The supermarket, which has been operating in Contern since March 2020, is to open a new outlet along the Rue de Colmar Berg--on the corner of Rue Edouard Kraus--a main axis linking the city centre to the Mierscherbierg shopping area.
The project has been in the works for a few years, as the real estate company for this location, Mersch Immo, was founded in July 2018. The building permit from the municipality of Mersch dates back to 7 October 2020. The 83-acre fenced-in site, which is adjacent to Burger King and easily accessible from the A7 motorway, was cleared a few months ago and is now awaiting construction machinery.
Job offers published online to constitute the teams of the new point of sale suggest that they will take up their posts at the end of 2021. However, as of mid-October 2021, no construction is visible, making an opening in 2022 more likely.
Four other supermarkets in the vicinity
Grand Frais will be located in an already well-developed shopping area. There is the Topaze shopping centre, which, in addition to its thirty or so stores, also houses a Match supermarket. On the other side of Um Mierscherbierg, the Listo shopping centre has about ten shops, including the Belgian supermarket chain Colruyt. Finally, Aldi and Lidl are located within walking distance of the complex.
This high commercial density does not seem to put off the French retailer. It opened its first outlet in Luxembourg, in Contern, in March 2020, a few days before the first pandemic lockdown. The first seven months of operation have resulted in negative financial results for three of the five companies that make up the shop: they have published losses of €61,324 for Conterndis, €191,975 for Fromager de Contern, and €490,413 for Primeur de Contern.
In addition to the north of the country, Grand Frais is also aiming for another location in the south-west, more precisely in Wickrange. The company has already registered companies for this new opening, which, together with Contern and Mersch, should form a triangular network around Luxembourg City.
From Lyon to Luxembourg
Founded in 1992 in the suburbs of Lyon, Grand Frais has 263 shops dedicated exclusively to food products. Each structure measures an average of 900m2 and brings together five food trades and different businesses: butcheries, fishmongers, fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese and groceries.
Grand Frais is targeting locations on the outskirts of major cities, but is also beginning to target urban customers in France: its subsidiary Prosol--which runs the fruit, vegetable, seafood and dairy departments--has opened its own mini-markets called Fresh, as well as the home shopping delivery service Mon-marché.fr.
The founder of Grand Frais, Denis Dumont, sold a majority stake in Prosol to the Ardian fund in 2017, while his partners, the Bahadourian brothers, sold 60% of Euro Ethnic Foods--a Luxembourg-based company--to the PAI Partners fund.
Dumont and his family rank 143rd in the Challenges ranking of France's largest fortunes, with an estimated capital of €700m. The French economic and financial magazine reports sales of €2.4bn last year.
This article in French on Paperjam.lu. It has been translated and edited for Delano.lu