FRANK LUBA
THE PROVINCE
No. 1 (First of its kind)
Robert Thurlow is general manager of McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Vancouver Airport, which he says “isn’t anything like the North American market has seen before.” Following a pattern established by developers McArthurGlen in 20 similar, open-air designer outlets in the U.K., France, Italy, Germany and Belgium, Thurlow says “it will be like walking down cobbled streets opening up into an open-air piazza where you can sit at a café and have coffee.”
He says the centre will have a “very different atmosphere than your typical what I would call ‘shopping mall.’ ”
An artists rendering of a piazza at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Vancouver Airport. The centre will offer 35,000 square metres of luxury, designer and lifestyle retail on the northeast corner of Sea Island near the Templeton Canada Line station.
30 to 70 per cent
While the centre may have a very European-style atmosphere with pedestrian-friendly walkways and tree-lined streets, the savings of 30 to 70 per cent offered by its outlet stores will be what will really differentiates it from other shopping centres. “We offer value to our customers year round,” says Thurlow, who pointed to another variation from competitors. “Our brand lineup will be different,” he says. While the lineup of stores is being held back until an opening expected later this spring, Thurlow said “there’s going to be brands that people haven’t previously had access to.”
McArthurGlen Designer Outlet under construction in Richmond, B.C., April 8, 2015. First of it’s kind designer outlet in Canada — outdoors. Concept company McArthur Glen idea is big in Europe and have brought it to Canada. Having a giant job fair Friday and Saturday (in conjunction with YVR). Arlen Redekop / PNG
240,000 square feet
Phase 1 of McArthurGlen, which is a joint venture with Vancouver International Airport, will have 240,000 square feet of shopping and services. Phase 2 will come along in approximately 18 to 24 months after the centre opens and is expected to offer a further 140,000 square feet. The result will be 80 stores offering international and North American items in luxury, premium and lifestyle fashion.
McArthurGlen Designer Outlet under construction in Richmond, B.C., April 8, 2015. Arlen Redekop photo / PNG
600 jobs
To staff all those shops, Phase 1 will require 600 people, so McArthurGlen is hosting a job fair at the River Rock Casino from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The jobs available will include retail management, operations and sales, with both full- and part-time positions. But it will be the brands offering the jobs, not McArthurGlen.
McArthurGlen Designer Outlet under construction in Richmond, B.C., April 8, 2015. Arlen Redekop/PNG
2.4 million
With McArthurGlen just a few minutes walk from the Templeton stop on the Canada Line, the closest shoppers to the new centre will be those arriving and departing from YVR, But there are 2.4 million shoppers within 60 minutes of the centre, with downtown Vancouver just a 30-minute drive away and even closer by SkyTrain. While many shoppers are expected to take the train, there’s also 2,000 parking spots.
