What Scic Lieux Communs does

SCIC Lieux Communs is a French cooperative (Société Coopérative d'Intérêt Collectif, transformed into SCIC SAS in April 2025) founded in 2013 by Les Ecossolies to manage and animate shared workspaces for the social and solidarity economy (ESS). It operates two sites on Île de Nantes: the Solilab, a 9,000m²+ rehabilitated industrial brownfield opened in 2014 that houses 140 ESS activities across 60 private offices, 46 coworking stations, an 800m² event hall, meeting rooms, a 400m² collective store, a café-restaurant, and weekly farmers' market; and ESScale Mabon, a 1,000m² co-managed workspace opened in September 2023 inside La Poste's regional offices with CRESS Pays de la Loire. The cooperative generates revenue through all-inclusive workspace rentals (private offices from €221.65/month, coworking from €90/month, storage from €5.66/m²/month), event space hire (€90–€450 per day, with member discounts), and on-site retail tenants, while expanding its capital base through social shares (parts sociales) and participatory titles (titres participatifs) targeting a €1M raise to seed the €12M Solilab rehabilitation.

The underlying technology is intentionally minimal: standard office, reservation, and event-management tools support operations, while the cooperative's substantive value proposition is the management model itself — ten years of tier-lieu operating expertise, multi-stakeholder cooperative governance, community animation methodology, and a 300+ member Ecossolies referral network. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: the cooperative conducts bi-monthly open site visits, monthly Happy Hours, and participates in the Voyage à Nantes cultural program, while partners and member referrals convert prospects into tenants. Its stated customers are exclusively ESS structures (renewable energy coops such as Enercoop Pays de la Loire, integration organizations such as Singa Nantes and TZCLD, circular economy actors such as AfB and Le TransiStore, and local SMEs such as M Kitchen and Faséo), with mandatory Ecossolies membership acting as the gating mechanism for Solilab tenancy.

The cooperative is structurally intertwined with Les Ecossolies (founder, 50% voting college, presidency since April 2025 via Eric Bureau) and with a public-sector partnership stack (Nantes Métropole, SAMOA, Banque des Territoires, France Active, Crédit Municipal de Nantes) that is co-creating a foncière ESS real estate vehicle to acquire the Solilab site before its lease expires at end-2026. The 7–10 person operational team is led by Marc Richard (Directeur du développement, formerly of Les Ecossolies) with Dorothée Laot (Responsable Tiers-lieux), and is governed by 52 associés across five multi-stakeholder colleges. Beyond physical tenancy, Lieux Communs monetizes its expertise through consulting, feasibility studies, and a forthcoming know-how transfer service targeting other ESS ecosystems.

Name

Scic Lieux Communs

Legal name

SCIC SAS Lieux communs à capital variable

Website

https://lieuxcommuns.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SCIC Lieux Communs is a Nantes-based cooperative that manages and animates two shared workspaces — the Solilab (9,000m²+) and ESScale Mabon (1,000m²) — housing roughly 140 social and solidarity economy organizations through affordable offices, coworking, event venues, and on-site retail, supported by Ecossolies membership and a public-sector foncière.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coworking and shared workspace services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Hybrid Work Enablement & Desk/Room Booking Operations (BPABAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Workplace Technology & Smart Office Support (Room Booking Systems, IT/AV Liaison) (IMAIALAK)

Keywords

• Shared workspace management
• Coworking office rental
• Event venue rental
• Social economy incubator
• Cooperative workspace operator

