After ten years of reflection and three years of construction, Leroy Merlin is turning the page in Saint-Jean to open, this Friday, December 5, its brand new store in the Gravanches area, in Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme). A much-anticipated arrival in a rapidly changing sector… and a departure which will accelerate the transformation of Brézet. “I am very proud of what we are going to deliver. We built a store which, honestly, is one of the most beautiful in France,” says Philippe Nativel, director of the Clermont site and pilot of the nearly €30 million project.
“The first domino” of a project worth more than €35 million
Established in Brézet since 1976, the historic Leroy Merlin was clearly cramped. “When I arrived ten years ago, we had an aging store, designed for around forty employees. Today, there are 170 of us. We worked with 14 prefabs and 7 marquees… It was no longer possible,” says the director. The brand, stuck in a densely populated area of the city center and difficult to access, no longer fit the model of the provincial Leroy Merlin. “We must be able to welcome customers who come from the entire department, or even from much further afield. »
Hence the need to relaunch, in 2018, a project already abandoned in 2015: transferring existing commercial space to a more accessible location, without significantly increasing the square meters. Result: 12,000 m², including 8,000 m² of interior surface area, and above all a redesigned organization to meet immediate demand. “Our main competitor today is the web. Our customers want to leave with the product. We have therefore massively increased the stocks available on site. »
The new store now shares the same access as its immediate neighbor IKEA. A completely accepted choice. “We are creating a real center for home design. We are competitors on a few product families, but overall, very complementary. Customers have everything at their fingertips,” says Philippe Nativel. Direct access to the A71 and A75 motorways is a major asset: “Customers from the south of the city already come here faster than to Brézet. »
But the story doesn’t end there. The wasteland left by the brand – almost 2 ha – is preparing to become one of the largest urban projects in Clermont. A project estimated at €35 million excluding tax, carried out by Bouygues Immobilier, incorporating 260 housing units, tertiary premises, a silo car park, a residence for young workers and a vast landscaped area. “We are happy to have been the first domino of a project which will completely requalify the sector. Brézet will change its face,” summarizes the director.