From Caen to Honfleur, major retail projects are already budding, and should be in full bloom a few years from now. An overview of three of them, from Ikea to Decathlon, without forgetting the Honfleur retail park.

A wealth of projects for the Caen conurbation

A wealth of projects for the Caen conurbation
From the north to the south of the Caen conurbation, major extension and retail development projects are abundant.
• Les Rives de l’Orne: the project (200 million Euros and 1,500 new jobs forecast), located on the banks of the River Orne (behind the Caen railway station), includes office space, residential homes, a cinema complex and a number of retail outlets
• Carrefour Côte de Nacre: one of the conurbation’s oldest shopping centres. Located to the north of the town (near the hospital and the university campus 2), the centre is preparing for extension and refurbishment (for a total investment of 56 million Euros). A 1,900m2 extension will be added to the Carrefour hypermarket, along with 4 new retail outlets ranging from 800 to 1,900m2.
• Parc des Rives de l’Odon: located alongside the A84 motorway, between Mouen and Verson, the retail project encompasses a total sales surface of around 40,000m2 (shared between large retail outlets and boutiques)
• Carrefour Hérouville: the project involves the extension of the shopping centre by creating a second shopping zone (from 10 to 12,000m2, within a 30,000m2 covered building). The investment is estimated at 40 million Euros.

It will be located at the foot of the Pont de Normandie. Covering 13 hectares, within a 125 hectare zone (1), Honfleur’s retail park, due to open late 2011, will cover 18,000m2 for a total of 100 retail outlets Initiated by the SHEMA, the project is ambitious and international. The first two investors to have demonstrated their faith in the project are Bouwfonds MAB Development (part of the Dutch Rabobank group), a property developer specialised in multifunctional town-centre developments and retail planning, and the Spanish company Neinver, Europe’s 3rd developer of retail parks. They have joined forces with the architect and town planner, Edouard François. “Everyone knows Honfleur. The customer catchment area encompasses 1.6 million inhabitants at less than an hour’s drive away, without forgetting the 3 million tourists who come to visit the town each year,” Marc Vaquier, Bouwfond’s Managing Director for France is delighted to note.
With due environmental concern, a protected zone has been chosen for the future “Parc d’Activités Calvados Honfleur”. “With ambitious aims in mind since the site requires to be redeveloped according to very strict standards. In order to ensure the best possible landscaping and environmental coherence and to optimise public areas, we have given up the idea of an excessively dense development,” explains Alain Kendirgi, Director of the SHEMA, the semi-public regional development company in charge of the park’s creation.

On the outskirts of Caen, Ikea is undoubtedly the most emblematic of the region’s current projects, the one on everyone’s lips and the one that has fuelled many a debate. Located in Fleury-sur-Orne, on a 40-hectare site, the project includes around 50,000m2 of retail space, i.e. more or less the size of twenty mid-sized supermarkets, 20,000m2 of which will be devoted to the Swedish leader in furnishing and home accessories. The project involves an estimated investment of 100 million Euros and aims at creating several hundred jobs. Following three years of negotiation with the Caen conurbation, the Ikea project, along with its subsidiary Inter Ikea, was given the go-ahead by the CDEC (Departmental Committee for Retail Development) on the 21st of November last year. “With sustainable development in mind, the centre will not only create a retail destination but also a pleasant park with 6 hectares of green spaces and walkways,” Richard Vathaire, Ikea France’s Director of Development is proud to announce (2). The task facing Normandie Aménagement, the semi-public company commissioned by Caen la Mer - the body behind the project along with the Swedish giant, involved successfully integrating the shopping centre within an urban area involving the construction of at least 2,000 homes in the town of Fleury-sur-Orne. “A new approach to incorporate a development within a town planning project, paying particular attention to aspects such as public transport,” explains Gilles Moreau, Director of Normandie Aménagement. And the economic stakes are considerable. The project involves 600 jobs during the development and construction phase, a further 600 when the shopping centre opens, and represents a budget of 1 million Euros in professional tax.

“We are devising tomorrow’s retail outlet”

Still within the conurbation, but on a more sporting vein with Decathlon. The sportswear and equipment group has been present in Caen for nineteen years and is now looking to update its image. Formerly named “Village de la forme” (literally “fitness village”), since rebaptised “Oxylane Village” (3), the project is vast (430 ultimate job creations, including 120 in logistics, for a total investment of 45 million Euros) “It’s a novel concept. We are devising tomorrow’s retail outlet,” describes Christophe Chenevière, Decathlon’s Development Manager. “The traditional “selling machines” we are all familiar with are outdated. We need to innovate to keep up with the ongoing decisive transition, due, in particular, to the advent of internet.” Our advantage is that we have consequential available land, in order to create a powerful identity. “This new environment has been designed so that retail and sporting activities, events and services can cohabit in perfect harmony. The zone, exclusively dedicated to activities associated with “sport, health and well-being”, will include vast parkland and a village square open to all and aimed at welcoming a number of sport enthusiasts and at encouraging exchange through the organisation of themed events,” he adds. Ten hectares of green space, for a 15 hectare site! “Other retail names will be joining us with the same objective. It may take a few years before the park is actually fully occupied,” notes Christophe Chenevière. But work is already underway in Mondeville, opposite the Leroy Merlin DIY store. The park is due to open in June 2010.

(1) The site is managed by a mixed syndicate comprised of the Calvados Departmental Council (70%), the town of Honfleur (10%), the Pays d’Auge Chamber of Commerce and Industry (10%) and the autonomous port of Rouen-Honfleur (10%). Logistics (over 30 to 40 hectares) are the site’s second strong point.
(2) Four equally ambitious sites are also under development (Bry-sur-Marne, Reims, Avignon and Bayonne).
(3) “Oxylane” is the new identity adopted by the Decathlon group.

Christophe Chenevière
Development Manager for Decathlon
Tél. : 02 31 35 71 40

Alain Kendirgi
Director of the SHEMA
Tél. : 02 31 46 91 42

Gilles Moreau
Director of Normandie Aménagement
Tél. : 02 31 35 10 22

Further reading is available in the minutes of the Synergia breakfast debate (page 19 ) on new consumer habits

Rives de l’Orne project in Caen.

IKEA in Fleury-sur-Orne.
Honfleur’s retail park.
Decathlon’s Oxylane Village in Mondeville.

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