Irish fast-fashion retailer Primark will open its new 2,600-square-meter store at the Aushopping Pôle Europe shopping center in Mont-Saint-Martin on Friday, December 4, 2026, ending a three-year administrative dispute that began in early 2023.
Mont-Saint-Martin Store Opens December 4 with 80 New Jobs
- Opening Date: The Mont-Saint-Martin store will welcome its first shoppers on December 4, 2026, just ahead of the end-of-year holiday shopping period.
- Employment Impact: The expansion adds 80 newly recruited full-time and part-time positions following a recruitment campaign launched in September.
- Market Reach: The new location positions the brand directly to capture consumer traffic from the nearby Luxembourg and Belgian borders.
Retail Expansion at Aushopping Pôle Europe
The new retail space occupies an extension of the Aushopping Pôle Europe commercial center, situated near the existing Auchan hypermarket.
According to marketing manager Chloé Gratz, as reported by Le Républicain Lorrain and detailed by L’Essentiel, the project involved constructing a brand-new building from the ground up on a previously underutilized parking lot behind the hypermarket. Sylvain Darracq, directeur général de Primark France, is scheduled to attend the opening event.
The project follows previous retail additions to the commercial zone earlier in the year, including stores by Jack&Jones and B&M. While the brand already operates locations in Metz and Sarrebruck, it currently maintains no physical footprint inside Luxembourg.
| Project Milestone | Date | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Announcement | Early 2023 | Plans announced for the Mont-Saint-Martin location near the Luxembourg border. |
| CDAC Approval | February 2023 | Meurthe-et-Moselle commercial planning commission initially approves the Aushopping extension. |
| CNAC Reversal | May 2023 | National commission upholds an appeal filed by former Longwy mayor Jean-Marc Fournel. |
Overcoming Three Years of Regulatory Hurdles
The December launch concludes a lengthy planning process that started in January 2023. Shortly after the Meurthe-et-Moselle commercial planning commission issued a favorable ruling in February 2023, former Longwy mayor Jean-Marc Fournel filed an appeal against the development, as noted by Virgule.
The National Commercial Planning Commission sustained the challenge in May 2023, forcing developers to revise their proposals. A new building permit was submitted in February 2024. Following subsequent approvals by regional and national planning bodies during the summer of 2024, construction crews finally broke ground on the commercial extension.
