“There are a lot of passages. It’s day and night. A rainy day, in this case. But that does not in any way cool the optimism of Mohamed Noura. The rue de Paris wakes up under the eyes of the entrepreneur, at the head of the fruit and vegetable store Proxy Frais launched on July 15. The shopping street is brightened up by a joyous crowd on this ordinary Tuesday morning. As every day since its move to the Thionville hypercentre on November 3, La Poste has seen a long queue form in front of its walls: “Clearly, its arrival has revitalized the street. There is more traffic than before and it is little to say it ”, breathes Suzanne Tolu.
In 2017, this renowned former tennis player gave birth to her (very) fine grocery store, Au Suz’tenté. At that time, this establishment on the rue de Paris was akin to a… daring bet: “It was very calm, even sleepy. But I had a sixth sense, she smiles. I was convinced that after the rue du Luxembourg, well stocked with shops, it would then be the turn of the rue de Paris to be coveted. It just lacked locomotives. “La Poste, therefore, author as every year of a feverish December with an average attendance” of 560 customers per day, “says its management. But also Paul, a big (pre) name of the bakery which has found a second breath since its exodus from the neighboring shopping mall La Cour des Capucins. A renewal that takes shape with the “400 to 500 day tickets” recorded since this repositioning.
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16% commercial vacancy
“It’s very simple, since I took over this unit, I have doubled my turnover, delights Thierry Ghezzi. Of course, unlike the shopping arcade, I can open on Sundays, on public holidays and on a wider schedule. But there was also a real expectation from the inhabitants for a new bakery on the pedestrian plateau. “
The franchisee, at the head of three bakeries in the Thionville area, is a wise observer of the return to the foreground of the rue de Paris. Already through his professional experience; but also because of his role as municipal assistant in charge of the City Heart Action and trade. His feeling? The Thionville trade would experience a tremor which materialized by recurring inquiries from large French groups: “Not a week goes by without me being surveyed by a project leader”, advance the elected.
For now, these expressions of interest remain at the discussion stage. In question, the classic profile of the premises on the Thionville market, more really in phase with the expectations of the large national brands: “They seek to establish themselves in large surfaces of 200 to 300 m², indicates Thierry Ghezzi. However, in Thionville, we have a lot of empty cells of 40 to 50 m². We have to rethink this model, transform it by making the floors accessible, for example. »One track to follow, among others, to reverse the commercial vacancy rate. As a reminder, he touches, in Thionville, the 16% in the hypercentre.
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A KFC approaching?
In dormant for many months, the commercial premises which housed the Zoom Avant clothing store, rue de Paris, should very soon come out of its lethargy: “Two big renowned brands are in the running, reveals the deputy to the trade Thierry Ghezzi. I think that within a month, one of them will have positioned itself. The chosen one refuses to say more about the identity of the potential buyer. According to several merchants in the hypercentre, the hottest trail leads to a fast food giant, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC for insiders).
Other information likely to delight the faithful of the rue de Paris: Proxy Frais, which has been very successful since its opening on July 15, is already seeking to expand. Mohamed Nouira, at the head of this fruit and vegetable store, is eyeing the neighboring room of 132 m² which housed the Marlène J boutique. Its ambition, at least if its takeover offer resonates with the owners of the walls: “To create a covered mini-market, with a butcher’s corner, a salad bar, a grocery store, etc.” “
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