Alexandra Bacon
See inside the luxury shopping village that’s like Disneyland if you’re looking to pick up Dior and Gucci at a discount
August 18, 20240
Bicester Village has its own train station at the other end. Loads of passengers got off the busy train and appeared to come prepared with large suitcases for their new purchases.
Alexandra Bacon
The outlet attracts more than 7 million visitors a year.
When you arrive at the train station in Bicester, there’s a Ralph Lauren Coffee stand, a large, comfy waiting area, and a staff member to greet you — not a common feature in UK train stations.
Alexandra Bacon
The gardens are carefully manicured, and a path guides your way into the shopping center. It helps to build up the idea that you’re entering into a premium experience — and feel a far cry from sales racks and other discount malls.
But there’s something eerie about this Disneyland-esque shopping center — the buildings look more like a film set than a real village.
Alexandra Bacon
There are plenty of places to sit and rest without fearing being moved along.
The red telephone boxes proved popular with tourists, who took photos in a seemingly quintessential English environment.
Alexandra Bacon
You’d be forgiven for forgetting you were at a discount mall.
LVMH isn’t widely known to discount its brands. But tucked away in Bicester, shoppers can get discounts at LVMH-owned brands like Dior, Fendi, and Loewe.
Alexandra Bacon
These high-end stores typically have only one size of each item on display. Staff are then on hand to provide other sizes if the customer needs. This helps to avoid the stores feeling too crowed.
The Bottega Veneta store had an array of bags displayed without it feeling too crowded.
Alexandra Bacon
The prospect of heavy discounts draws people in then they may be persuaded to splash out on some of the full-price goods, too.
These luxury items are definitely still expensive but considerably less than retail prices.
Alexandra Bacon
While these stores have more clothes on display than the higher-end stores, it manages to avoid feeling overcrowded or messy.
There are also beauty stores and candle stores like Diptyque selling products at considerable discounts.
Alexandra Bacon
Cheaper chains like Pret a Manger are designed to blend in with the same style of buildings and comfortable outdoor seating.
Bicester Village in the UK is one of 11 shopping villages worldwide owned by Value Retail.
Alexandra Bacon
Luxury giants have been placing billion-dollar bets on in-person shopping in recent years.
Kering, which owns Gucci and Saint Laurent, recently spent $1.4 billion on a building in Milan’s iconic shopping street, via Montenapoleone. It also spent nearly $1 billion on property acquisition on New York’s Fifth Avenue.
LVMH has been doing the same. It’s been taking over blocks of buildings to turn into retail cities.
This can also be seen with the acquisition of a stake in Bicester Village’s parent company by LVMH-backed L Catterton.
Selling at a discount can ruin the feeling of exclusivity and scarcity for luxury brands.
Alexandra Bacon
“It’s become a business in itself,” Lastra said of discounted luxury, “if you fall into the trap of your profitability becoming highly dependent on it, you’ve got an issue.”
To manage this issue, brands can’t become too dependent on it as a main part of their business model, he explained.
And keeping these discounts hidden away in premium villages can be a way to manage this trade-off between luxury and discounting.