Headquarters

HQ city

Nantes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Workspace Rental (Offices, Coworking, Storage): Lieux Communs generates revenue primarily through renting private offices, shared coworking desks, and storage spaces to ESS structures and other organizations at the Solilab and ESScale Mabon. Rents are priced inclusively (all-inclusive model) and are set to maintain affordability for ESS actors while ensuring financial viability. The cooperative also collects membership/adhesion fees to Les Ecossolies as a mandatory condition for tenancy.
2. Event Space Rental: Revenue is generated from renting event spaces including the Halle (800m²), La Cantine (125m²), Salle 93, Salle 42, Salle 30, Salle 28, and outdoor areas. Rental is offered as a turnkey service with optional add-ons (catering by M Kitchen, furniture, AV equipment). Prices vary by space and duration, with discounts for Ecossolies members.
3. Café-Restaurant (M Kitchen): The café-restaurant at the Solilab is operated by M Kitchen, a partner tenant. While M Kitchen operates the F&B service independently, the café contributes to the broader ecosystem and attracts foot traffic to the Solilab, benefiting the cooperative's overall tenancy model.
4. Retail Tenants (AfB, Banzaï Cycles, SAV Vélos): On-site retail tenants including AfB (reconditioned IT equipment), Banzaï Cycles (adaptive bicycles), and SAV Vélos (bike repair) occupy retail/showroom space within the Solilab's 400m² store. These tenants contribute to rental revenue and reinforce the cooperative's circular economy and ESS positioning.
5. Participatory Capital Instruments (Parts Sociales & Titres Participatifs): Lieux Communs raises equity and quasi-equity capital through social cooperative instruments: social shares (parts sociales) and participatory titles (titres participatifs) subscribed by partner organizations, ESS structures, and financial partners. This supports the cooperative's capital base for the Solilab rehabilitation and extension project. Participatory titles yield 2% minimum (up to 3% max) return.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SCIC Lieux Communs operates and manages two shared workspaces in Nantes — the Solilab (Île de Nantes flagship, 9,000m²+ site) and ESScale Mabon (1,000m²). It rents private offices, coworking desks, meeting rooms, event spaces (including an 800m² hall for up to 1,500+ people), and storage to social and solidarity economy (ESS) organizations and other actors, with an on-site café-restaurant (M Kitchen), refurbished-IT store (AfB), and weekly farmers market. It also offers consulting and feasibility-study services for organizations creating tier-lieux, and is structuring a foncière ESS real-estate vehicle for collective ownership.

