Les 3 Fontaines

Les 3 Fontaines (also known as Les Trois Fontaines) is a shopping centre located in Cergy, in the Val-d'Oise department of France, within the Cergy-Préfecture district. It was designed by architects Claude Vasconi and André Georgel, with construction beginning in June 1970, and was inaugurated on 25 September 1973 by Michel Poniatowski. The centre was one of the first in France to be directly connected both to a motorway (the A15) and to a pedestrian town centre, and it is served by the RER A station Cergy-Préfecture. The centre was extended in the 1990s with the addition of Cergy 3, which brought in a Fnac store and around 30 other shops. It was renovated in 1996 after being acquired by the Hammerson group in 1995, and underwent a full interior renovation in 2016. As of 2022, Les 3 Fontaines hosts 230 shops over 100,000 m², including 14 restaurants, and an Auchan hypermarket that generates 40% of the centre's revenue. Daily footfall is estimated at 35,000 visitors. In 2024, the centre had 202 occupied commercial units, including the Auchan hypermarket, two pharmacies, 13 jewellers, and a La Poste post office. The restaurant cluster, known as "District", includes McDonald's, Starbucks, Burger King, Onyxia, and Lunicco. Les 3 Fontaines is positioned as a lively, locally anchored destination in the Val-d'Oise, combining shopping, dining, leisure, and services. It emphasises sustainability, with initiatives such as valorising 95% of its waste, developing methanisation, installing photovoltaic panels (planned for end-2026), improving insulation, optimising lighting, and rainwater recovery, aiming for a 40% reduction in energy consumption under the French tertiary sector decree. The centre also promotes responsible mobility with 100 electric vehicle charging points and dedicated parking for carpooling, bicycles, and scooters. It regularly hosts events and afterworks, particularly in the District area. The centre has been owned in part by Hammerson since 1995, which holds 37% of the property. A major extension project proposed by Hammerson in the 2000s was abandoned due to the 2008 financial crisis and local political context. A subsequent redevelopment project, launched in 2018 and scheduled for completion in 2022, involved demolishing and rebuilding the car parks and reconfiguring the Auchan hypermarket. Les 3 Fontaines remains a key retail and social hub in Cergy, noted for its appearance in Annie Ernaux's 2014 book "Regarde les lumières mon amour".

The construction of the regional shopping centre Les 3 Fontaines began in June 1970, designed by architects Claude Vasconi and André Georgel. It was part of the development of the new town of Cergy-Pontoise, specifically the Cergy-Préfecture district, and together with the prefecture building formed one of the two main development axes of the area. The centre was inaugurated on 25 September 1973 by Michel Poniatowski. Its first tenants included the department stores La Samaritaine and Monoprix. Notably, it was the first shopping centre in France to be directly linked both to a road network (the A15 motorway) on one side and to the pedestrian town centre on the other. A station on the RER A line, Cergy-Préfecture, serves the immediate vicinity. In the 1990s, the centre was extended and enlarged with the addition of "Cergy 3", increasing the commercial surface area. This extension housed a Fnac store and about 30 other shops. In 1995, the Hammerson group acquired a stake in the centre, and in 1996 the centre was renovated. A full interior renovation took place in 2016. By 2022, Les 3 Fontaines counted 230 shops over 100,000 m², including 14 restaurants. An Auchan hypermarket within the centre accounted for 40% of the total revenue of the entire town centre area. Daily customer numbers were estimated at 35,000. In 2024, the centre had 202 occupied commercial units, including the Auchan hypermarket, two pharmacies, 13 jewellers, and a La Poste post office. The restaurant offerings are concentrated in a hub called "District", which in 2024 included McDonald's, Starbucks, Onyxia, Burger King, and Lunicco. Regarding expansion, the Hammerson group, which owns 37% of the property, proposed an extension of 30,000 m² and restructuring that would have brought the total surface to 100,000 m². The Fnac area would have doubled, new shops would have appeared, and the parking would have been enlarged by 1,500 spaces and reconfigured. This project was to be delivered in 2013, but was abandoned due to the local and political context combined with the 2008 financial crisis. On 15 April 2015, a new project was announced to demolish and rebuild the car parks on five levels instead of three, with Auchan on one level instead of two, and new shops in the centre. This project was scheduled to run from July 2018 to June 2022. The centre is also noted for its appearance in literature: Annie Ernaux, the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature, lived in Cergy and spent many days in the Auchan hypermarket of this shopping centre in 2012 and 2013, which led her to write a romance dedicated to Auchan titled "Regarde les lumières mon amour" in 2014.

• 2018

  A new redevelopment project begins, including demolition and reconstruction of car parks, scheduled to run until June 2022.

• 2016

  A full interior renovation of the centre is completed.

• 1996

  The centre is renovated following the acquisition by Hammerson.

• 1995

  The Hammerson group acquires a stake in the shopping centre.

• 1990

  The centre is extended with the addition of Cergy 3, housing a Fnac and about 30 other shops.

• 1973

  The shopping centre is inaugurated on 25 September by Michel Poniatowski; first tenants include La Samaritaine and Monoprix.

• 1970

  Construction of the Les 3 Fontaines regional shopping centre begins in June, designed by Claude Vasconi and André Georgel.

A locally anchored, sustainable, and convivial shopping and lifestyle destination in the heart of Cergy.

• Auchan hypermarket

  A hypermarket within the centre, generating 40% of the total revenue of the town centre area.

• Fnac

  A cultural and electronics retailer, part of the Cergy 3 extension.

• District restaurant hub

  A cluster of restaurants including McDonald's, Starbucks, Burger King, Onyxia, and Lunicco.

• La Poste post office

  A post office located within the shopping centre.

1. 1Les 3 Fontaines official website3fontaines.com
2. 2À propos des 3 Fontaines3fontaines.com
3. 3Les 3 Fontaines - Wikipedia (French)fr.wikipedia.org
4. 4Les Trois Fontaines - Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5Les 3 Fontaines à Cergy | C'est toute une histoire ...3fontaines.com
6. 6À propos des 3 Fontaines3fontaines.com