Montpellier's city center has significantly affected customer visits to the gallery. Major projects around Place de la Préfecture and later on La Comédie have deterred potential visitors and weighed heavily on business activity. The gallery's decision to relocate from rue de la Loge to rue Foch in September of the previous year was also motivated by rising rent costs that had become unsustainable.

Unfortunately, the relocation failed to revive customer traffic or compensate for declining sales figures. The situation in Montpellier reflects broader challenges facing the international YellowKorner network, which operates approximately seventy galleries worldwide, several of which have closed in recent months due to similar economic pressures.

Despite the closure, Teissandier remains optimistic about the brand's future in the city. "This is not an end in itself. This is not a permanent closure. YellowKorner will return to Montpellier," he stated, describing the shutdown as temporary rather than definitive. The gallery is committed to honoring all pending orders and will continue accepting purchases until September 13, with direct delivery to customers' homes.

To clear remaining inventory, the gallery has been conducting a clearance sale for the past week, offering discounts of up to 50 percent on numerous photographic works. This presents a final opportunity for art collectors and photography enthusiasts to acquire pieces from the gallery's collection at reduced prices.

The retail space will not remain vacant for long, however. Beginning in early October, a new design and decoration store is expected to occupy the same location on rue Foch. While Teissandier prefers to keep the name confidential, he assured that it will be "a very beautiful brand that recently disappeared from Montpellier," suggesting the return of a previously established retailer to the local market. This transition indicates that while photography may be temporarily absent from this particular venue, the space will continue to serve the city's design and artistic community in a different capacity.