Going up market
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Polish ‘outlets’ until recently were associated with corrugated steel sheds, dull interiors and grumpy staff, and where services were much poorer than in regular shopping centres.
The popularity which outlets enjoy today requires their owners to improve sales standards
So-called ‘outlets’ first made their appearance in France, Britain and the USA more than 30 years ago. Outlets in the States were often built as far as 70 km from the nearest city to take advantage of the much lower land prices outside urban areas. Such investments were nevertheless able to enjoy success due to the good road network and the greater mobility of Americans. In Europe the situation is quite different: outlets are usually situated nearer cities and sometimes even within their borders. Such centres are less expensive to build, since they are usually developed by the retailers themselves, without catering, service and entertainment facilities, allowing rents in such outlets to be lower by an average of 15 to 20 pct than tenancy rates in conventional shopping centres. So-called ‘outlet tourism’, i.e. group excursions for cheaper luxury goods, such as original clothes from the best fashion designers, has gained popularity abroad, with the attractions on offer drawing a stream of customers to the outlets.
A virgin market
There is still no place for such promotional activity on the Polish market. Though four years ago there were very few who believed such outlets would ever be a success, today these centres have put down strong roots in Poland.
Ewa Spychalska, operations director of Fashion House Piaseczno forecasts that: “The domestic market is still firmly closed to very expensive brands, though the demand for them is definitely rising. Regular sales of superior quality brands take place through one or two retailers in the largest Polish cities. Additional sales in outlets would still be unprofitable since the articles would have to be imported directly from abroad. But the market is growing, which means that in a very few years we too will be able to purchase exclusive brands in local outlets, as in other countries.”
Neinver, which owns the Factory outlet centres, has also announced it will soon be offering new brands, up to and including the most deluxe.
Barbara Topolska, the director general of Neinver Polska reveals that: “We shall definitely introduce brands new to the market, within the next few years. Deluxe brands will also appear.”
Light and greenery
In Poland outlets are still associated with a poorer standard of service resulting from the low product prices. But this image is already changing.
Ewa Spychalska believes that: “The world is discarding the ‘industrial’ image of outlets, with unusual projects steadily emerging, to mention but such chains as Designer Outlets of the Value Retail chain.”
Neinver, is also one of those developing outlets in this way, rejecting the industrial style, with the Factory Warsaw building it opened in 2002 presently undergoing a total transformation.
Barbara Topolska comments: “Our first outlet in Poland was modelled on our Madrid centre, both being reminiscent of hypermarkets and their steel facades. But we later decided to change their image to make them look more like shopping centres, creating a better climate in which shopping could be done”.
Neinver will invest EUR 8 mln in developing a second outlet and upgrading the first building in Ursus, as a result of which the shopping and service space in the latter centre will increase by a total of 4,300 sqm. The old facade has already been changed, to create an impression similar to that of the modern building of the recently opened Factory Wrocław, where the usual ugly steel sheeting has been replaced by stone and wood. The centre is changing its external image and interior. The gloomy industrial fixtures have been replaced with others made from modern materials – chromium plated structures, glass, huge plant pots, as well as specially designed furniture and lighting systems. Barbara Topolska goes on to add that: “We have created spacious corridors with bright illumination and comfortable spots where you can rest after doing the shopping. The building facades are also changing. The fact that we are selling less expensive goods here does not necessarily mean we are offering poorer services.”
Court designer
The buildings of Fashion House outlets boast unusual, though equally controversial, architectural design. They have been designed by Jan Demeyere, a Belgian architect, and have been strongly influenced by the local traditions of the place where they have been built. The Fashion House in Piaseczno, just outside Warsaw, is modelled on Warsaw’s Old Town.
Ewa Spychalska elaborates: “When designing our buildings, we wished to create a climate of distinction for our customers who come to these outlets for less expensive products, but who are simultaneously very demanding and know exactly what they are looking for. They are not here just by pure chance because of its good location; purchases in such a place usually take longer than in a normal shopping centre, which is why the atmosphere here must be unusually friendly.”
Neinver also employs an architect whose responsibility covers not the centre’s external image, but its interior. He is Paulo Lobo, and he places great stress on interiors that are modern and well illuminated. He also designs the furniture and even – on one occasion – the hall carpet for the outlet in Wrocław. Such attention to detail is surely rarely encountered, even in classical shopping centres.
Admirable motivation
The first tenants, who were still not fully convinced that they would make a profit, did not immediately invest in their retail points. Today they feel much more confident and are therefore raising their standards.
Barbara Topolska enumerates the points where interiors have been upgraded: “The huge popularity of purchases made in such outlets is reflected in our tenants’ profits, due to which the retailing outlets can become more customer-friendly. Interiors have already been changed by Atlantic, Sunset Suit, Pepe Jeans, Calzedonia, Gino Rossi and Levi’s, the latter having also doubled its size.”
Only relatively few Poles can afford to purchase deluxe brands in the upmarket showrooms, though a rising number of customers with an obviously well-founded knowledge of the latest fashion trends is also evident. This is the target group of outlet customers, which increases by 20 to 30 pct every year.
