Toulouse. “As an investor, opening a business in a station is not commendable”
In the commercial area of the Jean Jaurès metro station, the premises are empty. Former traders accuse Tisséo.
The once lively little shopping arcade in the Jean-Jaurès metro station is no more. Several months, 3 of the 4 commercial premises in the station are deserted. The one that previously housed the Monoprix will soon reopen under the “Carrefour City” brand, after almost a year of vacancy. According to Tisséo, “The overall process can last between 6 and 9 months” which explains this impression of emptiness. For 3 years, the monoprix had already shown a drop in attendance due to covid and work on the ramblas.
Former investors also put forward other explanations, in particular the management of Tisséo: “We need a slightly more flexible policy. The old business management was fine but not the new one. If there are closures, it is because the commercial policy is not adapted, ”assures one of them. Some point to the operator’s lack of complacency and lack of listening due to the difficulties they encountered during the health crisis. The transport authority denies it: “We supported them in this difficult period but misunderstandings may have persisted in our partnership relationship with some of them”.
Currently, only the “PAUL” bakery is open. Established since 2007, the franchise benefits from passing customers thanks to its strong point, fast service. Its ex-neighbor “Brootchy”, which prided itself on being the first restaurant specializing in smash burgers, has fizzled out. Since the closure of the establishment in April 2022, the premises have remained vacant. The station is in the Toulouse hyper center, the commercial density is important and varied. Competition is fierce there with 4 fast food outlets on Place Wilson alone, just above the station. A little further, the beauty salon has also closed its doors for 6 months and is waiting to be taken over. For the sales department, the shops are not shunned by the traders, “the results of our last call for tenders of course that the attractiveness of these locations has returned to its pre-covid level, like the renewed dynamism of frequentation of the Tisséo network”.