London Designer Outlet sees surge in sales post-lockdown
London Designer Outlet saw its sales rise by 148% last week compared to the reopening week in June 2020 after the first Covid-19 lockdown.
Sales were also up on the pre-pandemic Easter week in 2019 with an uplift of 1.5%.
As well as visiting shops such as Kurt Geiger, Guess, Levi’s, Nike, Puma, Lindt and M&S, shoppers also had the chance to see the centre’s newly upsized Adidas store. The sporting brand expanded its floor space by 63% to 10,550 square feet during the third national lockdown and made it more experiential ahead of the UEFA European Football Championship.
Sue Shepherd, general manager of London Designer Outlet, said: “Our brand partners are doing an exceptional job in making our guests feel welcome and that is very clearly reflected in their sales. Having been locked down for months, London Designer Outlet’s guests are certainly making up for it now – and, as the weather improves and the vaccine rolls out, we are fully expecting to welcome them back, time after time, over the course of the next few months as our guests, and our brands, enjoy a summer of shopping.”
Managed by specialist outlet operator Realm, London Designer Outlet is set in Wembley Park, the emerging destination undergoing a multi-billion pound transformation by developer Quintain. The centre is looking to benefit from Wembley Park’s summer events programme and the return of large scale events at the neighbouring SSE Arena, Wembley and the National Stadium.
London Designer Outlet is continuing to build on its digital offering to improve the physical shopping experience. This has included the introduction of Dropit, the app-based store-to-door delivery service which is free for all guests.
Matt Slade, retail director at Quintain, said: “The return of guests to London Designer Outlet, and across the Wembley Park neighbourhood, shows why these destinations are irreplaceable. For too long, we’ve relied on online shopping and takeaway apps to get us through the monotony of lockdown; now, our favourite shops, bars, cafes and restaurants are open and we have collectively rushed to return. The thrill of shopping, finding a hidden gem and spending time with our loved ones, is something our guests have very much missed and it is a huge pleasure to welcome them back.”
