McArthurGlen opens doors to new £160 million shopping destination
McArthurGlen has been celebrating the launch of its new McArthurGlen Designer Outlet West Midlands.
The £160 million fashion destination is the company’s seventh UK outlet and marks its first UK opening in over 20 years. McArthurGlen also operates centres in Ashford, Bridgend, Cheshire Oaks, the East Midlands, Swindon and York.
Susie McCabe, co-chief executive of McArthurGlen, said: “This opening represents not only a huge milestone for McArthurGlen as we continue to grow our European footprint, but a defining moment for brick-and-mortar retail as the only stand-alone shopping centre to open in the UK this year. As we emerge into a new consumer landscape, we know customers still crave the extraordinary day-out shopping experiences and moments of magic that only physical retail can offer, and we remain extremely confident that West Midlands will deliver this.”
Situated 30 minutes from Birmingham, Designer Outlet West Midlands features a line-up of 80 brands in its first phase and offers year-round savings of up to 60%. Current brands include the likes of Coach, Kate Spade, Hugo Boss, Levi’s, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger, Guess, Calvin Klein, Ted Baker, Reiss, Kurt Geiger, Gant, Radley, Joules, Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Asics and Skechers.
Meanwhile, food and beverage brands include Wagamama, Starbucks and Five Guys which all have restaurants overlooking the Mill Green Nature Reserve. The centre also features a children’s adventure playground adjacent to the nature reserve, luxury guest amenities, a dancing fountain, a bespoke sculpture and a Changing Places facility.
The centre is the result of a joint venture between McArthurGlen, Aviva Investors and the Richardson family. Spanning 285,000 square feet in total over two phases, it will create 1,000 new retail jobs.
Darren Freed, director at Aviva Investor, said: “Designer Outlet West Midlands is an exceptional addition to Britain’s retail landscape and arrives at a time when the outlet sector continues to outperform the wider retail market. Investing in high quality designer outlets is in line with our core strategic objectives, so we’re looking forward to continuing to work closely with McArthurGlen to drive the performance of the centre and see it become one of the UK’s leading retail assets.”
