Food
Chinese travellers have delivered a record spend for European outlet mall operator McArthurGlen.
The company operates 20 Designer Outlets in Europe specifically geared to serve Chinese tourists – and one in China.
Spending by Chinese customers is growing faster than any other nationality visiting the Designer Outlets. Sales to Chinese travellers increased by 80 per cent in the first nine months of 2015, compared with the same period last year.
And spending by Chinese shoppers grew more than seven-fold between 2010 and 2014. The centres offer tax free shopping alongside year-round savings of 30 to 70 per cent.
McArthurGlen’s Designer Outlets offer the largest choice of luxury and premium lifestyle brands in the European outlet market. The centres are home to nearly 3000 stores and 900 brands. At the same time, the centres are part of the local tourism fabric, within easy reach of major European city centres by shuttle bus or public transport, including: Vienna and Salzburg in Austria; Luxembourg, near the centre in Belgium; Lille and Reims (the Champagne region) in France; Berlin and Hamburg in Germany; Athens in Greece; Düsseldorf, near Roermond, its centre in Holland; Florence, Milan, Naples, Rome and Venice in Italy; and Bath, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Nottingham and York in the UK.
Anthony Rippingale, head of tourism with McArthurGlen, says the company is now heading for yet another record year, welcoming more Chinese shoppers than ever before.
“As the biggest operator of designer outlets in Europe, our Chinese customers have always been extremely important to us, and even more so now given that they account for nearly one in four euros spent by our international shoppers, and rising. We have also just had our most successful Golden Week ever.”
McArthurGlen engages with Chinese customers from when they start planning their European trip, whether through our office in Beijing, or through social media in China (including Weibo and WeChat) and its centre websites which are available in Chinese.
Once Chinese shoppers arrive in Europe, the centres provide Chinese-language maps and guides and UnionPay is accepted in most stores. The most popular Designer Outlets offer special promotions, including limited-edition gifts and additional savings, during key Chinese holidays, namely Golden Week and Chinese New Year.
