Now we know why it was so hard to get a parking space there before Christmas – McArthurGlen’s York Designer Outlet has recorded its best ever Saturday trading, on December 1.
Newly-revealed figures show that the outlet, off the A19 south of York, enjoyed a cracking Christmas, and a special sales season too. December 27 was the second best trading day in the centre’s history, driven by strong gift and fashion sales.
Double digit growth during the peak Christmas period (December 17-30) was recorded across perfume and cosmetics, seeing like-for-like growth 27 per cent year-on-year.
For the same period, like-for like sales for designer collections and footwear sales were up 20 per cent year-on-year and 13 per cent year-on-year respectively. Entertainment also saw strong double digit growth, as shoppers snapped up gifts for their loved ones and friends from leading retailers including Bose and That’s Entertainment.
“Christmas has exceeded our expectations, with record trading in the 15 year history of the centre,” said Mike Thomas, York Designer Outlet manager.
“We had six new stores open in 2012, which helped attract more festive shoppers than ever to the unrivalled shopping experience of designer and high street brands for less.”
The news was a welcome change from the gloom on the High Street, with firms including HMV and Jessops moving into administration. But the designer outlet figures did not surprise Jeremy Baker, a retail analyst from London Guildhall University. “Retailers who demonstrated value to consumers will be the success stories of the Christmas trading period,” he said.
“In the Age of Austerity if the retailer can prove quality, with brand names, and significant savings, as McArthurGlen Designer Outlets do, then consumers will buy and buy all year round.”
The presence of Yorkshire’s Winter Wonderland and The Ice Factor’s 900sqm ice rink for a third time this year, helped boost McArthurGlen’s York Designer Outlet as a shopping and leisure destination, driving 45,000 visitors to the centre during its time there.
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