Europe’s leading designer outlets brand McArthurGlen has obtained final approval for the first and only luxury designer outlet in the western Paris area.
Scheduled to open in 2021, this €150 million development in Normandie will become McArthurGlen’s fourth designer outlet in France and the 27th in the group’s portfolio, spanning 20,000 sq m of retail space with 100 stores and seven restaurants. Once open, Designer Outlet Normandie will create over 600 jobs for the local community and is expected to attract 2.5 million visitors every year.
Mike Natas, Joint Managing Director of Development at McArthurGlen said: “We are delighted that we will finally make this development a reality. We hope that this project will be a source of great pride both for the Normandie Region and McArthurGlen.”
McArthurGlen is an established partner to the world’s best-known brands, including Armani, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Levi’s, Nike, Prada, Polo Ralph Lauren, Puma, Tod’s, Tommy Hilfiger, Valentino and Versace. When Designer Outlet Normandie opens in 2021 it will be home to sought-after international and French luxury, premium and lifestyle brands.
Natas continued, “There is strong appetite for a designer outlet in the western Paris area, and our brand partners are particularly excited about the tourism potential of this location. The centre’s proximity to a leading fashion capital, coupled with an affluent, fashion conscious local catchment, offers huge potential.”
Located less than an hour from the heart of Paris, one of the world’s most visited destinations, Normandie will become a leading attraction for the 18 million tourists who visit the French capital every year. It is near Giverny, where the famous home of Impressionist painter Claude Monet is located, making it one of the most prestigious cultural and tourist sites in France. McArthurGlen’s dedicated tourism team, which has bases in over 15 long haul tourist markets such as China, Russia and Korea, will work on a local, regional and international level to promote Normandie as a day-out and weekend destination to visitor groups.
In addition to curating an exciting brand mix, Normandie will host a unique Artisan’s village, known in French as a “Maison des Métiers d’Art”, promoting the savoir-faire of French crafts and artisanship. This will include exhibition sales space, workshops and studios for craftspeople, helping to nurture young businesses by showcasing and selling their original works. McArthurGlen will work in close collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (The CCI), the Chamber of Crafts and Artisanship of the Eure (The CMA) and the French National Institute of Crafts (The INMA) to establish the Maison des Métiers d’Art, making the centre a unique destination.
McArthurGlen has partnered with architects Arte Charpentier for the project. The design of the centre will be contemporary while reflecting the beautiful local landscape with striking living walls, and it has been designed to conform with the highest environmental green building specifications, and an ‘Excellent’ HQE (High Environmental Quality) certificate.
The group will continue to work in partnership with the SNA (Seine Normandie Agglomération), and the city of Vernon and the town of Douains, who are long-standing supporters of this project.
Normandie follows the successful arrival of McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Provence, which opened in April 2017, with key international luxury and premium brands including Polo Ralph Lauren, Coach, Michael Kors and Tommy Hilfiger, as well as leading French brands L’Oréal, Maje, Sandro, The Kooples and Zadig & Voltaire. Le Printemps, the iconic French department store, opened its first-ever outlet location at the centre in November 2017.
Provence now welcomes 2.5 million visitors and employs 700 people from the local community. Recognising its success, the centre has received three industry accolades including ‘Best Outlet Development’ at the 2018 CNCC Shopping Centre Awards, a global prize for exterior design in the recent Prix de Versailles architectural awards and a ‘New Development’ commendation in the 2018 International Council of Shopping Centres’ European Awards.
