Centrakor opens first store in Belgium

The French furniture discounter Centrakor has opened its first Belgian store in Gosselies, near Charleroi – the first foreign store at all for the chain.

Neighbouring countries first

The new store is located in the commercial park Espace Nord in Gosselies. Located in a building with an area of 1,550 sqm, the chain is setting out its full product range: furniture, decorative items, crockery, kitchen utensils, pet products, games and gifts. The emphasis in the new shop, however, will be on furniture.

This is the first time that Centrakor has ventured beyond the borders of France: the company wants to expand in the (French-speaking) neighbouring countries, and saw a unique opportunity for this in Charleroi. Speaking to franchise-magazine.com, CEO Olivier Rondolotto calls the opening “a great leap forward for the Centrakor concept which, after France, is storming foreign markets”. The arrival of the French chain is also good news for employment in the region, with the creation of eighteen full-time jobs.

Centrakor has approximately 400 branches throughout France. The roots of the discounter go back to 1990, but the current chain has only been in existence since 2007. Since then, Centrakor has enjoyed spectacular growth, in particular through the acquisition of a whole range of smaller chains like Cosy Crazy and X-Price.