It is a historical site of the regional economy. Straddling the towns of Villeneuve-d’Ascq and Croix (Nord-Pas-de-Calais), the former site of
3 Swiss is living a second life. From 1966 to 2012, the famous spinning mill and mail-order company had set up four huge warehouses where the products chosen from catalogs by customers were transported, packed and shipped.
After experiencing a veritable golden age, the company, which fell into disuse in the early 2000s, ended up moving to reinvent itself, leaving behind 30 hectares of industrial wasteland.
The quarter-hour city
A huge space bought five years ago by the real estate developer Nhood, associated with Link City, who decided to completely transform the wasteland and call the project “La Maillerie” in a nod to the history of the site. By 2024, the idea is to make it a new district where everything is accessible on foot.
“We are in the idea of the quarter-hour city. Concretely, our objective is to be able to offer our inhabitants everything that can make their life less than a quarter of an hour away on foot. We are in the idea of limiting travel. We could live without leaving this neighborhood, but that’s not our idea. We really want to be a link between the towns of Croix and Villeneuve-d’Ascq with whom we built this district”, explains Aurélie Thumerelle, animation and communication manager for the site of The Maillerie
Housing, offices, services and catering
While 711 homes are being built on the site, many services are also planned. Thus, we can find offices, a primary school, a crèche, a senior residence, a student residence, a hotel, a leisure area or even a medical center. It is already possible to do your shopping or eat in the only one of the four 3 Suisses warehouses that has remained intact.
Inside, a 300-seat restaurant opened a few weeks ago, launched by The Brick House team but also
Biltoki food halls. In a space of 1000 m², there are 24 independent food shops in the Lille region. It is possible to do your shopping but also to ask for a drink. “Between the people who will live there, those who will work there and those who will come to do their shopping there, it is estimated that 3 to 4,000 people will circulate on the site every day”, assures Aurélie Thumerelle. Enough to give new life to a place rich in history.
Trade: the 3 Suisses put up for sale