Product overview

Scic Lieux Communs operates as a multi-location management cooperative managing two main shared spaces in Nantes: Le Solilab (2000m²+ workspace hosting 140 enterprises) and L'ESScale Mabon (1000m² workspace for ESS structures). The offering spans private office rental, coworking spaces, meeting rooms, event venues (including an 800m² hall for up to 1500+ attendees), concierge services, a café-restaurant, secondhand store, and farmers market. Additional services include storage solutions, consulting on tier-lieu development, and an emerging real estate vehicle (Foncière ESS) for collective property ownership. The portfolio also encompasses a marketplace of approximately 50 ESS-aligned service providers for event organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Le Solilab The Solilab is Lieux Communs' flagship shared workspace on Île de Nantes, spanning over 9,000m² of rehabilitated industrial brownfield land, with approximately 2,000m² of dedicated workspace, 60 private offices, 260m² of coworking, an 800m² Halle for events up to 1,500+ people, multiple meeting rooms (Salle 93, 42, 30, 28), a 400m² collective store, a café-restaurant and outdoor areas. It hosts around 140 ESS activities (394 structures since opening) and is the cooperative's primary revenue-generating asset.
• L'ESScale Mabon ESScale Mabon is the cooperative's second shared workspace, co-managed with CRESS Pays de la Loire. The 1,000m² collective workspace includes 20 private offices totaling 550m² on a 950m² plateau, badge access Monday-Friday 7h-19h30, and access to three meeting rooms. It serves approximately 13 ESS structures in the Pays de la Loire region at €19.49 HT/m²/month all-inclusive.
• Private Office Rental (Le Solilab) Private offices at the Solilab (13m² from €221.65 HT/month, 26m² from €443.30 HT/month for 2026) with 24/7 access, included meeting-room access, WiFi and shared concierge services. Minimum 2-year sublease contract and mandatory Ecossolies membership apply. Target tenants are ESS structures, social enterprises and small organizations needing central, all-inclusive offices.
• Coworking Spaces Shared coworking at the Solilab (260m², 46 workstations) with 24/7 access, included meeting-room time, WiFi and concierge. Full-time post €160 HT/month and part-time post €90 HT/month (2026); minimum 6-month commitment. Ecossolies membership is strongly encouraged.
• Storage Spaces Storage solutions at the Solilab: grated boxes from €6.96 HT/m²/month, shared hangar storage from €5.66 HT/m²/month, and maritime containers at €144.48 HT/month for 2026. All units offer 24/7 access and require Ecossolies membership. Targets ESS structures and small organizations requiring central, accessible storage.
• Private Office Rental (ESScale Mabon) Private office rental at ESScale Mabon at €19.49 HT/m²/month all-inclusive for 2026. Includes 20 offices on a 950m² floor plate (550m² office space), badge access Monday-Friday 7h-19h30, and access to three meeting rooms. Target tenants are regional ESS structures co-ported with CRESS Pays de la Loire.
• Event Spaces and Meeting Rooms Rental of the Solilab's event and meeting spaces — La Halle (800m², 50 to 1,500+ people, by quotation), La Cantine (125m², up to 120 people), Salle 93 (93m², up to 65), Salle 42 (42m², up to 25), Salle 30 (30m², up to 16) and Salle 28 (28m², up to 16). Public half-day rates from €63 HT (Ecossolies members) to €300 HT, full-day from €170 HT to €450 HT (2026). Optional add-ons include catering by M Kitchen, AV equipment and furniture. Targets event organizers, associations, institutions, and corporates.
• Le Café du Solilab Vegetarian café-restaurant at the Solilab operated by chef Manon Texier (M Kitchen) — open Monday to Friday 8h-15h30 (extended to 19h Tuesday-Thursday), with 'grab-and-go' formulas at €7 and entry+main+dessert formulas at €13. M Kitchen also provides event catering for the Solilab's event and meeting rooms. Targets colocataires, event clients and visitors to the Solilab.
• Le Magasin du Solilab The 400m² collective store at the Solilab houses AfB (refurbished PCs, smartphones and tablets from an adapted enterprise), Banzaï Cycles (adaptive bicycles) and SAV Vélos (bicycle repair, Tue/Wed). Targets visitors and the Nantes public interested in refurbished IT, adaptive cycling and circular-economy products.
• Marché Paysan (Farmers Market) Weekly farmers market held every Tuesday 16h-19h at the Solilab featuring local organic produce, bread, honey, plants and second-hand clothing. Targets Nantes residents and Solilab visitors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 394 structures have developed activities at the Solilab since 2014, including employment initiatives, ecological transition projects, solidarity organizations, and reuse enterprises.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• Samoa (via L'assemblée de l'île)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Lieux Communs joined the 'Assemblée de l'île' consultation initiative led by Samoa and landscape designers D'ICI LA, with implementation by Vraiment Vraiment. The goal is to contribute to the design of the future Grand Parc Loire near the Solilab.
• Nantes MétropolecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Nantes Métropole is a key institutional partner in Lieux Communs' foncière ESS project. In December 2024, the Metropolitan Council approved the creation of a dedicated ESS real estate fund. Nantes Métropole is also the owner of the Solilab land (via SAMOA) and has been a partner since the project's inception. It co-finances the Solilab's renovation and supports the cooperative's broader real estate strategy.
• CRESS Pays de la Loire (Chambre Régionale de l'Économie Sociale et Solidaire)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023CRESS Pays de la Loire co-ports the ESScale Mabon with Lieux Communs (opened September 2023). CRESS provides the political portage and animation while Lieux Communs handles real estate management and site operations. CRESS is also represented in the cooperative's governance (council of cooperative) and is a key strategic partner in the ESS real estate strategy on Île de Nantes.
