Teams from Carmila and Carrefour Property have just unveiled the new extension to the BAB 2 shopping centre. With 40 new stores and an extra 10,000 square metres, the shopping centre’s unusual architecture features typically Basque colours. It has a total complement of 120 stores, restaurants and services for the 6 million people who visit it every year.
A facelift for a shopping centre which supports the urban area’s dynamic growth
First opened in 1982, the BAB 2 shopping centre is located in the very heart of the Basque Country’s urban community, to the west of Bayonne and just north of Anglet. Based in a highly dynamic urban and business area, it plays a key role in the region’s economic development and contributes actively to a number of major urban projects. Thirty-five years after it was first opened, the centre is now seen as the northern Basque country’s established shopping centre.
It was the first shopping centre to lure in flagship retailers – such as Zara –, featuring an exclusive selection of stores the likes of which were not represented anywhere else in the region. Now, the BAB 2 shopping centre is visited by some 6 million people every year and has established itself as the leading shopping centre on the Basque coast.
The result of close collaboration with local elected representatives, the BAB 2 shopping centre was extended in order to cater to the needs of people living throughout the region who needed a richer store selection hosted in a modern environment, while at the same time supporting the region’s development and its dynamic growth. Consequently, the extension has a completely new selection of stores which are very much in line with the shopping centre’s Basque identity.
An exclusive commercial offering
Well-established national retailers, local or regional independent stores and retailers that – until now – have not been represented in the region are among the new stores opening at the BAB 2 shopping centre. With these new retailers – 25 of which have never traded in the region – the centre is shoring up its offering in the clothing, personal accessories, food services and home equipment sectors. So the BAB 2 shopping centre now has a complete offering of 120 stores and restaurants – in addition to the largest Carrefour hypermarket in France’s Pyrénées-Atlantiques département.
In addition to providing a new selection of goods and services, the centre is also breaking new ground by featuring numerous connected services designed to make shopping easier for its customers. On the shopping centre’s website and its mobile app, people on the lookout for a bargain will find new special deals, promotional campaigns, loyalty offers or advantages available at stores for people with Carrefour PASS cards. And people who want to prepare their visit ahead of time can check the availability of certain retailers’ products online and then reserve them with just a click of a mouse. Or they can book an appointment with an optician or a bank, or reserve a slot with their beautician’s.
Architecture featuring Basque colours
Proud of its roots and of its Basque identity, the BAB 2 shopping centre integrates harmoniously into the existing centre and is in keeping with Basque architecture. The main thoroughfare of the existing shopping centre has also been entirely renovated and now features an original decor which alludes to traditional Basque sports – rugby, surfing and pelota.
BAB 2, committed to nurturing the local economy
As well as bringing in new retailers who will contribute to the local urban area’s economic appeal, the renovated centre will also create jobs at local level. During the works phase, 80 percent of the contractors used were all local businesses. And around 400 people worked on the project during the two years it took to build it.
The centre is the region’s leading employer – providing jobs for 1300 people – and has created an additional 300 full-time jobs with its extension. All of these jobs were filled following a recruitment campaign conducted alongside the Bayonne Employment centre.
