CHIC OUTLET SHOPPING® COMPANY IS IMPLEMENTING A CONCEPT OF QUALITY SALES W "FROM THE PRODUCER" FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS. PRODUCTS "de luxe" from top brands are sold at affordable prices in SPECIAL OTSTRO-ennyh shopping complex, calling-Mykh "village", which is located in the suburbs of major European cities - London, Dublin, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Brussels, MUNICH AND FRANKFURT AM MAIN. SOON AS EXPECTED, ANOTHER SUCH "VILLAGE" WILL APPEAR NEXTLY FROM SHANGHAI IN CHINA.
What the sophisticated Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages customers have prepared this summer, we talked with Sarah Bartlett, PR and Communications Manager, Value Reatil, the project operator. Sarah, many of our readers have already heard about the Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages project.
I would like to know what the company is preparing this summer for its regular visitors and those who fly to Europe for the holidays?
As always, we will offer all the best in each of our "villages", focusing customers on the quality of all goods and services presented there, as well as on the uniqueness of style and quality of life. You can get there by all types of trans-port - by bus, train or taxi. In total, there are more than 900 branded boutiques and stores in all European Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages that sell collections of past years with discounts up to 60%. According to our company, last year the total number of visitors to these "luxury villages" exceeded 29 million people. The largest markets, thanks to which sales grew by 58%, were China, the Middle East and Russia.
This year, we specially flew to Dubai at the Arabian Travel Market 2012, an international tourism and travel exhibition, to discuss prospects for developing cooperation with leading players in the luxury market, as well as with the leadership of the UAE government departments and representatives of airlines and duty-free shops. As a result of negotiations, we signed an agreement with Emirates airline on the formation of specialized packages for travelers traveling to Europe, which includes flights, hotel accommodation and visits to Chic Outlet Shopping® Village. In addition, we are conducting similar negotiations with Etihad Airways.
Does this mean that we are talking about completely new categories of shopping, this time the luxury class?
That's right. The Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages concept is more than just a shopping trip. This is the style of your journey when you are really looking for a new, unexpected thrill. In our "villages" you will find everything: high-quality food in excellent restaurants and cafes, and fairs of folk art, and art exhibitions, and constantly emerging new brands.
Since I spoke earlier about the high activity of buyers from China, for the first time next year, somewhere in November-December 2013, we plan to open a new "village" outside of Europe, in the immediate vicinity of Shanghai.
Thus, business travelers can combine high-class shopping with attending major cultural events or conferences. I would like to emphasize that our “villages” themselves are already separate, independent tourist destinations.
Why was China chosen to open the first Chic Outlet Shopping® Village outside Europe?
Having such a business, we must closely monitor what is happening in the luxury market. Today, buyers of luxury goods from China are showing increased interest in the products of the most famous world brands. In turn, these brands are very interested in being adequately represented in the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, and China, first of all. We cannot but reckon with this. Our "village" in the northeastern suburb of Shanghai Suzhou is a rather large project, already at the moment of opening 125 luxury retail stores will operate in it.
That is, in size it will be commensurate with our largest European Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages, which have up to 130 boutiques, and in concept will be exactly the same. Suzhou is often called the "Asian Venice"; It is located an hour from the city. It is very beautiful there, so travelers will be able to get great impressions from the trip, and from good shopping, and from a wonderful vacation, since there are 27 five-star hotels, many restaurants and picturesque parks with ponds and lakes.
What new brands at Chic Outlet Shopping® Villa ges do you plan to introduce for the summer holiday season?
We ended the 2011 season in Europe with good growth indicators, which resulted in sales profit of € 1.6 million. Our concept has proved its viability even in times of crisis, as regular customers and connoisseurs of luxury could continue to purchase high-quality products from well-known brands at affordable prices. According to the results of the first quarter of 2012, we received growth indicators for the number of buyers from the Middle East in our European centers, an increase of 84%. This suggests that this region is the fastest growing for our concept, the Russian market took second place.
Of course, we will attract new designers and new brands to cooperation. The main selection criterion is unsurpassed quality, which are not subject to a change in fashion trends. Do not forget, our "villages" offer collections of previous seasons, but this does not mean at all that things should be ugly and unfashionable.
And this summer across all European "villages" we are launching the Chic Summer summer shopping festival, within the framework of which cultural, musical, culinary and other interesting events, receptions, exhibitions and concerts will complement the atmosphere of a good vacation! For example, in a village near Milan, a buyer will be offered to ride a Formula 1 racetrack in a Ferrari car, in another, next to Dublin, they will be invited to culinary shows from Good Food, and so on. Summer in Europe promises to be interesting, believe me!
Well, let me wish you success in the further development of this concept. We hope to someday stroll through the Chic Outlet Shopping® Village in the suburbs of Moscow or St. Petersburg ...
It is still very early to talk about this, but each idea is worthy of at least consideration. Everything will depend on the brand’s ability to maintain each new Chic Outlet Shopping® Village. Of course, we will continue to grow and develop, because today the concept of luxury shopping is more than just a shopping trip.
Thanks for the conversation, Sarah. And hopefully, see you soon!
