The real estate developer Immochan, connected to the French retailer Auchan, is changing its name in Ceetrus in a brand transformation that started two years ago.
According to the company, the new name embodies its evolution from a commercial real estate company to a mixed-use real estate developer.
The French company developed the Coresi project in Brașov, a mixed-use urban regeneration real estate scheme, which includes a €60 million retail park, Coresi, 3,000 residential units in Coresi Avantgarden – in partnership with Avantgarden Immo Invest – and an office complex.
The latter is located on the same former industrial platform Tractorul, with 40,000 sqm of office spaces, which was bought last summer for around EUR 50 million.
Tatian Diaconu, CEO of Ceetrus, announced last year that the company is interested in new retail projects and is targeting cities like Bucharest, Craiova and Sibiu.
“I do not believe in medium retail projects. They must be either emerging, serving an area that can be covered within ten minutes of walking, either regional, or very large,” Diaconu said.
A move towards this new direction of the company was the rebranding of the retail development “Auchan Drumul Taberei” in “Drumul Taberelor” and its transformation in a community centre.
By 2021, Ceetrus plans the opening of 80 new centres or extensions in France, Eastern Europe (including Romania) and Asia, and has 1.2 million sq m of projects in the pipeline.
The company will invest more than €1.9 billion in the development and improvement of its retail parks by 2021, and €1.2 billion in other activities in order to achieve its new strategies.
RPA Perspective Of its new identitiy, Ceetrus said: “With 393 shopping centers around the world, Ceetrus started building, in strong partnership with citizens and territories, living spaces integrating retail, housing, offices and urban infrastructure. By creating sustainable, smart and lively spaces, the mission of Ceetrus is to build or develop the social links that will animate the city of tomorrow.”
In terms of activity, it highlighted:
The transformation of the company gave birth to projects that are proofs of its new identity.
- Romania, the new Coresi district takes shape with the delivery of the first 400 housing units of a total programme of 3,000 apartments. The Coresi Avantgarden residential complex complements the largest urban regeneration project in Romania. An offices complex of 40,000 sq m and a shopping and leisure centre of 60,000 sq m have already been created.
- Spain, Vigo: construction of a railway station of national order. 125,000 sq m of commerce and services will be animated in the heart of the city.
- Luxembourg, Cloche d’Or: mixed operation (construction of a shopping center, housing, medical centre, services centre) in the new district of La Cloche d’Or.
- France, Saint-André-lez-Lille: development of a residential and offices district in the heart of the Lille metropolis.
- France, Lyon Saint Priest, extension of the centre to make it a place of commerce, culture and leisure, completed by an urban farm project
- Italy, renovation and extension of the centres of Mestre and Fano with an innovative concept of “Emotional Food”
- International call for projects, Beyond Retail Challenge, 258 registered start-ups to bring innovative solutions and enrich the customer experience.