• La Poste (Groupe La Poste)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Groupe La Poste provides the physical space for ESScale Mabon at its regional technical offices (rue de l'île Mabon). This partnership is part of the Alliance Dynamique charter signed between La Poste and CRESS in 2022. The cooperation aims to combat territorial, social, and environmental divides. Lieux Communs manages the ESScale Mabon within La Poste's building.
• SAMOA (Société d'Aménagement de la Métropole Ouest Atlantique)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014SAMOA is the owner of the Solilab site and has been the owner/landlord since the site's rehabilitation in 2014. SAMOA represents Nantes Métropole in urban development projects on Île de Nantes. The current lease expires end of 2026, and SAMOA is involved in the transition toward the new foncière ESS ownership model.
• Les EcossoliesflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Les Ecossolies is the founding network partner of SCIC Lieux Communs. Founded in 2004, the Ecossolies network (300+ ESS members) conceived the Solilab project starting in 2007 and created the SCIC in 2013 to operate it. Les Ecossolies ensures the presidency of the SCIC (as of end of April 2025) and provides ongoing strategic direction. The two entities share staff, governance instances, and a joint winter seminar. Ecossolies membership is mandatory for Solilab tenants. This is the core, foundational partnership without which Lieux Communs would not exist.
• M KitchencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorM Kitchen is the on-site café-restaurant operator at the Solilab (operational since September 2023). Chef Manon Texier leads the kitchen, offering creative vegetarian cuisine with local, seasonal products. M Kitchen also provides catering services for events at the Solilab, making it an integral part of the tenant experience and a key commercial partner.
• Citiz Nantes (Citiz / SCOP Titi Floris)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSince October 2021, CitizNantes car-sharing service has been available on-site at the Solilab with two vehicles at preferential rates for colocataires. A Flex Citiz station with adapted vehicles (TPMR) is also available via SCOP Titi Floris. This supports the Solilab's sustainable mobility strategy.
• AFB (Ability Foundation)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAFB operates the 400m² collective store at the Solilab, selling refurbished IT equipment (PCs, smartphones, tablets) and contributing to the site's circular economy positioning. As an adapted enterprise (EA), AFB also provides meaningful employment for people with disabilities.
• Les ConnexionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLes Connexions operates the event recycling/reuse service ( recyclerie événementielle) at the Solilab, contributing to the cooperative's eco-responsible event services. The organization is referenced in Happy Hour event animations and partner listings.
• Banzaï CyclesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBanzaï Cycles operates from the Solilab's collective store, offering adaptive bicycles for people with disabilities or reduced mobility. The company provides trials by appointment, maintenance services, and financing assistance.
• Zébulon RégieminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorZébulon Régie is an event production company that partners with Lieux Communs to offer turnkey event packages at the Solilab, including AV technician support for hybrid assemblies (pack 'AG Mixte').
• EchobatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLieux Communs is conducting a feasibility study and economic modeling for a future tier-lieu dedicated to eco-construction and ESS for the Echobat network. This extends the cooperative's consulting/transfer of know-how activity.
• Make Me SmileminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEvent agency that partnered with ITII Pays de la Loire for a job dating event at the Solilab Halle, demonstrating the venue's appeal for innovative professional events.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Deskopolitan: Independent French coworking operator with central Paris locations. Comparable in flexible workplace offerings but commercial rather than cooperative.
• Newton Offices: French coworking and flexible office operator with locations in major French cities. Overlaps in meeting room and event space offerings.
• Morning Coworking: One of France's largest coworking networks with multiple cities. Comparable in workspace offering but operates as a commercial player rather than a cooperative.
• Wojo: Major French coworking brand owned by Accor, operating shared workspaces across French cities. Broad incumbent with overlapping meeting room and coworking offerings.

Emerging players

• Agora Managers Coworking: French coworking operator focused on managers and project leaders. Overlap in workspace rental but with private/commercial rather than cooperative positioning.
• Bureaux à Partager: French marketplace connecting companies with available office space. Comparable in workspace sharing but operates as a marketplace rather than a managed operator.

Direct peers

• La Cordée: Cooperative coworking network in Lyon with multiple locations serving associations, freelancers, and impact entrepreneurs. Comparable in cooperative governance and multi-site tier-lieu model.
• Plateau Urbain: French cooperative offering temporary workspace for ESS, artists, and associations in vacant urban property. Closest peer by structure (cooperative), customer base (ESS/solidarity), and tier-lieu positioning.
• Le Carbone: Strasbourg-based cooperative offering workspace and event venues to ESS and citizen organizations. Strong overlap in cooperative model, ESS focus, and event space operations.

Others

• Les Écossolies: Founder-parent network of 300+ ESS members in Pays de la Loire. Indirect peer sharing the same ecosystem rather than offering workspace directly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scic-lieux-communs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scic Lieux Communs