Swindon’s £40mn new look

The official opening of Swindon Designer Outlet’s Long Shop building, now home to some of the best names in premium and designer fashion, took place on 29 April. 

The regeneration of the historic Long Shop building is part of a £40-million investment to create an expanded, new-look centre, with 250,000 sq ft (23,000 m²) of retail space and 123 stores, to build on its position as one of the leading shopping destinations in South-West England.

The opening of the Long Shop is the first extension for 16 years of Swindon Designer Outlet. The Long Shop is housed in the Grade II-listed former Great Railway Works, once one of the world’s most famous railway factories and located on the edge of the town of Swindon. 

The Designer Outlet, which opened in 1997, with a second phase in 1999, is a 15-minute walk from Swindon train station, with a regular, 60 minute-long train service from London, and two miles from the M4 motorway linking London to the South West of England and Wales.  

Gary Bond, McArthurGlen’s Development Director, says: “The opening of the Long Shop and the refurbishment of the centre is about taking the shopping experience to a new level of excellence. This also builds on Swindon Designer Outlet’s position as one of the leading retail destinations in the South West of England. 

“Already, since the first stores started to open in the Long Shop last November, we are welcoming more customers from the affluent surrounding areas in the Cotswolds and the West Country, and more and more local people are coming along not just for the shopping but also for the cafes and restaurants.”