Black Friday weekend trading was strong at London Designer Outlet in Wembley Park, the capital’s leading fashion and lifestyle outlet centre. Total revenue rose by +7.0% compared to the same period last year. This is also the 23rd consecutive quarter of increased revenue, continuing a consistent upward trend since the centre opened in October 2013.
National forecasts beforehand by industry commentators had indicated that Black Friday shopping was moving online. However, the London Designer Outlet figures shows that customers still have a strong appetite for aspirational and desirable brands at up to 70% off RRP throughout the year, and at up to 85% off during seasonal sale periods such as Black Friday.
Additionally, like-for-like sales rose by +6.8%, year-on-year. LFL sales exclude newly-opened stores such as Champion in its first UK outlet store, PUMA in its first outlet in London, plus Moss Bros and Dune.
Mixed Fashion performed strongly and accounted for more than 30% of all sales with several retailers reporting their best day ever. Athleisure is a traditional strength of London Designer Outlet with both Sports and Footwear again exceeding targets for the weekend. As well as an opportunity to seek out the best bargains, savvy shoppers were entertained by live music and deals highlighted on digital screens and across the centre’s public address system.
Sue Shepherd, Realm’s General Manager of London Designer Outlet, said: “Outlet shopping continues to emerge as the strongest part of the retail sector, prospering in contrast to other areas. Our growth of total and like-for-like sales show the progress made in the six years since we opened and our consistent trading track record. The results show that our guests, whether they travel from near or from far, enjoy the experience we provide and the combination of retail, restaurants, coffee shops plus a nine-screen Cineworld.”
London Designer Outlet is still the only UK shopping centre to offer Dropit, the app-based, store-to-door delivery service. All purchases bought at any of the 50 stores can be gathered together and swiftly delivered to customers’ homes, hotels or workplaces at a time and date of their choosing, with same-day deliveries available within the M25. During the Black Friday weekend, 34 shoppers used the service, dropping 57 bags with an associated average spend per Dropit customer of £267.
Some of these guests were international tourists having their shopping delivered back to London hotels. Tourism at London Designer Outlet is continuing to grow, with Tax Free transactions up by +16% across September, October and November. Tax Free spending by international visitors now accounts for 8.2% of all retail sales at the centre.
The outlet centre is a premium retail and leisure destination, with the appeal of major retail brands, a choice of popular restaurants and bars, the benefits of the surrounding Wembley Park, and the added bonus of serious, year-round discounts. The average visitor age is just 34, the youngest of any UK outlet, showing how well London Designer Outlet meets the demands of next-generation shoppers.
Its premium fashion, athleisure, gifts and lifestyle names include Kurt Geiger, Superdry, Guess, Gap, Lee Wrangler, Lindt, Clarks, M&S and Beauty Outlet. In keeping with Wembley’s world-renowned reputation for sports and leisure, it is host to major athleisure brands such as Adidas, Converse, PUMA, Champion, The North Face, Asics, Skechers, Nike and New Balance. Its casual dining restaurants and bars provide places to relax during a daytime shopping trip, or for an exciting evening event, and include Nando’s, PizzaExpress, wagamama, Zizzi, Cabana, handmade burger Co. and Las Iguanas.
Minutes from central London, Wembley Park is easily reached by three Tube lines, two train lines, eight bus routes plus ample car parking at low cost.
London Designer Outlet is managed by Realm, the UK’s specialist outlet operator, and is part of Wembley Park, the £3bn transformation by Quintain surrounding the world-famous National Stadium.
Attractions at Wembley Park includes London’s largest Boxpark which was recently named Best F&B Concept at the MAPIC Awards 2019, Wembley Park Market with entrepreneurial merchants and makers as well as the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre.
Wembley Park has a growing community of renters in lifestyle-focussed apartments, under Quintain’s Tipi brand. The scheme is the largest build-to-rent single site development in the UK, with a full-time residential community of some 20,000 projected by 2027.
