Toulouse. Three brands are closing in quick succession, is the bubbling rue Saint-Rome still attractive?
By Guillaume Laurent
Published on
Major commercial artery of Toulousethe Saint Rome street does it still have its former glory? Or has it lost its bubbling activity since the renovation of rue Alsace-Lorraine, ten years ago already, reshuffled the maps of pedestrian flows in the hypercentre of Toulouse? While in this summer of 2022, no less than three national brands have closed their shops in quick succession on the lower part, on the Capitol side, should this be seen as a sign of the situation of commerce in the street? Make the point.
The Kase and its telephone accessories hang up
At number 46 of the street, The case closed in June. “It is with emotion that we announce the final closure of your store,” wrote the phone accessories store on its window. “Thank you for your empathy towards our team and your loyalty during all these years”. For any information, the brand refers to its customer service, and indicates that its activity… continues online.
Created by the founders of Pixmania, this national specialist in phone cases, which had taken the risk of buying out the The Phone House brand, had ended up in compulsory liquidation last spring… A few weeks later, the company, which offered refurbished smartphones and accessories for laptops and tablets, has closed its doors 43 shops definitively. “Our stores in France have unfortunately not survived the impacts of the health crisis that we have gone through”, can we read on son website.
![The Kase closed at the beginning of the summer, rue Saint-Rome in Toulouse](https://static.actu.fr/uploads/2022/09/fermeture-the-case-rue-saint-rome-toulouse.jpg)
More network for Xiaomi, the giant of connected objects
At the end of August, at number 45 on the street, just opposite The Kase, is the shop Xiaomi who had lowered her metal curtains. A closure here again definitive for the only Toulouse brand of the Chinese giant of smartphones and connected objects, barely a year after its opening… The Chinese company is not however the SME of the corner, but the world number 3 in the smartphone market, behind the unstoppable Apple and Samsung, and an undisputed leader in the market for connected devices (vacuum cleaners, scooters, etc.).
Displaying great ambitions on the European market, Xiaomi had decided to put in place a “strategy of establishment in the big cities” of France, explained Yan Liu, French boss of the firm, shortly before the opening of the Toulouse boutique. But this plan came to an end… The Pink City store was not managed directly by the manufacturer of low-cost connected objects, but by the company Tell Me, based in Alfortville (Val-de-Marne), which was placed in compulsory liquidation on Tuesday 23 August. In the absence of buyers, this court decision resulted in the closure of the various Xiaomi Stores managed by this company, all over France.
![End clap for the Xiaomi store in Toulouse, one after its arrival in the city center.](https://static.actu.fr/uploads/2022/08/xiaomi-toulouse-tc.jpg)
Jennyfer a definitely bent boutique
More surprising: the ready-to-wear giant jennyfer a shop also bent. On the window of the shop at number 36 on the street, the brand announces the color to its customers: “We found you a store near you, to continue shopping OKLM for the latest collaborations and new products”, and she sent back… to the mall of Portet-sur-Garonne.
As for the reasons for this closure, contacted by Toulouse news, the sign did not respond to our requests. But she still has to this day four other shops in the conurbation, all in shopping malls… Is the clientele of hypermarkets more suited to their activity?
![The Jennyfer store has just closed in early September 2022, rue Saint-Rome in Toulouse](https://static.actu.fr/uploads/2022/09/fermeture-jennyfer-rue-saint-rome-toulouse.jpg)
“We have felt this transfer for years”, testifies Philippe Léon
But while the most prominent brands are setting up on rue d’Alsace-Lorraine, rue Saint-Rome, which now houses shops for young people, discount stores and inexpensive restaurants, does it keep still all son attractiveness ? President of the Federation of artisans, traders and professionals of Toulouse, Philip Leon is not surprised by these developments, and depicts a long-term trend, with not lent “transfer” of activity from rue Saint-Rome towards Alsace-Lorraine.
“The typology of brands that was formerly rue Saint-Rome is now clearly tending to settle in rue d’Alsace. We have felt this transfer for years… The customers of rue Saint-Rome, historically mid-range , is changing and becoming more popular. And faced with the evolution of the population that frequents this shopping street, intermediate brands are trying to refocus elsewhere. Some have moved to rue d’Alsace-Lorraine, which at the same time has slipped from ‘a high-end to mid-range clientele…”
For Philippe Léon, the number of visitors to rue Saint-Rome has clearly changed: “Today there are a younger clientele than a few years ago, with many students at little purchasing power.
