VALUE Retail has announced plans to open their first Chic Shopping Village outside Europe. Set to open in the summer of 2013, the new village will be in Suzhou, 60 miles west of Shanghai, also known as the Venice of China. According to Sarah Bartlet PR director for Value Retail, the shopping villages in Europe have seeing a large interest from international tourists who come to experience their authentic European atmosphere.
“This is what makes us unique. Chic Outlet Shopping Villages offer a luxury experience and not just retail stores,” said Bartlet.
“In 2010 we welcomed over 26 million customers to the collection. We are 57 per cent up year-to-date as of end of Q3, in tax refunded sales. And from the Middle East that is an increase of 51 per cent. This new alliance will add to the tremendous opportunity we have to reach a new audience,” she added.
The Middle East is the second largest source market for Chic Outlet Shopping villages, after China, followed by Russia and South East Asia. Bartlet said, “With considerable relaxation on the visa issues, there is much more demand from the Chinese markets.”
Chic currently operates nine unique villages in Europe’s key gateway cities and tourist hubs, each different from another. These include, Bicester Village located near London, Kildare Village located near Dublin, La Vallée Village located near Paris, Las Rozas Village near Madrid, La Roca Village near Barcelona, Fidenza Village near Milan/Bologna, Maasmechelen Village near Brussels/Antwerp/Cologne, Wertheim Village near Frankfurt and Ingolstadt Village near Munich.
Each of the nine Villages in the Chic Outlet Shopping Collection is popular among visitors from the Middle East. The Collection is home to some 900 boutiques of niche European and international fashion and lifestyle brands, which include Armani, Gucci, Givenchy, Polo Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabbana, Jimmy Choo, Prada, Smythson and Versace. In 2010 tourists from the Middle East were among the higher numbers of visiting nationalities to Bicester Village near London, La Vallée Village near Paris, Maasmechelen Village near Brussels, and Ingolstadt Village near Munich.
Each village benefits from excellent transport links, Tourist Information Centres; a range of restaurants and cafés offering fine regional and international cuisine; personal shoppers; VIP suites; a hands-free shopping service; free parking all year round, as well as seasonal valet parking and a Shopping Express coach service which operates directly from respective city centres all this teamed with a host of art and photography exhibitions and unique events throughout the year.
“Looking ahead, we want to continue to develop these nine Chic Outlet Shopping Villages and evolve to offer our guests a rewarding shopping experience. Our website, ChicOutletShopping.com is now available in 12 languages including Arabic. The website allows customers to plan their visit and buy tickets for the Village Shopping Express coach service as well as purchase pre-charged Gift Cards, all in their own language.
“We are constantly looking to understand what our customer wants and now promote the collection through social media including Twitter and Facebook. We also launched the Chic Outlet Shopping App for iPhone, iPad and Android, which is a great tool for guests who want to pre-plan their trip,” she added.
Chic Outlet Shopping is also looking to develop packages where customers can pre-book and buy online a package. The packages have been developed to offer guests a chance to experience the local culture and art. At the Fidenza Village, the package includes return transport and an opportunity to see ‘The Last Supper’ while at La Roca Village near Barcelona, guests will have the opportunity to do their shopping in Ferraris.
Value Retail has signed a prestigious alliance with Virtuoso, confirming the collection of Chic Outlet Shopping Villages by Value Retail as Virtuoso’s first retail outlet partner in Europe. Virtuoso is the world’s leading luxury travel network; this exclusive by-invitation-only organisation comprises more than 330 agencies with more than 7,200 elite travel advisors in 20 countries across North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand. The new alliance between two industry leaders affords international travellers the opportunity to enjoy an authentic European luxury shopping experience combined with exceptional value, and for Value Retail, the relationship presents an opportunity to strengthen awareness of the Collection of Chic Outlet Shopping Villages through Virtuoso’s vast resource and innovative services.