Festive Sales Soared by 14% at McArthurGlen's Cheshire Oaks

Jan. 13, 2012 - PRLog -- McArthurGlen – Europe’s leader in designer outlet’s with 21% of the market share[Escostra 2011]– today reports that early shopper spend in November resulted in record trading days and an overall strong sales performance across all its seven UK centres during the festive season.

McArthurGlen’s Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet reported a sales and footfall increase of 14% and +4% year-on-year respectively from 7th November to 31st December 2011, as spend-conscious shoppers sought designer and premium brands at up to 60% less.

The December period on its own saw consistent strong trading at the centre with year-on-year sales and footfall uplifts of +16% and +8% respectively, cementing McArthurGlen’s Cheshire Oaks as a firm destination for not only fashion but also for Christmas gifts. It was organised shoppers getting ready for Christmas in November which led to the overall robust festive results.

The leading shopping destination in the North West, McArthurGlen’s Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet is the UK’s first and largest designer centre, with up to 60% less on designer brands all year round. Last year saw the centre welcome new brands such as Hugo Boss, Jigsaw and Armani bringing the total number of stores at the centre to 145.

Mark Schofield, Deputy Centre Manager at McArthurGlen’s Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet, said: “Many brands from accessories to cosmetics and designer fashion, reported strong sales this festive shopping period. The centre offers a great mix of brands such as L’Occitane, Molton Brown, Links of London, Armani, Hugo Boss and Tag Heuer, which all saw shoppers in their droves treating themselves, and friends and family to savings of up to 60%.””

Colin Wilding, UK Country Manager at McArthurGlen, continues, “This November and December, we have seen a significant increase in the number of shoppers visiting our McArthurGlen centres to stock up on Christmas presents for friends and family, with sales of ‘typical’ gift items significantly up on previous years, alongside sales of our fashion offering. Gifting played an integral role in our Christmas advertising campaign – we are not just about our fantastic fashion offer but also have become a gift destination in our own right.”

Retail Analyst, Nick Bubb adds: “At a time when there is a lot of focus on the growth in online shopping, it is very good to see that a “bricks and mortar” retailer like McArthurGlen is doing well by providing UK consumers with attractive brands and attractive bargains in an attractive shopping environment.”

For McArthurGlen’s seven UK centres an early boost to festive sales resulted in two record breaking post-Christmas days on 27th and 28th December, where sales increased by near double digit growth following increases of over 22% in the previous year.

ENDS

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NOTES TO EDITORS                                                          
McArthurGlen Group
McArthurGlen Group is Europe’s leading developer, owner and manager of designer outlets. The Group, which currently has 20 Designer Outlets, introduced the concept of designer outlet retailing to Europe in 1995. The 75 million consumers visiting McArthurGlen’s Designer Outlets annually are attracted by the year-round savings of 30-70 per cent on the top names in luxury, designer and mainstream fashion. McArthurGlen’s portfolio currently offers more than 500,000 sq m of retail space with a further 120,000 sq m under way, including the new McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in Neumünster, near Hamburg, due to open in autumn 2012. For more information, please visit www.mcarthurglengroup.com
For more information, please visit www.mcarthurglengroup.com

McArthurGlen in the UK
McArthurGlen has seven Designer Outlets in the UK. As well as the UK’s largest and Europe’s first, Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet near Chester, these are Ashford Designer Outlet, Bridgend Designer Outlet (Wales’ largest designer outlet), East Midlands Designer Outlet, Livingston Designer Outlet (Scotland’s largest designer outlet), Swindon Designer Outlet and York Designer Outlet.