Ashford Designer Outlet opens 90 million pound extension

Coach, Sandro, Maje and Karl Lagerfeld have all opened within the 90 million pound extension of the McArthurGlen Ashford Designer Outlet in Kent.

The 100,000 square foot expansion, which makes the Ashford Designer Outlet one of the South of England’s biggest outlets, officially opened on November 7 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by centre manager, Peter Corr, and MP Damian Green.

The expansion strengthens the centre’s position as the South of England’s go-to destination for fashion, food and homeware, and now features more than 130 premium brands, restaurants, cafes and guest experiences with new stores including Ugg, Joules, Dr. Martens, Dune, Gant, Under Armour, and Reiss.

More new stores that have recently opened or coming soon to the development includes Hugo Boss, Armani, Puma, Bedeck, Haribo, and Tempur, with Kate Spade, set to open before the end of the year, while Cosmetics Company is coming in early 2020, as the outlet aims to create a premium fashion and lifestyle offering.

These will sit alongside its existing portfolio of retailers including Nike, Abercrombie and Fitch, Barbour, M&S, French Connection, and Gap, as well as larger stores from Cath Kidston, which upsized and moved to a new unit and Polo Ralph Lauren, which previously had two stores in the existing part of the centre, has brought together its men, women and children's range under one roof after moving into the centre's first-ever two-storey shop.

In addition, the outlet has an updated, larger food piazza, featuring Pret a Manger, Five Guys, Yo! Sushi, Lost Sheep Coffee, Starbucks and Comptoir Libanais, as well as a new-look children’s adventure playground that includes one of the UK’s tallest open space Robinia treehouse towers.

McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Ashford attracts Coach, Sandro, Maje and Karl Lagerfeld for 100,000 square foot extension

To coincide with the launch, Ashford Designer Outlet has transformed for the festive season with the opening of its elf workshop and Santa’s post room, and its Christmas decorations include a giant sparkling red bauble that visitors can walkthrough.

In addition, a Garden of Light installation has been designed with Pixel Artworks to stimulate the senses and encourage guests to reflect on their connection with nature as a tribute to Kent’s 400-year status as the Garden of England and its picturesque landscape. The multi-sensory walkthrough experience explores nature’s four seasons through the power of light, sound and scent.

Upon entering the space visitors begin their journey through a snow-covered scene that magically transforms to spring through touch, filling the senses with bursts of blossom scents and delicate sounds. Moving through into the summer garden, visitors experience a large, 10m-wide tree canopy that joins a cosmic digital kaleidoscope above, and they then exit through the autumn tunnel, with falling leaves silhouetted through a physical installation to completing the final seasonal change.

The immersive installation will be raising money for The William Harvey Hospital in Ashford to create a garden sanctuary for patients to enjoy.

Peter Corr, centre manager at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Ashford said in a statement: “In celebration of the 90 million pound expansion, we wanted to offer visitors a brand-new experience. With The Garden of Light guests can expect to journey into a virtual garden of discovery, exploring nature’s four seasons represented through the power of light. We are committed to elevating our guests shopping experience and we are thrilled to be partnering with Projection Artwork to deliver a unique multi-sensory installation to McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Ashford.”

Ashford Designer Outlet becomes one of the world’s greenest shopping centre with 1.5 million pounds living wall

As well as new stores and restaurants, the designer outlet has added 725 new parking spaces and Europe's largest Living Wall installation that vertically covers 25,000 square foot across the walls of the new entry promenade, various walkways and many of the new stores using around 120,000 plants.

The 1.5 million pound concept developed by green infrastructure company, Biotecture, aims to uplift moods and reduce air pollution, while creating the “best possible experience” for guests to the centre and features Fortune’s Spindle, Boxleaf Honeysuckle and Ivy, to provide year-round coverage and texture, as well as Elephant’s Ears ‘Baby Doll’, Rose of Sharon, Heuchera and Viola to provide bright hues in shades of pink, purple, lilac, and yellow.

Construction on McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Ashford’s new expansion began last January, its first extension since opening in 2000. The existing 185,000 square foot centre, which has the world's largest tented retail structure, was designed by the renowned architect Lord Richard Rogers who is famous for the Lloyd's building in London as well as The O2 Arena.

The Ashford Designer Outlet, which is just over 35 minutes from London by train, and conveniently located for easy access from the M20 motorway, welcomes over 3.6 million visitors every year, and this extension was in response to what its centre manager calls “market demand”.

The expansion is one of several major projects highlighted by Ashford Borough Council and Kent County Council as key employment and economic drivers in the development of the town and has created approximately 500 jobs within the Ashford local community.

McArthurGlen operates five additional centres in the UK, including the first designer outlet in Europe, McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Cheshire Oaks near Manchester, which opened in 1995. The group is currently constructing a seventh centre in the UK, McArthurGlen Designer Outlet West Midlands, near Birmingham that is set to open in 2020 with over 80 stores.

Images: courtesy of Ashford Designer Outlet by Dave Benett/Getty Images