Engaged a year ago, the major renovation works of Nice Etoile completed last weekend. It was an opportunity for the shopping center to proceed with a high-class and grand opening ceremony, named “a star is born”. The charm offensive has begun.
A true institution since 1982 at the heart of the shopping district, Nice Etoile thus chose to embrace the challenge of modernity. A challenge that amounted to 16.4 million euros (excluding taxes), but which had become more than necessary over the years. “Nice Etoile thus actively contributes to the modernization movement and the commercial vitality of downtown Nice,” believes Michel Dessolain, general manager of the shopping centers division at Unibail, the owner of the shopping center.
A Grand Hotel Spirit
Now more open to the city, the new Nice Etoile showcases glass, light, and crystal. Inviting rest areas, contemporary and sober architecture, a new logic for internal circulation, more spacious, as well as three Baccarat crystal chandeliers, give the shopping center a “grand hotel” spirit. “The interior architecture has been totally structured around this central theme,” shares Olivier Saguez, designer of the site’s renovation.
Nice Etoile has left nothing to chance: from panoramic elevators lit in different colors according to the floor to lounge toilets, through a reorganized parking in the grand hotel spirit, or the four rest areas and the new reception, everything has been renovated, so that the customer rediscovers the pleasure of shopping.
A Prestigious Inauguration
On Friday, September 30, and Saturday, October 1, this new Nice Etoile was inaugurated in style. Aerial choreographies, a juggling artist, lounge music with a DJ, exceptional discounts in several shops, and a concert of fifty musicians from the Harmonie Orchestra of the City of Nice, everything was implemented to entice, or better said, re-entice the population of Nice.
During the ceremony, the Senator-Mayor Jacques Peyrat declared: “I hope that as quickly as possible, residents of Nice will no longer travel to Cap 3000 for their shopping. I am aware of the inconveniences caused by the tramway works, and I plan to compensate the inhabitants by offering a month of free transport when everything is finished. This month should normally be July 2007…”. The charm offensive for the downtown area of Nice has only just begun.
Nicolas Pelazza
