Designer Outlet West Midlands Set To Be Major Fashion Destination

LONDON, 18th FEBRUARY 2021 – The latest mix of premium and high-end brand partners at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet West Midlands has now been announced, with Coach, Kate Spade, Hugo Boss, Levi’s and Lacoste set to establish the centre as a major new fashion destination when it opens this spring.

These renowned fashion labels will also be joined by sought-after brands Gant and Radley, while Under Armour and Nike will complete an excellent line-up of sportswear and athleisure brands.

Located just 30-minutes from Birmingham, the £160 million designer outlet will soon be a landmark shopping centre in the UK, providing guests with one of the country’s finest retail and leisure experiences. Major fashion brands already confirmed for the development include Tommy Hilfiger, Guess, Calvin Klein, Ted Baker, Reiss, Kurt Geiger, Adidas, Asics, Skechers and Joules, underlining the strong demand from fashion retailers to continue expanding their outlet businesses.

Wagamama, Starbucks and Five Guys will make up the first mix of much-loved food and beverage brands, with their restaurants overlooking the Mill Green Nature Reserve.

“We are immensely proud to be opening the UK’s only stand-alone shopping centre this year and returning to the market where our business began over 25 years ago, when we introduced designer outlet retailing in Europe with Cheshire Oaks,” commented Tom Miklausic, UK Leasing Director at McArthurGlen. “Our latest investment shows the huge confidence we have in the UK retail market and the appetite of our brand partners to continue working with us to grow their bricks-and-mortar channels.”

McArthurGlen Designer Outlet West Midlands will host up to 80 iconic brands in its first phase, offering year-round savings of up to 60%. Spanning 285,000 square feet in total over two phases, the centre will create 1,000 new retail jobs for the local community, supporting around £20 million of employment income each year. The centre will also feature a one-of-a-kind children’s play area, a dancing fountain, bicycle parking, electric car charging points, beehives, and direct access to the adjacent nature reserve and its network of footpaths.

The project is a joint venture between McArthurGlen, Aviva Investors and The Richardson Family. Together, the development has committed £15 million to a highway improvements programme that has enhanced the nearby road network, along with a £1.5 million package to support local projects, including ongoing maintenance of the Mill Green Nature Park.

“Our long-standing partnership with McArthurGlen is entering into an exciting new chapter as we gear up to open our third designer outlet together in the UK,” commented Darren Freed, Director at Aviva Investors. “Investing in high quality designer outlets is in line with our strategic core objectives, so with its strong mix of international brands, exceptional location and six million customers on its doorstep, Designer Outlet West Midlands has all the ingredients to be a thriving, high-performing retail asset that provides a major boost to Britain’s retail landscape.”

As with all McArthurGlen centres, Designer Outlet West Midlands will feature a number of online platforms to deliver a seamless experience for customers and support brand partners in driving performance. Queue management app By Appointment will enable guests to book times in participating stores and join real-time virtual queues from their smartphones, while mobile wayfinding service Mappedin will enhance in-centre navigation. McArthurGlen’s customer insight programme ‘How Was Your Day?’ will also be live to capture real-time shopper feedback. 

The development will be McArthurGlen’s first UK opening in over 20 years and the seventh British centre in its portfolio, joining its leading designer outlets in Ashford, Bridgend, Cheshire Oaks, East Midlands, Swindon and York. It will be the group’s 26^th centre across Europe and in Canada.