Only three years after the opening of the first Italian center, in Serravalle, the Treccani dictionary inserted the term “outlet” in the new words of the Italian language. It was 2000 when the British group McArthurGlen (4.5 billion euros in turnover in 2019) arrived in Italy with its first outlet, in Piedmont, opening another four within 10 years, and continuing to invest in their expansion.
Of the most recent, La Reggia a Marcianise, Caserta, opened in 2010, the third phase of expansion has just been inaugurated, an investment of 30 million that has increased the surface to 32 thousand square meters, with 25 new shops and a larger parking area. “Even during the pandemic we continued our investments in Italy”, explains Joan Jove, co-CEO McArthurGlen.
Jove, what does Italy represent for McArthurGlen?
«Of our 26 outlets in 10 countries, five are in Italy, the second market in terms of number of centers but the first in terms of turnover. Italy is also among the most attractive countries for tourists, which are very important to us and will return to being so after the end of travel restrictions. In Serravalle in June we concluded the three-year expansion plan of 40 million ”.
Are you planning new openings in Italy?
“Not at the moment, we prefer to focus on improving the ones we have. In April we opened a new center in Great Britain and are planning two more, west of Paris and near Düsseldorf. In 2020 we opened the first center in Spain ».
Are you also experiencing a recovery in sales in recent months?
“Yes, and it’s more intense than we expected. Certainly there are still no tourists, especially the Chinese, but some long-range ones such as Americans, Middle Easterners, Ukrainians and Russians are returning, especially in the centers of Serravalle and Noventa di Piave. The presence of local customers, both residents and tourists, has also recovered very well,
who spend even more than before. We are very optimistic for the future ».