The designer outlet in the former Allders store was met with overwhelming demand when it opened its doors last week.

Croydon Village Outlet

Why are we talking about it?

Croydon Village Outlet, described as the UK’s first off-price department store, opened last Thursday in the premises formerly occupied by Allders in Croydon.

The store, which is more than 500,000 sq ft, features a food hall, homewares department, shoe hall and the Gold Rooms, a dedicated fashion area selling brands such as Gucci, Prada and Armani at discounts of up to 75%.

Who is behind it?

Croydon Village Outlet is the brainchild of Scottish entrepreneur Marco Cash. Cash, who owned marble and granite importer Andalusian Stone, set up Belgian fashion retailer Belgisch Breigoed in the 1980s, which grew to 44 stores across the country. He declined to say how much he is investing in Croydon Village Outlet but says the food hall alone cost £1m.

Why Croydon?

Designer outlets have traditionally been found out-of-town but Cash believes there is demand in town centres. “I’m following the retail trends we’ve been seeing for years in the US,” he says. “We’re inconveniencing people by making them travel for hours to find an outlet like Bicester Village.”

Others seem to see similar opportunity. Quintain’s London Designer Outlet is scheduled to open in Wembley late this year.

Cash says that Croydon’s town centre is the perfect location because it has a big catchment and is just 15 minutes from central London by train.

How is trading so far?

Cash says trade has been “brisk” since opening. Demand proved so overwhelming that the retailer had to close just hours after opening on Thursday and remained shut on Friday. Cash has brought in additional security to cope with the bargain-hunting crowds.

How will Croydon Village Outlet impact the redevelopment of Croydon’s retail centre?

Croydon Village Outlet sits in the area where developers Westfield and Hammerson are seeking to invest £1bn in order to create a world-class retail destination.

Although Cash will not reveal how long his rental deal with Croydon Village Outlet landlord Minerva runs for, he told Retail Week he is “here to stay”. Cash believes that Croydon Village Outlet should be an anchor store in the development, which is thought to include plans for a John Lewis shop.

However, he said neither Westfield nor Hammerson have approached him to discuss how it would fit with their plans.