The UCPA Sport Station project in Bordeaux Brazza – UCPA
- Work on the future sports complex in the Brazza district has started and should be completed by the end of 2022.
- In this space of a new kind, we will find a climbing wall of 1,000 m2, nine squash courts or a space dedicated to the practice of golf.
- At the same time, UCPA says it is ready to reopen its traditional sites, especially those located on the Medoc coast.
A new way to practice sport. Known for its outdoor sports recreation camps,
UCPA (National Union of Outdoor Sports Centers) in recent years has launched into a new market, targeting urban workers, with its UCPA Sport Station concept. These are multisport sites, located in the city, making it possible to switch from one activity to another. After Meudon (Hauts-de-Seine) and
Reims (Marne), UCPA will open at the end of 2022 a new 14,000 m2 complex spread over five floors, in the new Brazza district on the right bank in Bordeaux.
The association is also carrying out another project in Bordeaux, for the operation of an aquatic center in the Belcier district, and was chosen to operate the nautical stadium in Mérignac at the end of 2022.
20 minutes asked UCPA director general Guillaume Légaut, who also discusses the consequences of the Covid-19 crisis on the activities of the company, which employs some 12,000 people or 3,000 full-time equivalents, and usually achieves 280 million euros in turnover per year.
What is the UCPA Sport Station project like in the Brazza district in Bordeaux?
Work started in December and the site is progressing well. Delivery is scheduled for late 2022, early 2023. This is original equipment since this type of space does not exist in cities. It is aimed at experienced athletes as well as beginners, and there is a climbing wall there. [de 1.000m2], nine squash courts, seven padel and tennis courts, a golf area with a putting and an 18-hole educational golf course, four saunas, an escape game, a fitness universe… There will also be babysitting services. children, a catering area, another for coworking … The activities are not partitioned, we can move from one to the other, meet people, and be in contact with UCPA educators, since our job is first that one. All in a completely open, transparent building on the banks of the Garonne. About fifty jobs are planned.
Is it new that UCPA is interested in large urban centers?
We are in the process of developing UCPA Sport Stations in different cities, with two projects launched in Nantes and Paris (19th century), and others in preparation. UCPA’s DNA is to be a sports educator, and we are very well known through the courses we organize during the holidays in our centers in the mountains and on the coast, especially in the Médoc (Bombanne, Montalivet, Lacanau, Carcans …) But at the same time, we have always been present in urban areas, in the management of swimming pools or ice rinks … What is new with these projects, however, is that you become a developer and that you design this equipment, by setting up groups to finance, build and then operate them. The investment for Brazza is 24 million euros, carried out in partnership with Caisse des Dépôts.
What impact has the Covid-19 crisis had on your business, and on this Brazza project?
We organized ourselves so that our development projects were not impacted by the crisis, so the Brazza site was not affected. On the other hand, the sports and tourism sector has been practically at a standstill for a year, obviously this has a very heavy economic impact to bear. In 2020, we lost 100 million euros in turnover, and realized 22 million euros in operating losses. We expect a roughly equivalent loss in 2021, at least in revenue. This loss is being assumed for the moment by loans guaranteed by the State, but we are in discussions with the public authorities to see how we will cushion the shock of this economic crisis over the long term. We have already concluded with the Caisse des Dépôts a contribution of nearly 30 million euros, and we have other investors who subscribe associative securities, since the UCPA is an association.
And how are you preparing to reopen your traditional sites, particularly in the Médoc?
We are ready. We have recruited our seasonal workers who are currently partially active. The health protocols are ready. Our hope is that the vaccination will progress quickly and that the deadlines drawn can be implemented. Because our customers are already starting to book summer camps, and young adults, students, are ready to go too. We are putting in place arrangements for stay at cost price, to help them. We hope that by the beginning of the summer, people will be able to practice sports with us again. It is a deadline that does not seem unattainable.