the unknown Esselunga and Leroy Merlin- Corriere.it on the Milan shopping centre

Decathlon towards the farewell to the Baranzate commercial park but unknown about the future of the neighbors Esselunga and Leroy Merlin. The commercial area on the outskirts of Milan will be made less competitive by the brand new Cascina Merlata shopping centre, which should open by the end of 2023 in the north-west of the Milanese city, in the former Expo area. An 80 thousand square meter colossus organized on three levels, which will host 180 shops including the “S” superstore and a 7 thousand square meter Decathlon store (with even two padel courts on the roof).

The chains do not confirm

At the moment no official announcement has been made about the possible farewell but for the Municipality of Baranzate, potentially losing the three shops would be a significant economic loss. Especially if one thinks of the already difficult competition linked to the opening of the Arese super center in 2016. Merlata Bloom Milano, this is the name of the new shopping centre, is then proposed as an Urban Smart District complete with a multiplex under construction. The goal is to become an attractive pole for leisure as well as for shopping with already announced fashion brands such as Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.

Decathlon’s intention therefore seems to be to close the old store once the new one is completed. Also because they would be shops very close to each other: just 2 kilometers away. Same problem for Esselunga, which neither denies nor confirms the hypothesis of an abandonment of Baranzate. What is certain is that already in 2017 the company had negotiated with the Municipality to renovate the store which was now judged to be old with the idea of ​​creating a more modern supermarket but still close to the Northern Ring Road. For Leroy Merlin instead, which is not among the brands that will take ‘home’ in Cascina Merlata, the theme is the risk of remaining the only chain in the commercial park of Baranzate. Barring new entrances, possibly very attractive for the area, it seems unlikely that it will be advantageous to remain a large isolated store.