Located in the heart of Wembley, within a two minute walking distance of the iconic stadium, London Designer Outlet opened in 2013 and became the first outlet in the city.
Fast forward to 2025, this North London destination features brands such as Nike, Next, and Kurt Geiger, with Rituals, Miniso, and Crocs recently joining the line up.
Last year saw annual sales grow 5% to over £103m as 5.4 million people visited the outlet. It also saw its strongest ever Black Friday and took in nearly £1m sales on Boxing Day alone.
Great things are expected for the current financial year as a broader retail offering and a host of events including a ten-show stint from Coldplay and seven gigs from Oasis will no doubt bring in some big spend.
In fact, Oasis’ reunion could bring over £940m to the UK economy according to research by Novuna Personal Finance, which London Designer Outlet intends to benefit from.
As it gears up for the rest of 2025, Matt Slade, retail director at the development and asset management team behind Wembley Park, Quintain, says it will continue to grow “quarter after quarter to beat targets.”
“We recognise that the Wembley location is our superpower and it works so well which is why we keep outperforming.”
Customer demand for brands
The mix at London Designer Outlet comprises food and beverage, leisure, some high street staples and a more premium offer.
“What works well for us is health and beauty, sports, and fashion,” Slade explains.
“Those reliable stalwarts of the high street such as Marks & Spencer are good at bringing those customers in, as they know what to expect, but we’re also bringing in some different brands that we believe work.”
He says more and more premium brands are wanting to operate at the outlet, and points to the success of Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, and Timberland, as a reason for growth.
While it’s difficult to forecast which brands will resonate with shoppers, Slade adds that he is very “data hungry” and is always looking at which categories are performing the best, the worst, and which retailers can fill the gaps.
“Leases at outlets are typically short. So if a brand isn’t working, the lease model allows both parties to end that lease,” he adds.
“You can churn those tenants to be bigger and better, and we typically see that each new brand coming in is slightly more aspirational than the last.”
Operating in a busy, residential part of London, this outlet is in a unique position where it caters to the local Wembley residents, the wider London crowd, visitors to the nearby stadium, arena, theatre, and tourists.
Dan Mason, managing director of retail and property management business Multi-Realm, has been working with Quintain on the operation of the centre as well as advising on tenant mix, and says it has to appeal to the “widest possible catchment”.
“We do a lot of customer research by constantly interviewing customers, reviewing who the customer base is and where they’re coming from,” he says.
“Traditionally, that would have been through exit surveys, but it’s much easier now as people can sign up to membership schemes, VIP schemes, and customers can sign up if they want to receive information from us.
“We ask what type of brands they want to see regularly and do our best to bring them in. A lot ask for Polo Ralph Lauren but you can’t please everyone all the time,” he jokes.
Shoppers actually asked for Miniso to be brought into the mix, a retailer that Quintain and Multi-Realm hadn’t previously considered. Marking its first outlet store in the UK, Miniso has been trading well since its November opening – proving that the customer may always be right.
Supersonic spending power
While many locals and visitors are drawn to the outlet itself, those attending events around Wembley don’t shy away from a shop.
Slade says the team works super closely with brands to make sure there’s enough staff and stock when a concert or sports match is taking place.
“Every event takes so much planning and we need to make sure the retail, food, and transport side of things all run smoothly.
Mason echoes this, and anticipates that Oasis fans will spend even more than Taylor Swift fans. In fact, last year’s concert day sales at the outlets were driven by Green Day, Bruce Springsteen and AC/DC.
“Taylor Swift was going to be amazing because she had 120,000 attendees every night. But actually, these were generally teenage girls who didn’t have a lot of spending power,” he explains.
“Football matches are really good for food, beverage, and merchandise too, so business is better when we get those fans with more spend.”
The momentum is expected to stay past summer and into the all important golden quarter, which Slade says is a piece of cake as it has to contend with around “30 or 40” Black Fridays a year whenever major events are on.
“We’re in that mode all the time, so we’re always prepared for it. It’s about providing the right staff across retail, having efficient customer service and more people on the ground. We’re prepared for the next one.”
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