Unibail-Rodamco Kicks Off Two Brand New Commercial Projects

Les Ateliers Gaîté projects to be based in central Paris and La Part-Dieu in Lyon, France.

Les Ateliers Gaîté, set to open its doors to the public in 2020, will be based in the heart of Paris in the picturesque district of Montparnasse – one of the liveliest areas in the city and a historical center of cultural vibrancy.

Les Ateliers Gaîté, Paris

What was once an old 1970s-style Parisian block will be transformed into an outstanding piece of architecture, eventually becoming home to 105 shops and restaurants, new social housing and public facilities, and a new office building. The development will also boast a redeveloped four-star Pullman Hotel with over 900 rooms and a 3,800 m² GLA supermarket.

The 27,770 m² GLA development has not been designed as a traditional shopping center – it has been thought of with customer experience and interactivity at its heart. The complex will be set over three levels, reaching over 1,3mn affluent Parisians within a catchment area of 20 minutes by public transport. The Montparnasse station is currently also under development and is forecast to welcome 90mn travelers per year upon its completion in 2020.

The center will cater heavily to home enthusiasts, with a section dedicated to interior decoration. Design ideas and professional tips will be made available to make visitors’ homes comfortable places that reflect their personality.

It will also be home to an original Unibail-Rodamco feature: The Dining ExperienceTM. With the aim to becoming one of the best food spots in Paris, Les Ateliers Gaîté will offer a comprehensive experience of 25 restaurants and food stands that will combine high-quality food with a warm, bustling atmosphere.

La Part-Dieu, Lyon

The second project, La Part-Dieu, in Lyon, the third-largest city in France, is one of the most dynamic shopping centers in Europe, boasting 240 shops including Apple, Michael Kors, and Zara, and visited by 36mn people every year. The center is having a major rehaul in a bid to open it up to the city, establishing connections with its surrounding areas and the local community, in a €330mn investment.
A ground-breaking development of the site will add 65 new shops and restaurants and will see the shopping center expand by 32,000 m² GLA, to reach 159,000 m². Located in the heart of a fast-growing district, the ambitious extension project will meet the retail, dining and leisure needs of over 40,000 workers and 125,000 travelers, daily. As a national and European hub, Lyon is also home to 1,4mn inhabitants and welcomes over 6mn tourists a year.

The spacious roof terrace, currently used for parking, will be transformed to provide a significant landscaped outdoor area providing cultural and leisure activities such as an 18-screen, 3,100-seat cinema, as well as a gastronomy offering served by the region’s best chefs, through The Dining Experience TM, an original Unibail-Rodamco feature. The project also includes an area dedicated to premium shopping, “Premium Mall,” which will offer visitors an unrivaled customer-centric service and access to the most beautiful brands.

Both developments are set to benefit the cities in which they are based, both economically and socially, and the renovations are being managed to ensure the building’s identities are maintained while making a sure minimal impact is made on the environment. The La Part-Dieu project, in particular, has been credited for creating over 1,200 jobs during the period of construction, and 880 permanent new jobs.

“At Unibail-Rodamco, we are constantly striving for better: better prospects for our retailers, a better experience for their customers, and a better environment for the cities in which our developments are based. We know the retail landscape across Europe better than anyone, and we are continually looking to innovate it and adapt to changing needs of consumers, and the evolving role of physical stores. “Both La Part-Dieu and Les Ateliers Gaîté showcase the best of these innovations, providing consumers with an unrivaled retail experience and the ability to choose from the best brands around, and linking retailers with vibrant cities and their consumers,” says Anne-Sophie Sancerre, Unibail-Rodamco’s Managing Director, France.

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