On January 24, 2024, it was a surprise for the people of Brest and many traders in the Phare de l’Europe gallery. The Casino store was one of the 23 brands in the group not to find buyers and to announce its closure, effective September 30. An announcement which especially surprised the Mercialys group, owner of the gallery premises, including the walls of the Casino hypermarket. “We were very surprised to learn, through the press, last January, that he was one of the 23 ugly ducklings. We still don’t understand why,” confides Stéphane Girard, director of operations and external relations for the Mercialys group. If objective reasons such as the state of the store, which is quite damaged, or its size, can be mentioned, the Casino group does not wish to comment on the causes of the non-resumption. “We have no privileged dialogue with Casino so we have decided to take legal action by contesting the validity of this closure with the Brest judicial court,” says Stéphane Girard. When contacted, the registry of the Brest commercial court did not wish to comment on this matter.
A conflict that has consequences for an entire gallery
The Mercialys group deplores that the Casino was not up to the standard of a store of its size before its closure. “For years, the hypermarket no longer played its role of locomotive in the gallery. In October 2023, 21,000 visitors entered the hypermarket while a food store of this size should attract around 30,000 people per month,” regrets Stéphane Girard. So, the operations director of Mercialys “hopes that Casino will sell its business as quickly as possible” in order to relaunch an entire gallery which lost a third of its traffic with the closure, without putting the others in great difficulty businesses.
For years, the hypermarket no longer played its role of locomotive in the gallery
“If we exclude the hypermarket, the gallery is doing well. 41,000 customers entered the 70 other stores in October 2023 and, this year, the figure increased to 43,000,” informs Stéphane Girard. “Everyone will take stock after the end-of-year holidays but, for the moment, no business has wanted to renegotiate their rent downwards.”
“Breaking a commercial lease is not so easy”
This disagreement between the two groups has not yet made it possible to find a use for the 7,000 m2 of the old store. If the Casino group affirms that “discussions are still underway with the partners concerned”, Mercialys declares for its part “to have its own contacts and to work on takeover scenarios” while recalling that “breaking a commercial lease is not so easy.” According to our information, an agreement for the takeover of the business is currently being studied by both parties, with conditions not yet satisfactory for everyone. While waiting for a legal or amicable outcome, the Europe Lighthouse gallery is preparing for its most economically prosperous period without its food juggernaut. Operations will then be put in place such as “The Gallery gives you your first Christmas gift” to attract passing customers, who will return more regularly if there is a buyer.
Swiss