Armani and Hugo Boss to join new Grantham Designer Outlet Village

Premium and lifestyle fashion brands Armani, Hugo Boss and Moss Bros have all signed up to have branches on the edge of Grantham.

The Grantham Designer Outlet Village, due to open on Spittlegate Level in 2023, will offer a comprehensive visitor experience, ranging from its premium fashion brands, restaurants and coffee shops to events spaces, all in an attractive landscaped setting.

The outlet village is set to be the first retail destination in the UK to partner with Wishibam, a Paris-based tech start-up. The partnership will provide an omnichannel retail store management system offering ship-from-store and click-and-collect services, which has already proven very successful in France.

The technology also enhances the physical shopping experience, providing live updates to shoppers on what is available in participating stores and helping to drive footfall and increase sales.

In partnership with Buckminster Estates, the Grantham Designer Outlet Village is being developed by Rioja Estates, the outlet retail specialists behind some of the UK and Europe’s most successful designer outlets.

Local artisans and businesses will also benefit from free advertising and marketing opportunities provided by the village, including pop-up spaces. The development will also bring £100 million direct investment into the area and create up to 1,500 permanent jobs when it opens on the edge of the Southern Relief Road and A1.

Giles Membrey, Managing Director of Rioja Estates, said: “In the past few months alone, we have seen interest from brands more than double, reflecting the post pandemic success of outlets generally and the exceptional opportunities this best-in-class destination will offer for brands, as well as for the 4.5 million people living within a 90-minute drive and those from farther afield..”

The 270,000 sq ft development will feature up to 90 stores, restaurants and coffee shops in Phase One, with up to 50 more stores proposed for Phase Two.

A second designer village is also proposed by Oldrids, at their Gonerby Moor Downtown site.