The Columbus Café brand will be setting up at Nîmes train station in place of Starbucks in spring 2025

Columbus café, ici sur le boulevard Amiral Courbet, va s’implanter à la gare au printemps 2025. DR

L’enseigne française s’implante pour la troisième fois à Nîmes. Cette fois-ci, ce sera à la gare au printemps prochain pour un projet ambitieux.

Columbus Café will be setting up shop in the spring of 2025 at the Nîmes SNCF train station, replacing Starbucks. This information was confirmed by Sébastien Polo, who owns several franchises of the famous French brand, recognizable by its bear head: “The SNCF renews its concessions every seven years. We won the call for tenders. It's a great opportunity.”

Columbus Café will replace the American mermaid, which will be moving to Cap Costières in March to continue offering coffee, snacks and pastries with an indoor terrace. The management of the shopping center south of Nîmes made official this Wednesday the arrival of Starbucks at the southwest entrance of the mall opposite Bershka. Not far from there, there will also be the establishment of the optics and hearing specialist Krys from February 11 (read elsewhere).

Terrace, larger premises

Also present with Columbus Café in Cap Costières since 2017 and at the bottom of Boulevard Amiral Courbet for four years, Sébastien Polo does not see the arrival of Starbucks as a competitor but rather as a complementary colleague.

The arrival of the French brand with its sweet and savory delights, its hot or cold drinks, at the SNCF train station, will not lead to the closure of the Columbus Café, not far from there, on Boulevard Amiral Courbet. “We will have other flows, from the passage to the station”, predicts Sébastien Polo.

The latter indicates that he will be able to recover the Avis cell next to the Starbucks premises, which will allow him to have a business with an area of ​​200 square meters.“There will also be the creation of a large terrace to attract the public, especially the young clientele, on the other side of the station”, indicates Sébastien Polo. “We will duplicate the offer with the same menus and prices as our locations in Cap Costières and Amiral Courbet”, specifies the management of the French coffee shop.

The good health of Cap Costières

Proof of the good health of the shopping center, Cap Costières is full of brands at the beginning of this year with the arrival of Starbucks but also Krys. The store will offer glasses, sunglasses, contact lenses and hearing aids in a "modern and welcoming" space. For the management of the shopping mall, "these two openings confirm once again the positioning of the Cap Costières gallery as an essential place to live in Nîmes that combines shopping, leisure and catering for all."

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