Redevco Retail Belgium, one-third owner of the Ring Shopping Kortrijk Noord shopping center, completes redevelopment of former Carrefour store.
Redevco started looking for a new commercial function for the 9,000 m² former Carrefour hypermarket in the Ring Shopping Kortrijk Noord shopping center when the retailer left at the end of July 2010. An agreement was soon reached with the Delhaize Group, which will be opening a large 3,000 m² supermarket there. HEMA and Lunch Garden are to remain in the center. Lunch Garden has meanwhile been completely refurbished and the new-style self-service restaurant reopened last June.
The required permits were obtained in autumn 2011, and redevelopment work started immediately afterwards.
The former Carrefour hypermarket was split into units of various sizes, which also allowed the creation of a new mall, connected to the shopping center's existing mall. A new entrance gate was created at the existing number 2 gate, in line with the shopping center concept, and an additional entrance to the mall was provided on the Ringlaan side. Further, an additional 700 m² was constructed, which will house a SportsDirect.com store as from early 2013.
The building has now been completely renovated and modernized, and made ready for its new tenants, which include fashion retailers H&M (1,714 m²), Coolcat (638 m²) and MS Mode (271 m²), as well as Tims (shoes 1,228 m²), Delhaize (supermarket 3,033 m²), Tamaris (shoes 128 m²), Pearle (opticians 126 m²), SportsDirect.com (sportswear 1,222 m²), Bozzy (gifts 177 m²), Base (telecoms 58 m²) and Capoue (ice-cream salon, patisserie 122 m²). There is just one unit, of 118 m², still vacant.
The visitor car park offers a total of 1,830 parking spaces.
The completely refurbished complex is scheduled to reopen on October 25.
Ring Shopping Kortrijk Noord originally opened in October 1973 and was severely affected when Carrefour and the Colruyt supermarket left in 2010. Redevco's redevelopment of the complex and its signing new attractive retail formulas has put the shopping center back on the map. Major advantages of Ring Shopping Kortrijk Noord are the good assortment mix, its easy access by road and by public transport and the ample free parking for visitors. The car park is currently undergoing a phased upgrading, in consultation with Vastgoedinvestering Kortrijk Ring Shopping Center, which owns the rest of the shopping center.
Redevco was assisted by architects Jaspers-Eyers & Partners in developing the concept. The principal contractor is the Ghent firm Wyckaert Bouwondernemingen. Engineering consultants Istema and Establis were responsible for technical and structural issues. Redevco was assisted by Cushman & Wakefield in marketing the retail space.
Source: Redevco
