How To Outlet Shop

Men are notorious cheapskates. Suckers for a bargain, it comes as no surprise, then, that we’re all over anything with a discount or what is perceived as a good deal.

No wonder outlet centres have seen such massive growth over the last few years. Guys have developed a thirst for branded things and designer labels, but often can’t afford or justify the price. This is where the outlet centre comes in.

An American innovation that we’ve wholeheartedly embraced, there are around 50 designer outlets in the UK, with more set to open. At first impression they look like any other shopping centre: retailers are branded with the same shop fits and goods are displayed in the same way as more traditional stores, but they come with those all-important and enticing discounts.

In fact, brands often make more money here than anywhere else, as they still control the environments in which they sell old/surplus stock, but they don’t have to pay the extortionate rents of prime city locations.

Great for helping your money go further, today we’re set to explore some of the UK’s biggest and best outlet centres, while offering a few guidelines on how to shop once you get there…

Bicester Village

The most famous outlet centre in the UK is probably Bicester Village in Oxfordshire. Opened in 1995, it resembles a New England fishing village and has the highest sales density of any shopping centre in the world.

In 2013, Bicester Village, with its 130 boutiques, welcomed 6 million visitors, with China the top visiting non-EU nationality. This is ‘luxury’ outlet shopping – even with the discounts, things are still expensive here.

Just sixty minutes from both London and Birmingham, it offers the UK’s leading premium outlet shopping experience with brands such as Prada, Mulberry, Burberry and Tod’s all offering savings of up to sixty per cent.