The rise and rise of outlet shopping

Outlet shopping in Europe is booming according to FSP’s annual European Outlet Shopping Report. At a presentation attended by Coverdale Barclay, outlet shopping was heralded as one of the most successful retail channels, especially in the UK which is the 2nd largest market. Sector revenues have grow by 45 per cent since 2013. Across a similar period, the number of brands with outlet formats has risen from 4,774 to some 5,461. Luxury brands are the best performers, growing at 46 per cent above the industry average. Pleasingly, one of FSP’s highlights of the year was CB client, LDO, which enjoyed its 18th consecutive quarter of sales growth and 12 month like-for-like sales up 14%. FSP also highlighted the strong potential for schemes with “a mix of cultural, leisure and retail activities which appeal to residents, tourists and day visitors”. These aspects are also core to CB clients Springfields Outlet in Lincolnshire and Scotch Corner Designer Village in Yorkshire.