Astrolabe, Euromed Center’s first office building, over 50% leased

Euromed Center welcomes the first users of its office space. Crédit Agricole Assurances and Foncière des Régions, joint investors in this new urban life project in the Euroméditerranée region, announce the signature of the first six leases for the Astrolabe building, now 56% leased. These leases, which concern both the private and public sectors, confirm Euromed Center’s ambition to represent the city’s new business destination.

Delivered in early 2015, Astrolabe is Euromed Center’s first office building. Located on the corner of Boulevard de Dunkerque and Place Henri Verneuil, it faces Le Silo and overlooks the Joliette-Minoterie theatre. The building comprises 14,000 m2 of office space equipped with services, and enjoys great visibility of the major business district in the Marseille-Euroméditerranée region. Astrolabe has HQE® (High Environmental Quality) certification and the BBC-Effinergie (Low Energy Building) label. It was designed by the Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas. The future Euromed Center district will combine offices, retail outlets, a garden and public parking areas, hotel and multiplex cinema. These features appeal to companies and institutions searching for a strategic location and premium services.

Foncière des Régions and Crédit Agricole Assurances, joint investors in this new district, announce the arrival of its first six users:

• MGEN, a major player in social protection, occupies 2,978 m² on the fifth and sixth floors of Astrolabe. This move enables the health insurance company to reposition one of its major processing centres in more modern and high-performance offices, thereby enhancing their performance through a location in the heart of the new Marseille business district;
• EPAEM (Établissement Public d’Aménagement Euroméditerranée - a French government institution to develop the Euroméditerranée region) will take up 2,165 m2 on the building’s ground and first floors. With the aim of optimising its surface area and controlling property costs, the government institution will leave its current location next August. Euromed Center is a highly symbolic choice for EPAEM, which testifies to the centre’s quality and appeal;
• BPD Marignan, a French developer, has set up its teams on the second floor of Astrolabe across a surface area of 520 m². Euromed Center’s central location, premium services and high-performance office space were decisive factors in the choice of this new location;
• Société Marseillaise de Crédit established its Marseille Nord Business Centre across 493 m² of office space on the second floor of Astrolabe. The other divisions have joined the bank’s headquarters located in rue du Paradis in Marseille;
• Michael Page and Page Personnel, executive recruitment consulting firms, have taken 428 m2 of office space on the second floor of the building. The relocation of teams to Astrolabe serves a dual purpose: the grouping together of employees, formerly located in Les Docks and at Place Sadi Carnot, and the desire to enjoy office space in a new and high-performance building in the heart of the Euroméditerranée region;
• Lastly, a sixth user will occupy the 1,443 m² of office space located on the seventh and last floor of Astrolabe. This new location enables it to group together its teams and to expand its office space, while establishing itself in the forefront of the Euroméditerranée region.

CBRE performed the transactions concluded with Michael Page, Société Marseillaise de Crédit and the tenant of the 1,443 m² surface area. The BPD Marignan and MGEN transactions were performed with the assistance of DTZ and BNP Paribas Real Estate, respectively.

Tivoli Capital supports Foncière des Régions and Crédit Agricole Assurances by providing consulting services on the marketing of the entire Euromed Center programme.

“These leases, which represent prime rentals, prove that our project corresponds to the regional market. Our project targets companies searching for new, flexible and high-performance offices, providing premium services, and which contribute towards their brand’s image, while boasting good value for money in terms of costs vs. benefits. Other discussions under way confirm our project’s appeal”, specifies Olivier Estève, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Foncière des Régions.

“The quality and diversity of these signatures prove that the Euromed Center offer meets the demand expressed by the economic players in Marseille and beyond: moving into office space providing good working conditions. With its dynamic range of services, Euromed Center challenges the conventional understanding of an office by combining the company’s development with the personal satisfaction of its teams”, explains Emeric Servin, Senior Advisor Real Estate, Crédit Agricole Assurances.

With the arrival of more than 400 people in Astrolabe and the opening of the public parking area (846 spaces) in the beginning of the year, life is gradually taking shape within the Euromed Center. At the same time, the completion of the four-star Golden Tulip hotel and the second office building, Calypso (9,700 m2), continue at a steady pace with a view to delivery in mid-2016.