Discover the luxury offer of Corso, a premium mall in the Cap 3000 center [In pictures]

"There, all is order and beauty, luxury, calm and voluptuousness". We could almost declaim Baudelaire while exploring Corso, the new premium mall of Cap 3000 in Saint-Laurent-du-Var (06) bathed in light and enhanced with old gold. This is the final act in the renovation of the center, established in the place of parking lots, to the west of the site in symmetry with the shore of the Var, and looking out over the Mediterranean. Although the set was inaugurated on July 19, 2021, it still lacked Vanessa Bruno (bags and accessories), Tara Jarmon (women's ready-to-wear), Zadig and Voltaire, Motiko (desserts) and Zapa (ready-to-wear). porter) which have since opened. As well as Venice Collection and Komo Lab on which we will come back. The arrival of the Godet perfumery brand from Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Tag Heuer, a Swiss watch manufacturer and the Alain Ducasse Manufactures will complete the range of offers. So here are 8,000 m² developed on the first floor of the center which were "imagined like a department store inside Cap 3000, describe the designers, with 40 shops like so many different and complementary houses and brands, in all universes : ready to wear, jewelery and fine watchmaking, leather goods and accessories, beauty and perfumery, lifestyle and catering”.

Seven years of renovations

It was in November 2014, already 7 years ago, that Alain Taravella, founding president of Altarea presented the ambitious project for the metamorphosis of the Cap 3000 center bought in 2010 from the Galeries Lafayette Group. The size of the oldest shopping center in France, opened in October 1969, should be increased from 83,000 m² to 135,000 m² and 300 stores. With a vast renovation of the interior spaces, a redesigned architecture by advancing terraces towards the Mediterranean, over 5,000 m². And, therefore, the addition of this premium wing, which has now become a reality. All of these renovations total a budget of 650 million euros.

Monegasque concepts

The new mall is “connected” between two other nuggets in the center: Galeries Lafayette and Capsule, Altarea's concept store which brings together, over 700 m², emerging brands present only on the web (Digital Native Vertical Brands). One of the largest areas of the Corso is Auberi, which has installed a 500 m² flagship store which makes it one of the largest jewelery and fine watch shops in France, offering a collection of Rolex, Omega, Chaumet, Breguet, Cartier watches. , Longines… This is in fact the change of sign of Ferret SAS, which had already been operating a 90 m² shop in Cap 3000 for more than 30 years. Many Monegasque concepts find their place in the mall. Such as Jacobson offering luxury brands and designers such as Chloé, Valentino, Fendi, Etro…; APM Monaco showcasing its chic jewelry; Komo Lab, showcasing candles and room diffusers; One Eagle aimed at sports fashion enthusiasts (skiing, fitness and golf). The cashmere offer is present with the Italian specialist Falconeri. A local shoe multi-brand, Venise Collection showcases Armani, Max Mara, Sergio Rossi, Etro, Alberto Moretti, Cesare Paciotti, Elena Lachi, Paul Smith... The male clientele can dress in Fursac or Hugo Boss, and wear JM Weston. You can still perfume yourself in the Maison Christian Dior brand, organizing your “olfactory journey” in a unique space “thought like a window on the Parisian art of living, in the intimacy of a real apartment”. In the meantime, therefore, the fragrances of the Godet perfumery. And get furnished at Fratelli Barri, a famous Italian house of high-end furniture.

Corso Collector

If the Corso is a showcase, it embeds an original “jewel” fashioned by Altarea: Corso Collector. A unique second-hand concept store, since it combines the principle in a luxury version! That is 100 m² where are presented a collection of bags, leather goods and jewelery from major brands, selected and authenticated by the Gros & Delettrez auctioneers. “By combining luxury and circular economy, Corso Collector allows us to offer our customers offers that large houses such as LVMH or Kering (formerly Pinault group) are not yet ready to sell in shopping centers, justifies Felipe Goncalves, Managing Director. Director of Cap 3000. But the new link in the Corso is far from being limited to a simple showcase. L'atelier 23/11 - according to the date of birth of the twins Virginie & Laurent Boukobza, creator of the company in 2018 in Paris - "pampers", according to the established expression, collector's bags by repairing them, restoring them and even customizing them. "In response to the numerous requests from our clients wishing to have their own properties appraised, we organize ''expert meetings'', once a month, offering them the opportunity to not only have an exact quotation of their bags, jewelry and luxury accessories, but giving them the opportunity to sell them to Corso Collector at a firm price, in order to feed our own stock. We also want to add an event echo to the place, by organizing there, twice a year, auctions with Gros & Delettrez experts, relayed online”.

Electric Mercedes at €180,000

As for Baudelairian voluptuousness - if you include gastronomy and gluttony in this category of pleasures - the Corso also has good arguments. Fauchon (400 m²) is developing a beautiful restaurant and delicatessen area, as well as a generous wine cellar. The Alain Ducasse factories will arrive in spring 2022 on 1200 m² with chocolates, ice creams and Mediterranean tapas à la carte. And the local bistronomy is represented by the sign Joseph. And in case the customer forgets that he is in the luxury wing of Cap 3000, an electric Mercedes car labeled €180,000 sits in the mall.

Objective 14 million annual visitors

"The driving force behind this center wing is not traffic, in terms of the number of passers-by, but rather the average basket of customers, says Felipe Goncalves, managing director of Cap 3000. It is 400 to 500 € in the spaces of Corso , four times higher than in the rest of Cap 3000”. The international clientele, for which Corso was designed in particular, has certainly been missing since the start of the global pandemic. Altarea is no less preparing its return with a range of services. Including the reimbursement (''cash back'') of the tourist tax refund on site. Cap 3000, which had broken its attendance record with 10 million visitors in 2019, would like to reach this level again in 2022. And is aiming for 14 million visitors within 3 years, with the return of international customers.

Cap 3000 in numbers

The Corso Mall

The whole center