CFL Cactus Shoppi Convenience Store Opens in Luxembourg-Gare

The first CFL Cactus shoppi store opened its doors in Luxembourg-Gare on Wednesday 10 May 2023.

The CFL described this opening as the first achievement visible to the general public of the subsidiary CFL Cactus shoppi created by the CFL in collaboration with Cactus. In the following months, the two groups are planning to deploy other commercial concepts on CFL sites, according to their customers’ needs.

Inaugurated in the presence of Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mobility and Public Works, François Bausch, the Chairman of the CFL Board of Directors, Jeannot Waringo, the Chief Executive Officer of CFL, Marc Wengler, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the CFL Cactus shoppi and Administrative and Financial Director of the CFL, Alain Blau, the Managing Director of the Cactus Group, Max Leesch, the Administrative Director of the Cactus Group, Laurent Schonckert, and the Managing Director of the CFL Cactus shoppi, Jean-Paul Leesch, this first point of sale under the CFL cactus shoppi brand was reported to be a response to the wishes expressed by CFL customers.

During a survey on the subject of “experience in the central station” conducted in 2020 among customers, the latter had expressed their interest in a local commercial offer and “food to go” products in the station.

The CFL Group and its subsidiary CFL Immo, in charge in particular of concessions with external partners, thus created a dedicated subsidiary (majority-owned by CFL) with the Cactus Group.

After analysing the market, the CFL found the Cactus Group to be the ideal partner to create an integrated and innovative concept for the operation of commercial areas in the stations and railway stops managed by the CFL in Luxembourg.

"The opening of the first CFL cactus shoppi store goes hand in hand with our desire to change life in the public space of stations to provide local and tailor-made solutions to our customers, in line with their travel habits throughout the country", said Marc Wengler, CEO of CFL. “The stations of tomorrow will be places of destination, village squares where customers will be able to find various services in addition to the shops in place and CFL mobility solutions.”

This initiative is also based on feedback from Cactus through the development, since 2008, of the Cactus shoppi network and its 37 points of sale. "We are delighted with this new partnership, which allows us to best serve an active resident and cross-border clientele", summarised Laurent Schonckert, Administrative Director of the Cactus Group.

The 134 m2 store, located in the main hall of Luxembourg central station, will offer ready-to-eat products (cold and hot), a "sushi-corner" (prepared on site), "made to order" sandwiches, bakery products, fruit and vegetables (particularly seasonal products), snacks (partially regional and organic), cold drinks (regional and international), flowers, press and lottery articles.

The point of sale is open Monday to Friday from 05:30 to 21:30 and Saturday and Sunday from 06:00 to 21:30. A “services corner” (Post Point; press and books; connector assortment; bar; travel accessories, lottery games, etc.) is planned for 2024 as an extension of the station’s waiting room.

CFL Cactus shoppi reported having created fifteen jobs with this endeavour. In the future, in order to reach the vast majority of CFL customers, CFL Cactus shoppi plans to open other local points of sale on the rail network (in passenger buildings or in the form of containers), as well as the installation of vending machines in some 20 CFL train stations or stops.