Auchan will become the anchor tenant of a new "Opkorn" shopping centre in Differdange which is due to open its doors in late 2017 with an investment of around €50 million.
The project signs were erected on Thursday morning, during the holding of a press conference at which the Mayor of Differdange, Roberto Traversini, announced the details. The name "Opkorn" literally means "on the Chiers." Chiers is the name of the river which starts in Oberkorn, passes along the back of the future shopping centre, before venturing beyond the border into France.
Currently Differdange, the Grand Duchy's 3rd largest city with 24,500 inhabitants, has no shopping centre of it own. Delhaize is the only supermarket in the city centre, and Cactus have announced plans to open a store there next year. The catchment area around Differdange (within a radius of 15 to 20 minutes drive) amounts to a population base of 90,000 people.
Auchan will occupy 5,000 m2 in the new development which will have a total of 27 retail units, 3 kiosks and 5 restaurants, over a total 33,000 m2. 2 years before the opening, 75% of the retail space has been sold. It will also have a 2-storey car-park with spaces for 500 cars. Auchan opened its first hypermarket in Luxembourg in 1996 in Kirchber; Differdange will see the second in 2017, with the 3rd set to open in the Cloche d'Or in 2018.
The new shopping centre is to be built beside the new European School which is set to welcome its first students in September 2016. Construction is due to start in 2016 Q1. The project is part of the new reurbanisation project entitled Arboria on the Plateau du Funiculaire: the 8.5 hectares site will feature 650 homes (255 of which are already inhabited and 127 are under construction).
The architectual design will blend into the local landscape as explained by architect Stefano Moreno as it will have a metal facade, evoking the steel heritage of the region. It is intended to be stylish and cozy and will be BREEAM-certified.
The project is expected to create around 270 new jobs, including 150 at Auchan itself. Ikodomos Holding - already involved in the Arboria project - is the main investor, with Eric Lux at the helm.
Photos by Geoff Thompson (below, L-R): Stefano Moreno (Architect); Eric Lux (Ikodomos Holding); Roberto Traversini (Mayor of Differdange); Francois Rémy (Auchan); (above): artist's impression of the Arboria project
