Chic Outlet Shopping is seeking to grow the number of European visitors to its villages, says parent company Value Retail’s tourism director Ian Stazicker.
“For the last few years, our focus has been on long haul – on customers from China, Russia and the Middle East,” Stazicker said.
“But we are recalibrating to take advantage of the big opportunities in European tourism. We’ve had massive success with Bicester Village, and even though that is influenced by inbound tourism, half the customers are domestic.
“We have the opportunity to tell those Brits that when they visit other European destinations, we have eight shopping villages there too.”
Stazicker highlighted that each village is reflective of its destination. “They’re not Bicester regurgitated – they’ll find different brands, architecture, and experiences.”
Travel agents can book shopping village packages that include transport, lunch and gift cards, and earn commission, through Chic Outlet Shopping’s online portal.
Chic Outlets offers destination specific packages pairing visits to the village with local attractions, such as visits to the Ferrari factory alongside a trip to Fidenza Village outside Milan.
The online shopping portal now offers agents the chance to package up shopping village visits with hotels stays too, and soon rail fares will also be bookable through the portal.
La Roca Village near Barcelona has just completed an extension adding 40 new brands, and in December 2015 Dublin’s Kildare Village will follow suit with an expansion that adds 35 new boutiques, a cafe and restaurant. In October next year, Chic Outlet Shopping will open a new village, Shanghai Village.
Located at the heart of the Chinese government’s $5.5 billion Shanghai International Tourism and Resorts Zone, Shanghai Village will be adjacent to the Shanghai Disney Resort.
La Vallee Village is adjacent to Disneyland Paris, and Chic Outlet Shopping has partnered with the park to offer exclusive MICE experiences, including private dining and private access to both the park and the shopping village.