The Nîmes La Coupole shopping center can think bigger with the arrival of Galeries Lafayette

Galeries Lafayette kicked off the preparation of its establishment in La Coupole. Midi Libre – MIKAËL ANISSET

Voilà à quoi ressemblera l’une des parties des Galeries Lafayette à La Coupole.

La Coupole des Halles va bénéficier de travaux.

Une vue du futur magasin des Galeries Lafayette.

A fashion show at La Coupole for the arrival of Galeries Lafayette. Midi Libre – MIKAËL ANISSET

This Tuesday, June 11, the president of the Socri Limited group Nicolas Chambon announced the opening of Galeries Lafayette in September 2025 at the La Coupole shopping center. Work will take place. The Nîmes town hall took its full part in this choice.

The La Coupole des Halles shopping center, a stone's throw from the Maison Carrée, is preparing to experience one of the most beautiful chapters in its history with the announced arrival this Tuesday June 11 at Galeries Lafayette from September 2025. To reconnect with the times of Nîmes department stores in the sector like Paris-Nîmes and Juvenel…

An arrival greeted by Nicolas Chambon, president of Socri Limited who took over the commercial site on June 15, 2021, by the City of Nîmes represented by the mayor of Nîmes Jean-Paul Fournier, its first deputy Julien Plantier, and by the president of the CCI du Gard Eric Giraudier.

A "little big" store

These personalities happily welcomed Alexandre Liot, director of the Galeries Lafayette stores. The latter, under the charm of the city, shared his ambitions: "This is an ambitious project for Nîmes, a city with very strong dynamics. I thank the town hall which provided a quality environment. […] It will be a small department store on one floor with 3 000 m2 of sales area, 150 brands, with a turnover which will be quite substantial. With the town hall, we have a common vision for the City."

Galeries Lafayette arrives with eight universes: ready-to-wear for men, women, shoes, lingerie, leather goods, accessories, jewelry-watchmaking and perfume-beauty. An arrival made possible thanks to the collaboration between Socri Limited and the Planet Indigo group represented this Tuesday by its president Philippe Semperé.

50 jobs created

He indicated that Nîmes was one of the last cities with more than 150,000 inhabitants not to have this department store: "This opening will be good for morale. From January, we will begin local recruitment. 50 jobs will be created."

The first deputy mayor Julien Plantier did not hide the fact that he had asked Alexandre Liot five years ago for Galeries Lafayette to come to Nîmes: "I am very happy with this coming, with this important day for our city. We will also carry out the repair of the roads, the sidewalks on Général Perrier, around Les Halles, rue de Corconne and Guizot, work which will begin after the Feria des Vendanges next September.

As good news never arrives alone, Julien Plantier recalled that, without this dynamic at La Coupole, the Zara ready-to-wear store, located rue Général-Perrier, would have left the city center: "Zara not only remains, but it is expanding with work carried out until the end of the year.& quot; Which allowed Éric Giraudier, president of the CCI du Gard, to highlight "the dynamics of the city center with this long-term project. It will be a locomotive that will drain flows.

9 M€ of works

This arrival from Galeries Lafayette requires work as indicated by Socri Limited. After those carried out in May  2023 with the architect Julien Passerieux and the Aura firm for 1 M€, time for a second phase which is similar to a "historic& ;quot;. A budget of 9 M€ will allow these achievements designed by Aura and A + Architecture to be carried out.

Jean-Paul Fournier (mayor), Nicolas Chambon, Philippe Semperé (Planet Indigo), Alexandre Liot (Galeries Lafayette) and Eric Giraudier (CCI) opened the new chapter at La Coupole. Midi Libre – MIKAËL ANISSET

This investment provides for the renovation of the main entrance, on the rue Général Perrier side (opening of the concrete facade for more transparency, iconic facade 75 m long), the&rsquo ;installation of two new modern escalators accessing the store and the restructuring of the commercial level above Les Halles for the establishment of Galeries Lafayette. Three stalls at Les Halles will be impacted during this work and compensated. Construction will begin this June.

An increasing turnover

Socri Limited announces a 17.8% higher turnover in 2023 compared to the previous year. 2019, three years after taking over the shopping center. According to the group, the restructuring of the site made it possible to increase attendance by 6% compared to the previous year. 2019. It should increase significantly with Galeries Lafayette by focusing tourists on the city center.