Bicester Village, is home to brands such as Dior, Fendi and Saint Laurent, also one of the most successful outlet village among all, needless to say, it is an heaven of Chinese luxury goods deal hunters. Photo: Pajor Pawel/Shutterstock.com
An Outlet Empire Builds On Chinese Travelers
Many people would associate outlets with old, cheap, discounted merchandise and remote locations. Discount labels seem to be a comfortable fit for outlet shopping malls, but the outlet empire built by Value Retail is meant to revamp the stereotype, with a concentration on Chinese customers.
The company has built an outlet network with 12 outlet villages in Europe and China, offering retail discount up to more than 60 percent in Europe, and up to 75 percent in China. China accounted for 40 percent of the business of Value Retail?s European villages last year. Capitalizing on Brexit and a depreciated pound, Bicester Village, one of the villages in the UK, is home to brands such as Dior, Fendi, and Saint Laurent, and is one of the most successful outlet villages. The variety of products and caliber of brands makes it a heaven for luxury goods deal hunters. An estimated two-thirds of all Chinese visitors to Britain come to the village to shop. Visitor traffic there from Hong Kong residents increased 42 percent in 2016 compared to the year before, and Chinese visitors traffic to Bicester is up 34 percent, as reported by South China Morning Post.
When we spoke to a couple of past Bicester visitors...