There is finally a replacement for the FNAC in Colmar. The city has been looking for two years for a brand to set up on the Grand'Rue, and it is a Normal store which will open its doors on Thursday, covering more than 350 square meters.
It’s a new locomotive that is setting up in Colmar. This Normal brand, Danish brand that sells at low prices cosmetics, household products, drinks, confectionery and even stationery, this is good news for the dynamism of the city center, according to Céline Kern-Borni, president of the Vitrines de Colmar association. “The attractiveness, by the number of people who go to Normal regularly to see the new products, the trends, and then by the multiplicity of consumers: different ages, different social categories, which necessarily bring a plus to the city center of Colmar.
The world calls the world: other businesses will benefit from this arrival of Normal. Colmar has 900 brands, 7 out of 10 of which are managed by independentsthe others by national brands. The CCI carried out a five-year study, launched in 2019, on consumption flows: food businesses increased by 34%, while non-food businesses fell by almost 30%.
It is therefore necessary to attract new candidates to replace empty premises: the vacancy rate in Colmar stands at 9% in Colmar, it is below the national average. The CCI, traders and town hall work together and roll up their sleeves, explains Pascal Sala, deputy mayor in charge of commerce: “The city has invested in software which provides the brands that are doing well at the national level. We have set up a way to contact them and offer them the opportunity to set up in Colmar.”
The tool is rather effective, since the town hall has ideas for future business openings, but it's a long-term fightconfirms Céline Kern-Borni : “We have to fight every day. Even if we are below the national average, there are streets which are a little more difficult to market, when we leave the hypercentre. Some places are not intended to accommodate equipment, but food or service, for example.”
Even if the premises offered are small and the rents high, downtown Colmar welcomed around fifteen new brands last year, the same thing this year.