Towards more entry-level shops?
Based on the feedback from members of his federation, he says: “The customers who use this axis today no longer completely correspond to certain brands, and no doubt want to be more conducive to entry-level businesses. The President of the Traders is not, however, not worried for the future of this always spotted street… if the traders are able to adapt their activity:
“Rue Saint-Rome, located on the Roman corso, has always been and remains a major axis for crossing the hypercentre of Toulouse. It remains a very beautiful street, always crowded! The population flow is still there, but you need an offer in line with the type of consumer present…”
“In this street, there are still many chains, and few independents”, analyzes the president of the traders. “Or, today, cheap clothing, you can find it everywhere, including on the Internet. The street offer must adapt to a new type of consumer”.
While some flagship brands, such as Levi’s, Foot locker and consorts, continue to do well, it is now mainly low-cost shops that have set up shop: Claire’s we Normal, for example, are wildly successful… “This is the typical case of the adapted store”, pledges the president of the traders, not surprised by the “adjustments” in progress in the existing signs.
“The street for young customers is Saint-Rome! »
Figure of the rue Saint-Rome, and at the helm of the very popular boutique Levi’s for two decades, Marc Fridman is much more moderate: “People are delighted to describe streets to you by parking them in particular typologies! But I have been working there for 30 years, it has always been a very young, very dynamic street, and one of the busiest in Toulouse”, supports the man who is certainly the oldest tradesman on the street.
He points out that the shop Teddy Smith which closed after 15 years of activity in Toulouse, was not rue Saint-Rome, but rue Saint-Antoine-du-T. As for the rue d’Alsace, “the signs have become impoverished, and are you sure that there are still as many people? »
Like Philippe Léon, he recognizes that “brands attract customers”, but confirms that attractiveness is always in good shape.
“The street dedicated to a young clientele in Toulouse is rue Saint-Rome! The fashion brands they are looking for (Courir, JD Sports, Le Temps des Cerises, Levi’s, etc.) are for many on rue Saint-Rome, whose commercial appeal is undeniable”.
“Having said that, it is obvious that the brands that have also lead to a clientele that corresponds to them,” continues Marc Fridman. ” And shoemakers or jeansners train a rather young clientele…” He therefore describes a street that is more “trendy” than ever, with improved shops offering “entry-level and mid-range products”, but which have in fact “adapted to impoverishment » of their clientele.
In 2021, Levi’s had its “best year” in 21 years on rue Saint-Rome!
At its Levi’s store, at number 23, the typical customer profile is quite disparate… “We don’t have a typical clientele: we receive young people who are sensitive to the product of course, but also couples with children, people in their forties who come to to please, grandmothers who come to pay for jeans for their grandsons…” And according to him, the trade remains looking good :
“The year 2021 was the best year of our existence, in 21 years!”
If the health crisis has been “a disaster” for many traders, observes Marc Fridman “rather rapid turnover since the end of the Covid”, with “goodwill that does not remain empty for long”. As everywhere in Toulouse, shopkeepers in Saint-Rome now have to deal with the purchasing power crisis, and this summer suffered from a more localized problem: repetitive work on the pipelines.
And if the heat wave did not help the traders either, “we find good activity as soon as the temperatures drop, like this Wednesday”, observes the manager of Levi’s, who notes that “activity was very sustained during the clearance sale”.
“Today, it’s hard for everyone, but it’s more linked to geopolitical, climatic or economic phenomena than to any structural change, support Marc Fridman. Moreover, president of the clothing federation of the Occitanie region, he does not see a more significant metamorphosis here than elsewhere: “Rue Saint-Rome is not immune to changes in commerce, online orders, and of the purchasing power of customers…”.
A picturesque street in Toulouse
To keep the street looking beautiful, work had been carried out a few years ago: the paving had been redone in 2017, and “reinforced pedestrianization with the installation of access blocks”, notes Marc Fridman. “The town hall has also set up a video surveillance system”.
Lined with many shops, rue Saint-Rome has been for decades one of the main shopping streets From toulouse. With the rich facades of its mansions and its merchant buildings integrated between the 15the and XIXe centuries, as well as its chapter towers, this street, as pedestrian as it is picturesque, is a cornerstone of the history and heritage of the Pink City, a stone’s throw from the Capitol.
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