The opening, since October 15, of the E.Leclerc Les Terrass cultural space, in Saint-Joseph, constitutes for the south of the island a cultural as well as commercial event. By making the wild South autonomous in access to cultural goods, the E.Leclerc Réunion Movement continues its contribution to the rise of the demographic and economic center of its “capital”, Saint Joseph.
Everyone understood, October 14, during the inauguration of the E.Leclerc Les Terrass cultural space, that it’s not just a new business that has just opened in Saint-Joseph. It's much more than that. Create the first library, the first commercial space dedicated to culture in a geographical area hitherto isolated in this regard, is a strong and landmark act. Locomotive from the activity zone of the same name, the E.Leclerc Les Terrass shopping center opened its doors in 2019. The opening five years later of the brand's third Reunion cultural space confirms the growing demographic influence, economic, but also cultural, of Saint-Joseph with its 40,000 inhabitants. It is to open this new page together that Pascal Thiaw Kine, president of the E.Leclerc Movement in Reunion, and Patrick Lebreton, mayor of Saint-Joseph and vice-president of the Réunion region, each wanted to emphasize the seniority of their relationship : 21 ans ! E.Leclerc has been involved in municipal life for a long time : support for the school and the Komidi theater festival via the Réunion des Talents Fund ; support from AS Excelsior, the town's football club ; creation of the space to listen to domestic violence, only public-private space of this type in Reunion ; support for the Cœur de ville de Saint-Joseph association to strengthen the attractiveness of the city center in conjunction with the shopping center and the gallery’s merchants. The opening of the E.Leclerc Les Terrass cultural space comes as a new stage in this partnership.
A shared vision
The point of sale completes and relays the cultural offer of the municipality, whose flagship is the South Savage media library with its itinerant complement, the mediabus. “Culture has always had a special place within the E.Leclerc Réunion Movement. This new cultural space in the heart of the wild South offers us the opportunity to share these values and continue our approach of doing things together, everywhere and with everyone”, recalled Pascal Thiaw Kine. “I must recognize Pascal Thiaw Kine for being our partner not with a brutally commercial objective, but with a development objective that we share”, greeted Patrick Lebreton for his part. E.Leclerc can now be considered the commercial and cultural brand of the wild South.
Saint-Joseph at a time of new trends
The Les Terrass cultural space gives residents of the South access to gaming and creative leisure offers, two markets with the wind in their sails.
General literature, police officers, paperback and large format books, comics, sleeves, heroic fantasy, books for young people, comic strips… The new E.Leclerc cultural space offers more than 18,000 book references. It particularly highlights books that (Pei Feathers). Pei artists are welcome and can even ask the department manager directly to be referenced in store. A news area with new products and the best sales of the moment welcomes the visitor. Note a section of books in English. Music is displayed with a substantial offer of vinyl records. Business engine, multimedia results in a wide selection of video games, PC gaming, smartphones, TV and sound, PCs and tablets and new multimedia products. Something new comes from creative hobbies, which are entering E.Leclerc cultural spaces with a new universe dedicated to stationery, fine arts and creative hobbies. In terms of services, the Les Terrass cultural space means that customers in the Wild South now benefit from local click and collect (www.espaceculturelreunion.e-leclerc.re), a delivery service, of a SAV, ink cartridge recycling terminals and a ticket office. And it’s also the network’s program of events that reaches the wild South : Flamboyant price, Vinyl Show, Réyéné Book Fair, BD plain branch, e-sports tournaments, Crime Week, showcases, dedications, workshops, entertainment for marmays. Added to this are very diverse local events.. The program accompanying the store launch currently provides an overview.
The third E.Leclerc cultural space in Reunion
The first E.Leclerc cultural space opened in the Portail Saint-Leu shopping gallery in 2016. The second opened at the same time as the La Réserve shopping center in Sainte-Marie in 2020.
“In a few years, E.Leclerc cultural spaces have become major players in the offering of cultural products in France and Reunion Island. » This observation by Benjamin Chevassut, general director of the E.Leclerc Réunion Movement, is to be considered in relation to the experience of the customers of the first two E.Leclerc cultural spaces of their director, Benoît Bustos. “It is indistinguishable from that of the food trade, outside the school clientele of students and teachers. What people often do, it’s to leave their shopping cart in the gallery and do their shopping at the cultural space before going shopping. » In eight years, the concept and its offer have evolved. Firstly, to adapt to trends, of which the explosion of manga among young people is a bit of a symbol. But also to meet a demand for Reunion cultural products. Privileged partnerships have been established with local publishers to develop the range of pei books.. Alongside the offer common to the three stores (80 %), 20% is left to the choice of each store. Result : if multimedia and new technologies logically represent the largest share of turnover in value, books are the best-selling item by volume.
