McArthurGlen opens new Provence outlet centre

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Apr 13, 2017

UK-based outlet mall giant McArthurGlen opened its Provence Designer Outlet on Friday, the first designer outlet in the South of France and the group’s 23rd centre in its expanding portfolio. The centre has 125 stores across a 25,000 sq m total space.

It features premium brands such as Polo Ralph Lauren, Coach, Michael Kors and Tommy Hilfiger, plus major French brands such as L'Oréal, Maje, Sandro, The Kooples and Zadig & Voltaire. Over one-third of the brands opening are French, including 10 that are new to the McArthurGlen portfolio.
 
McArthurGlen said it has designed the centre to integrate into its surroundings and it includes sustainable features including solar panels over an area of nearly 2,000 sq m, irrigation canals and energy efficient LED lighting.

Julia Calabrese, McArthurGlen’s CEO, said the company wants the centre, located in Miramas, to become a tourist attraction. It was designed by French Architects Marseille Architecture Partners (MAP) and features Provençale-style architecture and a vertical garden installation at the entrance by French botanist Patrick Blanc.

The outlet specialist has been expanding fast in mainland Europe and this spring has added new space to Roermond centre in Holland and Parndorf near Vienna in Austria. It also recently acquired the Rosada Fashion Outlet in Roosendaal, the Netherlands from Resolution Property.

This year will also see the groundbreaking of the company’s partnership with Sonae Sierra, the international property company, for its first designer outlet in Málaga, Southern Spain. The opening is scheduled for 2019.