Ceetrus Group evaluates investments in Porto

An international delegation of the Ceetrus group visited the City Hall this week and got to know the path that the Municipality is tracing in terms of sustainability and the transformation of the city for the future. The company that owns brands like Auchan, Decathlon, or Leroy Merlin, and which also owns and manages several shopping centers in Portugal, evaluates investment opportunities in Porto.

The Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, and the councilor for Economy, Tourism, and Commerce, Ricardo Valente, received the 17 members of the Ceetrus group, this Wednesday. The delegation was represented at the highest level, by its main decision-makers and advisers worldwide, with emphasis on the CEO of Ceetrus Internacional, Benoit Lheureux, the CFO, Benoit Chang, as well as the scientist-entrepreneur and precursor of smart cities, specialist Carlos Moreno. Pioneer in the definition of "Living Smart Cities", in January 2015, he assumed the role of "special envoy for smart cities" with the mayor of Paris (advisor for smart cities committed to the digital transformation).

The main objective of the reception was to know the policies and actions that the Municipality of Porto has developed in order to make the city more sustainable, through a clear commitment to innovation. A path, moreover, increasingly in evidence at the international level, after the "The Smart City Innovator Award", received at the ceremony of the Annual Investment Meeting, conducted online from Dubai this Thursday, and which also distinguished the support provided by InvestPorto to the alliance between the Portuguese company Critical Software and the multinational BMW.

On the other hand, Ceetrus group took advantage of the reception to share with the city the projects already under study for Porto, in order to identify potential investment opportunities that can contribute to project the city as a preferred location in the company's international investment landscape.

The delegation made up of the international corporate management and specialists in the area of ​​transformation and sustainable future of cities also visited the Porto Innovation Hub, a project that, in fact, allowed the city to be awarded yesterday for its innovation ecosystem, in an event that counted on the participation 170 countries.

In the space that is home to the Porto Digital Association and various entrepreneurial projects in the city, councilor Ricardo Valente presented the group with the competitive advantages of Porto as an ideal destination to invest and scale, with emphasis on investment opportunities and the main strategic projects of the city, including the Campanhã Slaughterhouse and the Bolhão Market.

Ceetrus, a company belonging to the Mulliez Family Association (AFM), has several brands such as Auchan Retail, Ceetrus, Decathlon, Helexia, Leroy Merlin, Norauto, and Oney. It has more than 40 years of experience in the real estate sector, being today one of the main owners and managers of shopping centers in Portugal, with a growing strategic focus on diversification in other areas of real estate. With a presence in ten countries.