Outlet

Big trading spaces selling designer remainders, samples, unsold or excess stock, and previous seasons’ collections at reduced prices, with reductions from 20% to 70%. Outlets originated and spread rapidly in the USA (there are over 300), and are now slowly multiplying across Europe (there are currently 70, but its likely that the number will double over the next few years). The concept is “cheap and chic,” allowing the public to dress in designer labels without spending a fortune. The first Italian outlets usually only sold single labels at factory outlets in city suburbs (Aspesi in Legnano, Fratelli Rossetti in Parabiago, Lario 1898 in Cirimido, Samsonite in Corsico, Tacchini in Caltignaga near Novara, Superga and Siport in Segrate, Fila in Biella, Prada in Tuscany, Antonio Fusco in Corsico). Others such as Coccinelle, Fenegrò, Etro, and Larusmiani are sold at stores in city centres, similar to the label’s boutiques, but at cheaper prices. In the 1990s, they began following the American and French model, with big multi-store outlets bringing together different well-known designer labels, ranging from menswear, womenswear and children’s fashion to sportswear, footwear, bags and luggage, lingerie, swimwear, and sunglasses. The first southern European outlet opened in Mendrisio, Canton Ticino on November 4, 1995. Foxtown has very modern architecture, with various buildings spread over different levels; it includes a casino and has expanded from 9 to 130 shops selling a total of 200 labels. It is very popular, with 50% of its profits made at weekends. The American company McArthurGlen opened the Serravalle Scrivia Designer Outlet just a few kilometers from the Milan-Genoa motorway exit on September 7, 2000. It is in the middle of the countryside and is laid out like a small village with boutiques and cafés lining the streets. Luca De Ambrosis Ortigara is McArthurGlen’s managing director for Italy. Baa McArthurGlen and Fingen are continuously expanding their trading activities, going from 60 to 120 outlets and planning the opening of 15 more. They opened another designer outlet along the Via Pontina in Castelromano in October 2003, with 20,000 square meters selling 95 prestigious labels. They aim to repeat the success of Serravalle, which brought in 118 million euros and had 7 million visitors in 2002. In 2004 they opened a third outlet near Florence and in 2005 another near Padua. Outlets have become the new distribution channel of the third millennium, using industrial trading strategies to sell designer labels at lower prices whilst maintaining their prestigious image. In an interview with Corriere della Sera (12 May 2003), Luca Bastagli, managing director of the most important outlet group, says of the four new outlets to be opened in Santhià, Modena, Rome, and Molfetta in Puglia: “They will be proper life-centers like the American ones, with restaurants, and spaces for leisure and entertainment.”