McArthurGlen to open 8 new designer outlet centres in Europe by 2019

McArthurGlen, one of Europe's leaders in stock-clearance stores, announced the opening of eight new designer outlet centres in Europe by 2019. The retailer also plans to enlarge eight other centres, making its total retail area grow by 50%.

The group currently operates 21 designer outlet centres (20 in Europe and 1 in Canada) offering unsold stock by major brands at discount prices, for a total retail space of 600,000 m² across nine countries: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK.  

McArthurGlen plans to have at its disposal a retail area of 900,000 m² by 2019.

At Mapic in Cannes, Europe's largest retail real estate trade show, the group commented that "this plan makes McArthurGlen, which has recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, the fastest growing outlet group in Europe. Between now and 2019, McArthurGlen's total catchment area will have grown by one third."

The group's management explained that McArthurGlen's designer outlets are strategically placed to offer maximum value to their partner brands, and altogether enjoy a combined catchment area of over 144 million potential customers living within a 90-minute car journey.

The group's eight new centres will be located in Ochtrup, near Münster (Germany), Gant (Belgium), Malaga (Spain), in Haute-Normandie (near Vernon) and Provence (near Aix-en-Provence) in France, in Remscheid (Germany) and Istanbul (2 centres), adding over 215,000 m² of gross retail area in western Europe.

Expansion plans for existing centres, generating an additional retail area of 85,000 m², will involve the following centres: Ashford (UK), La Reggia (Naples), Noventa di Piave (Venice) and Serravalle (Milan), Parndorf (Austria), Roermond (the Netherlands), Vancouver (Canada), and the most recent centre in Neumünster (Hamburg).

The foundation for all of these expansion projects is the group's improved financial performance since 2012. The McArthurGlen centres' total revenue has increased by nearly 30% in the last three years, reaching nearly €3.5 billion. 

Since January, the group has enjoyed a double-digit increase in numbers of visitors and spending levels across all its centres, with sales attributable to tourists rising by more than 40%.