Latest news with #BicesterCollection
Forbes
7 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Built To Feel: How The Bicester Collection Became A Benchmark For Experiential Retail
Thirty Years of Bicester Village: So much more than outlets to shop - these are places to be. Few ... More businesses commit when ROI isn't instantly quantifiable. Bicester Village did just this and the Collective has kept that going. In an era where many brands chase 'experience,' only a select few were bold enough to build it into their foundations. The Bicester Collection was among those early visionaries embedding emotion, atmosphere, and local nuance into its villages long before experiential retail became fashionable. Thirty years on, it remains a benchmark for how physical retail can truly connect, not just convert. Bicester Village opened in 1995 in a former Oxfordshire paddock, a modest offering of just 13 boutiques. Today, it welcomes millions of visitors a year and has become one of the most commercially successful retail locations in the world. Yet it has never rested on footfall or fame alone. It is a space where guests (not shoppers) are invited to slow down. Where the average stay stretches to six hours, and where retail is wrapped in carefully considered details: a delicious offering of restaurants for all budgets, sculpted greenery, and a tone of voice that always feels human. It is retail that asks more of itself. Destinations not outlets: Visitors walk the streets of La Roca Store Village, Barcelona, Spain. La ... More Roca Store Village is a shopping center where competition. (Photo by) Experience, here, isn't a tactic, it's the entire infrastructure. From the botanical walkways that change with the seasons to the deliberate use of scent and natural materials, the entire environment feels orchestrated to soothe, welcome, and elevate. And it's not just a charming addition, it's a significant investment. Take the horticulture alone. It's not performative, it's immersive. Carefully curated installations across the UK and Europe often take months to plan and execute. They bring with them a very British kind of beauty: evocative, understated, and seasonal. In the hands of another brand, this might be a social media moment. Here, it's intentional. What sets Bicester Village apart isn't just the brands or boutiques, it's the environment. The design draws deeply from its Oxfordshire surroundings, echoing the soft charm of the Cotswolds and Britain's long-standing love affair with gardens. Seasonal horticultural displays, including a newly introduced scented walk-through, are more than decorative. Fragrances like rosemary and rose gently fill the air, guiding guests through a space designed to be lingered in. These immersive touches don't shout for attention, they earn it quietly, and they stay with you. This sensitivity to place is a hallmark of The Bicester Collection's approach. In a world where many retail environments can feel interchangeable, Bicester's landscaping, materials, and even its pacing reflect a distinctly British rhythm. These details require significant investment and planning, and the commercial payback isn't always instant, but that's the point. They've built a space that feels cared for, and in doing so, they've created one that people care about. What's often missed in is how each village across The Bicester Collection has been developed with local identity in mind, and with such care and attention to detail. These are not replicas. They're regional expressions of a shared philosophy. In Spain, La Roca Village offers Mediterranean hospitality and design. In China, Suzhou Village reflects Eastern aesthetic traditions. In France, La Vallée blends effortlessly with the luxury pulse of Paris. Each site reflects a deep sensitivity to place, requiring more of the brand, more of its partners, and often, more risk. Brands must adapt stock, language, and staffing to meet local needs and that isn't always matched by short-term return. But this is a brand that doesn't trade exclusively in short-term thinking. It never has. Rain or shine: a friendly face is present to greet new visitors to Belmont Park Village. A tribute ... More to New York in design and architecture, I watched visitors walk around face-timing friends "You gotta get here" as the shopping village - and certainly it's future potential is already clear to see The recent launch of Belmont Park Village in New York marks the Collection's most ambitious chapter yet, not just geographically, but culturally. Launching an outlet village in a mature U.S. market could have felt redundant. Instead, Belmont Park has been crafted as a counterpoint to the chaos, thoughtful landscaping, on-trend dining, and a guest-first philosophy embedded into everything from transport to tone. It's a fine-tuned, well thought out, curated new edition, not a copy, and that's the point. Of course, this is still outlet retail. Discounts, accessibility, and branded stock remain part of the offer. But it's what surrounds those transactions that defines the Collection's longevity. Long before we spoke about 'immersive retail' or the 'experience economy,' this was a brand investing in design that would make people feel something. The result? A shift in behaviour. International visitors often now build summer itineraries around multiple villages, enjoying the contrast between destinations. Bicester has become a verb as much as a place. This is physical retail that doesn't try to compete with e-commerce. It competes with time. And it largely it wins. The Bicester Collection has never shouted. It has never rushed. It has never needed to claim 'the future' of anything. Instead, it has built with intention, retail environments grounded in care, culture, and craft. And in doing so, it reminds us that when experience is designed to be felt, not forced, it lasts longer than a trend.
Trade Arabia
20-05-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Bicester Collection celebrates success at Virtuoso Symposium
The Bicester Collection, showcasing its growing influence within the global luxury travel sector, hosted the official welcome reception of the 2025 Virtuoso Symposium at La Roca Village last week, welcoming over 350 of Virtuoso's influential members and partners from across the world. Held this year aboard the Crystal Serenity, sailing from Barcelona to Marseille from May 13 to 17, Virtuoso Symposium brought together top-tier agency owners, senior executives and preferred partners to shape the future of luxury travel. For The Bicester Collection, the evening marked a milestone moment - highlighting its strategic role in connecting fashion, travel, culture and lifestyle. Set against the backdrop of Catalonia, the evening at La Roca Village offered a dynamic, immersive experience of The Bicester Collection's unique blend of retail, hospitality and cultural curation. Guests enjoyed shopping from the world's best brands, regional cuisine and exclusive services that reflect the Collection's unwavering commitment to five-star hospitality. With 12 Villages across Europe, China and North America, housing 1,500 boutiques across nine countries and three continents, The Bicester Collection Villages welcomed 46 million guests in 2024, with each open-air destination located just outside the world's fashion capitals. From Hands-free Shopping and multilingual concierge teams to curated membership and partner offers, the event with Virtuoso demonstrated how The Bicester Collection sets a new global standard in experiential luxury. "Our guests expect seamless, elevated experiences that go far beyond retail," said Vlarcelo Vlolinari, Director of International markets, The Bicester Collection. "Through our partnership with Virtuoso and other industry leaders, we are meeting that demand-offering not just shopping, but destination experiences that are tailored, memorable and emotionally resonant." "Upscale shopping experiences are a perfect complement to luxury travel and something that our clients are seeking out, which is why we are excited to showcase the relationship we have with The Bicester Collection," says Virtuoso Senior Vice President, Global Partnerships Cory Hagopian. "By holding our Symposium's welcome reception at La Roco Village, our travel agency members and partners will not only see the elevated shopping experience The Bicester Collection offers but also a different side to the Barcelona they may think they know." The Bicester Collection continues to attract a highly discerning international audience, with a 7.2% growth in international guests across the Villages year to date. Growth has been especially notable from the United States, reflecting the strength of The Bicester Collection's global appeal and ability to meet the expectations of luxury travellers and high-net-worth audiences through curated experiences. Each Village within the Collection offers the world's best brands at the world's best prices, celebrated restaurants, and peerless service-making them essential destinations for global travellers. Rooted in community spirit, The Bicester Collection also partners with local cultural institutions, regional tourism, champions young creative talent, and supports charitable and sustainable initiatives that positively impact the surrounding regions. - TradeArabia News Service
