This is a page that turns for the Galerie de France. The end of a commercial era but also the beginning of a hoped-for renaissance. If the metal curtains have been lowered for several weeks on the two entrances, place des Épars and rue Noël-Ballay, they should be raised, from the end of March 2022, to let the workers in charge of restructuring work pass.
Why did the City of Chartres buy the Galerie de France?
The Galerie de France had not attracted many tenants for several years already. Relatively high rents and an outdated business model got the better of commercial goodwill. The site, out of sight, had become a place conducive to illegal activities and the municipality of Chartres was looking for a solution to secure it.
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After months of negotiations with the twelve owners, the mixed economy company (SEM) Chartres Développements immobiliers bought the whole of the Galerie de France.
“The walls but also certain rental leases, specifies Élisabeth Fromont, deputy mayor of Chartres and president of Chartres Real Estate Developments. We organized meetings with the co-owners, with the help of their trustee, to have this change accepted. Everyone did their bit. »
What work will be done?
The restructuring work carried out by Chartres Développements Immobiliers will consist of removing the current twenty-one commercial spaces to create a vast space of 1,300 m2 which will house a single brand. This new “hull” will be delivered in accordance with the security measures necessary for opening a business, and ready to be fitted out by the future tenant.
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“It will take three to four months of work before the tenant can take possession of the premises, specifies Élisabeth Fromont. He can then carry out the work specific to his activity. The objective is to be able to open the store at the end of August or the beginning of September. »
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Will Go sport move into this new store?
The elected will not say more about the future tenant, who does not wish to communicate on his project for the moment. But it is now common knowledge that it is the Go sport brand that will be settling in this vast space in the heart of the commercial city centre. Maybe with a concept a little different from what you can see elsewhere…
What is the future of the other galleries in the city center?
Will the restructuring of the Galerie de France serve as a model for the future of the two other galleries in the city center: that of Monoprix and that of Noël-Ballay, in which many commercial spaces are unoccupied? For Elisabeth Fromont, it is too early to answer:
“The Galerie de France is the one that posed the most problems. it remains to be seen whether its restructuring will succeed. La Galerie de Monoprix belongs to a single owner, an insurance company, which may be more difficult to convince. And in the Noël-Ballay gallery, there are ongoing projects…”
The oldest Chartrains, even with the memory of an elephant, may not be able to remember all the signs that have settled in the Galerie de France over the years. Shops for video games, clothing and accessories for skateboarding, designer clothes, jewellery, telephone accessories… many shopkeepers have tried their luck here. L’Antre du Blup was born there and spent its early years there before moving to Place de la Poissonnerie. High school students and employees came to buy their lunch at the sandwich shop. And the photo booth has seen faces and faces pass by for many years. In recent months, only the Coach access gym, which has found a new location on rue du Docteur-Maunoury, and leather goods, looking for a new store.
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Laurence Franceschina
[email protected]
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