So Ouest, the ambitious new retail complex led by Unibail-Rodamco, opened its doors to the public on October 18, 2012.
This new-generation convenience shopping center is an integral part of a large-scale urban dynamic, playing an active role in transforming the Eiffel district of Levallois into a multifunctional lifestyle hub. So Ouest offers a unique combination of offices, shops, leisure facilities and services to the west of Paris. In addition to making an unprecedented retail offering available to the surrounding
population, So Ouest is boosting the local job market, and will ultimately create around a thousand new positions.
The new temple to chic urban shopping
With So Ouest, Unibail-Rodamco offers city dwellers in western Paris a totally new multi-sensory shopping experience. This new-generation shopping center combines the 3 dimensions that make Europe’s biggest shopping centers so strong: retail, leisure and services. On a scale unheard of in this part of the metropolis, So Ouest will be home to a veritable collection of prestigious, differentiating brands – still very rare in France – as well as must-have international brands. Shopping, leisure and services all in one place.
So Ouest offers a combination of shopping, leisure and hypermarkets that is extremely rare in the metropolis. Ideally located at the gateway to Paris, So Ouest is first and foremost a place to live and enjoy, anchored in the city.
The reasons for visiting So Ouest are multiplied and combined, thanks to a well-balanced offer. Covering an area of 53,000 m2, the shopping center will eventually include 102 stores, a hypermarket, an 8-screen Pathé multiplex and 10 food and beverage outlets. So Ouest will be the largest shopping center in western Paris.
While offering visitors a wide choice of brands and entertainment, So Ouest is keen to maintain its human scale, with an urban, chic atmosphere, to establish itself as a local site accessible to all, like a department store.
An unrivalled shopping offer
So Ouest was conceived from the outset as a place to bring together the most fashionable brands, with a mix of big names, innovative concepts and exclusive brands: Marks & Spencer (the largest in continental Europe at 6,974 m²), Leclerc hypermarket (15,300 m²), Dalloyau, Uniqlo, H&M, Hollister, Zara, Claudie Pierlot, Antony Morato, JD Sport, Prêt à Manger, Michel Dervyn, Original Marines, Marc O’Polo…
For an exceptional shopping experience, So Ouest also offers premium services fully integrated with the retail offering.
Premium services
In addition to the charm of the setting, the hotel offers a host of premium services exclusively dedicated to the well-being of visitors.
So Ouest offers its customers an unrivalled level of quality and welcome.
The reception area, located in the lobby off the main entrance, has been designed in the style of a grand hotel reception, with a Louis XV-style console table with marble top and lacquered sheet metal, a leather base and large mirrors. Three free-view iPads underline the modernity of the space. The furniture was custom-designed for So Ouest or selected from the catalogs of leading design brands (Zanta, Porada, etc.), blending contemporary and classic, without neglecting the comfort dimension.
All 5 senses awakened
For the first time in a shopping center, visitors can immerse themselves in a unique multi-sensory environment, combining innovative interactive elements and custom-designed activities. An exclusive journey around the 5 senses for a permanent spectacle that invites astonishment and pleasure.
Hearing
A specific sound path has been designed for So Ouest, providing a sensitive and intense experience in each of the center’s galleries, as well as under the main glass roof. Acoustic events plunge visitors into a Zen atmosphere, isolating them from the noise of the city.
On the first floor, in the Galerie Musique, two automatic upright pianos, integrated into a niche, perform a “4-hand” concert of the most famous arias from the classical repertoire. Along the way, other soft, soothing sounds punctuate the stroll. To the beat of the music, the pianos’ mechanisms light up, revealing strings and keys in motion.
The Galerie Végétale takes visitors on a sonorous, bucolic stroll through the forest.
The view
Visual animations occupy an important place within the various galleries of So Ouest.
However, one of the center’s most surprising gestures is located on level -1. Along the wall of the Galerie Marine, 32 digital screens reproduce a giant aquarium, inviting passers-by to enter a dreamlike, fairytale world. Young and old alike will marvel at the fantastic fish and creatures evolving in 3D, reacting to their movements in real time, rushing towards them or scattering in their path. Created specifically for So Ouest, this one-of-a-kind animation was made possible by concealing sensors on the screens.
From the parking lot to the first floor, a huge Gallery of Portraits stretches 16.40 m high. A blend of techniques (painting, photography, collage, drawing, etc.) and periods (from the Renaissance to the present day), this animation is truly astonishing. Three high-brightness screens broadcast dynamic portraits that discreetly follow a customer with their eyes, smiling or waving in a Harry Potter-style mural effect. Visitors are also invited to take a photo of themselves using a special device to display their face in one of the frames.
Finally, on the first basement level, the Galerie Végétale houses an immense wooden wall frame, incorporating encapsulated fibre optics. Dressed in highly realistic artificial vegetation, it combines floral compositions with interactive light animations. Virtual plants grow and disappear as you move along.
The touch
Careful attention has been paid to the choice of noble materials and bespoke furniture. Throughout the center, the presence of leather, marble, polished stone and stained woodwork is a constant invitation to let your fingers glide over them.
The children’s area on level -1 has been designed on the theme of a child’s bedroom, with an interactive floor surrounded by carpeting, all secured by bars reminiscent of those found in playpens.
Three rest areas on the first floor welcome visitors. Elegant and comfortable, they are ideal for taking a break, recharging your mobile or surfing the Internet, thanks to large, bright, designer plant steles with built-in power sockets and WiFi connection.
Last but not least, digital consultation desks on the first floor help you find your way around the center.
The sense of smell
In the Galerie Végétale, judiciously positioned sensors diffuse highly volatile dry scents as visitors pass in front of the wall of plants, perfuming the air with a springtime sweetness that delights walkers without annoying them.
Taste
The center’s stores also contribute to stimulating the senses, with well-known names in gastronomy such as :
– Europe’s largest continental Marks & Spencer features an extensive Food Hall with a full range of quality food products, a wide range of fresh dishes inspired by world cuisines, British classics as well as sandwiches and crumpets (blinis), not forgetting a superb bakery section, a café and a deli corner which will also be part of the concept.
– A completely redesigned 15,000 sq. m. Leclerc (8,000 sq. m. of sales area), the largest in western Paris, with the largest fresh produce department in the Paris region and an exceptional wine cellar with a very wide selection of wines, from grand cru to small producers.
– The Dalloyau house of gastronomy
– The Berko cupcakery, where gourmets can enjoy sweet and savoury delights (savoury tarts, cheesecakes, cupcakes, etc.) in a warm and original setting
– The famous Starbucks coffee lounge, where you can savour perfectly roasted coffee as well as a selection of great teas, pastries and many other delights… in a welcoming atmosphere.
– And lots of other surprises…
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