New signings and a UK first for LDO

Champion, the authentic athletic apparel retailer, is to open its first UK outlet store and has chosen London Designer Outlet (LDO) in Wembley Park as the best place to be. London’s leading fashion and lifestyle outlet centre continues to attract new and diverse brands to its tenant mix, having also signed cosmetic retailer, Beauty Outlet.

The addition of Champion, the brand’s second standalone store in the UK, reflects Wembley’s world-renowned reputation for sports and leisure, joining Adidas, Converse, The North Face, Asics, Skechers, Nike and New Balance.

Sue Shepherd, Realm’s Centre Manager for LDO, said: “It’s always exciting to welcome new names to LDO. Sports companies continually perform well here and signing an iconic athleisure brand like Champion is a great testament to our trading track-record. Furthermore, Beauty Outlet is a really positive addition to the roster at the centre, augmenting the choice of retailers and restaurants available for our guests. We look forward to them both opening their doors in the coming weeks.”

Champion, renowned for its iconic logo and a heritage rooted in original and authentic design, will take a 1,800 sq ft unit at the North London outlet centre. The brand will feature its eye-catching store fit-out, with a clean and contemporary look and feel reflecting the aesthetic of its flagship store in London’s Soho. Across LDO, shops have high quality fit-outs and visually appealing displays ensuring a consistently superior guest experience despite the year-round low prices.

Beauty Outlet, the fastest growing beauty retailer in the UK, provides a boost to the existing cosmetics offer at LDO. The 2,400 sq ft unit will house affordable products from top brands including Bobbi Brown, Clarins, Rimmel, Maybelline and L’Oréal. It will boost the existing beauty and cosmetic offer at the centre that already includes The Body Shop and The Fragrance Shop.

Chris Haggarty, Managing Director, Champion Products Europe Ltd, said: “We’re really proud to be expanding with a new store at LDO to coincide with our brand celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The location within the wider Wembley Park development reflects our sporting heritage. We look forward to opening next to many other great sporting brands and welcoming the many visitors to the area.”

Wembley Park, London’s newest neighbourhood, is a £3bn, 85-acre mixed-use development being delivered by Quintain. It will include over 500,000 sq ft of retail and leisure with a curated mix of independent operators, destination shopping, dining experiences and daily conveniences. It also includes Tipi, the largest build-to-rent development on a single site in the UK, that will be home to 20,000 full-time residents once complete.

LDO continues to demonstrate the resilience of the outlet sector, bucking trends and achieving consistently positive trading stats since opening in October 2013. It has a reputation for leading the field with innovations and is the first UK shopping centre to adopt the app-based, store-to-door service, Dropit. This hands-free service bridges the gap between the online convenience and the physical retail experience. Since its launch, the average transactional value by customers using Dropit is almost seven times higher than the average spend per head at LDO.