Cap d’Agde: change in the management of the Barrière du Cap d’Agde casino

Après six années passées au Cap d’Agde, Olivier Stachowiak rejoint l’Alsace. MIDI LIBRE – MICHEL DESNOS

Olivier Stachowiak joins Alsace after six years at the resort. He will have accompanied the transfer of the establishment from Île des Loisirs to the new heart of the resort, in 2018.

This is what we call a big geographical gap: after six years spent in Cap d’Agde, the director of the Barrière casino, Olivier Stachowiak, will leave the Mediterranean for Alsace and join the pretty town of Ribeauvillé. "I'm going to head up to a resort which includes a casino of course, a hotel, a balneotherapy center and a spa, I'm going to learn new jobs", rejoices the one who will be replaced by ;here recently by Florence André, who for her part managed the casinos of Deauville, Lille and Bénodet, in Brittany.

Slot machines transferred overnight

Olivier Stachowiak's passage was marked by a rather rare event in the world of casinos: the transfer of the establishment from the Île des Loisirs to the new heart of the resort, facing the Palais des Congrès, just before the summer of 2018. "I’had already experienced casino renovations in the past, but a move, never", recalls Olivier, who certainly spent a few sleepless nights planning the operations, in particular the transfer of the slot machines, very supervised by the police, which was carried out in a single night! "The period was instructive in more than one way because there was everything to build. First take possession of the building, but also create synergy with the merchants and support customers who, for some, were very attached to our establishment on the Île des Loisirs."

The covid episode and its consequences

Installed first on the Iconic site, the Barrière casino will also have faced the first months of operation not necessarily easy to manage, while all around, d’ immense works, with their share of inconveniences, continued. And what about the rest, with two exercises – 2020 and 2021 – weighed down by the health crisis, with losses estimated at 5 million euros for the year 2020 alone, marked by six months of closure!

Beautiful perspectives

A difficult period for casino operators, even if the situation has since recovered well. "The new casino is clearly a success", believes the director. "Attendance is up, as is the gross revenue from the games. The restaurant is also doing very well. With the end of Iconic's work, there are still very good prospects." A development that he will undoubtedly follow from Alsace .