Edition Thionville – Hayange | “In 2021, Geric will be 50 years old”

What does the Geric shopping center weigh today?

Jean-Marie Louis, director of Geric : “Six million visitors in 2019 and a turnover up 3% compared to 2018. A recent study by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry shows that the Linkling remains the first commercial destination in Moselle and that it is the quality of the offer that makes the difference. “

How do you explain this multiplication of shopping centers across the border, a stone’s throw from Thionville?

“Luxembourg law is different from ours when it comes to setting up shopping centers; it is especially less restrictive. In Thionville, for example, with the Coeur de Ville project, the trend is rather to limit extensions to the periphery. ”

What effects do these establishments in Luxembourg have on the Geric shopping center?

“For Bettembourg, it is too early to say. However, as far as La Cloche d’Or is concerned, its opening had no effect on attendance at the Geric shopping center or on its turnover. ”

However, will this proximity force you to adapt your strategy?

“We do it all the time. We constantly question ourselves. We are constantly trying to improve our offer, like the “food court” that we completely renovated at the end of 2019, taking into account the opinions of our customers through a study conducted in situ. We favored open, modular spaces, rather than partitioned spaces, in accordance with what emerged from the study. A shopping center is plasticine that we are constantly working on. We have experts who help us in this direction. ”

The cross-border commuters and the Luxemburgers represent a good part of your customers, do you think that they can desert Geric for the benefit of the Luxembourg shopping centers?

“As long as we do not remain frozen, we will keep our customers. In 2021, Geric will be 50 years old. We have been working for half a century to find new brands, to constantly renew ourselves. “

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