Work to start on designer outlet village

WORK is about to begin on the Bicester-style outlet village coming to Cannock.

McArthurGlen, Europe’s leading owner of designer outlets, has announced it is part of the £160 million joint venture, together with U+I, Aviva and the Richardson family, the people who launched Merry Hill.

The newly-named McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Cannock (formerly Mill Green) will comprise more than 285,240 sq ft of retail and leisure space.

It will be the seventh McArthurGlen outlet in the UK and will be around a 30-minute drive from Birmingham.

There’s no news on exactly which brands will be there but the developers say they plan to bring labels currently only found in places such as Bicester Village and Cheshire Oaks, which boasts brands like Alexander McQueen, All Saints, Superdry, Belstaff, Diesel and Jimmy Choo.

Work is due to start in early 2018 as the construction of phase one begins and the grand opening is planned for 2020, when more than 80 stores will launch together with restaurants and cafés, a children’s play area and 1,400 parking spaces and with views over Mill Green Nature Reserve.

Developers promise the outlet will be designed to respect and reflect local architecture and the natural environment surrounding the centre.

It will also create around 1,000 jobs for the area over the next ten years.

Gary Bond, joint managing director of development at McArthurGlen, said: “We are delighted to announce what will be the group’s 26th centre and our seventh in the UK, and we look forward to working with our joint venture partners U+I, Aviva and The Richardson Family.”

U+I and Rioja Developments secured planning approval for Cannock Designer Outlet from Cannock Chase District Council in September 2016 following extensive consultations with the local community.

The establishment of the joint venture will see a combined investment spanning across two phases and including improvements to the road infrastructure.

Once complete, the centre will be managed by McArthurGlen.

Giles Membrey, managing director of Rioja Developments, said: “We are delighted that after many years working on this project, we will be seeing it come to fruition in 2018. This is the best site in the West Midlands for a designer outlet village and the brand interest in the scheme has been phenomenal.”