Zuzanna Wiak
The popularity which outlets enjoy today requires their owners to improve sales standards
So-called ‘outlets’ first made their appearance in France, Britain and the USA more than 30 years ago. Outlets in the States were often built as far as 70 km from the nearest city to take advantage of the much lower land prices outside urban areas. Such investments were nevertheless able to enjoy success due to the good road network and the greater mobility of Americans. In Europe the situation is quite different: outlets are usually situated nearer cities and sometimes even within their borders. Such centres are less expensive to build, since they are usually developed by the retailers themselves, without catering, service and entertainment facilities, allowing rents in such outlets to be lower by an average of 15 to 20 pct than tenancy rates in conventional shopping centres. So-called ‘outlet tourism’, i.e. group excursions for cheaper luxury goods, such as original clothes from the best fashion designers, has gained popularity abroad, with the attractions on offer drawing a stream of customers to the outlets.
A virgin market
There is still no place for such promotional activity on the Polish market. Though four years ago there were very few who believed such outlets would ever be a success, today these centres have put down strong roots in Poland.
Ewa Spychalska, operations director of Fashion House Piaseczno forecasts that: “The domestic market is still firmly closed to very expensive brands, though the demand for them is definitely rising. Regular sales of superior quality brands take place through one or two retailers in the largest Polish cities. Additional sales in outlets would still be unprofitable since the articles would have to be imported directly from abroad. But the market is growing, which means that in a very few years we too will be able to purchase exclusive brands in local outlets, as in other countries.”
Neinver, which owns the Factory outlet centres, has also announced it will soon be offering new brands, up to and including the most deluxe.
Barbara Topolska, the director general of Neinver Polska reveals that: “We shall definitely introduce brands new to the market, within the next few years. Deluxe brands will also appear.”
Light and greenery
In Poland outlets are still associated with a poorer standard of service resulting from the low product prices. But this image is already changing.
Ewa Spychalska believes that: “The world is discarding the ‘industrial’ image of outlets, with unusual projects steadily emerging, to mention but such chains as Designer Outlets of the Value Retail chain.”
Neinver, is also one of those developing outlets in this way, rejecting the industrial style, with the Factory Warsaw building it opened in 2002 presently undergoing a total transformation.
Barbara Topolska comments: “Our first outlet in Poland was modelled on our Madrid centre, both being reminiscent of hypermarkets and their steel facades. But we later decided to change their image to make them look more like shopping centres, creating a better climate in which shopping could be done”.
Neinver will invest EUR 8 mln in developing a second outlet and upgrading the first building in Ursus, as a result of which the shopping and service space in the latter centre will increase by a total of 4,300 sqm. The old facade has already been changed, to create an impression similar to that of the modern building of the recently opened Factory Wrocław, where the usual ugly steel sheeting has been replaced by stone and wood. The centre is changing its external image and interior. The gloomy industrial fixtures have been replaced with others made from modern materials – chromium plated structures, glass, huge plant pots, as well as specially designed furniture and lighting systems. Barbara Topolska goes on to add that: “We have created spacious corridors with bright illumination and comfortable spots where you can rest after doing the shopping. The building facades are also changing. The fact that we are selling less expensive goods here does not necessarily mean we are offering poorer services.”
Court designer
The buildings of Fashion House outlets boast unusual, though equally controversial, architectural design. They have been designed by Jan Demeyere, a Belgian architect, and have been strongly influenced by the local traditions of the place where they have been built. The Fashion House in Piaseczno, just outside Warsaw, is modelled on Warsaw’s Old Town.
Ewa Spychalska elaborates: “When designing our buildings, we wished to create a climate of distinction for our customers who come to these outlets for less expensive products, but who are simultaneously very demanding and know exactly what they are looking for. They are not here just by pure chance because of its good location; purchases in such a place usually take longer than in a normal shopping centre, which is why the atmosphere here must be unusually friendly.”
Neinver also employs an architect whose responsibility covers not the centre’s external image, but its interior. He is Paulo Lobo, and he places great stress on interiors that are modern and well illuminated. He also designs the furniture and even – on one occasion – the hall carpet for the outlet in Wrocław. Such attention to detail is surely rarely encountered, even in classical shopping centres.
Admirable motivation
The first tenants, who were still not fully convinced that they would make a profit, did not immediately invest in their retail points. Today they feel much more confident and are therefore raising their standards.
Barbara Topolska enumerates the points where interiors have been upgraded: “The huge popularity of purchases made in such outlets is reflected in our tenants’ profits, due to which the retailing outlets can become more customer-friendly. Interiors have already been changed by Atlantic, Sunset Suit, Pepe Jeans, Calzedonia, Gino Rossi and Levi’s, the latter having also doubled its size.”
Only relatively few Poles can afford to purchase deluxe brands in the upmarket showrooms, though a rising number of customers with an obviously well-founded knowledge of the latest fashion trends is also evident. This is the target group of outlet customers, which increases by 20 to 30 pct every year.
Zuzanna Wiak
