THE FIRST outlet centre due to open in Slovakia, the D1 Outlet City near Senec, will be operated by the Dutch company Stable. The company has previous experience in outlet operations in the Dutch and German markets.
Ivan Čarnogurský, general director of IPEC, the developer, told the SITA newswire that the contract became effective as of June and that the main stress would be laid on the two first years, until the outlet centre is completed. Stable currently operate outlet centres that sell over 200 trademarks, including top global brands in clothing, footwear, cosmetics and other areas.
One reason for choosing Stable to operate the Senec outlet centre was its experience in bringing the concept of outlet sales to the Dutch market. In 2001 it developed the first Dutch fashion outlet, Batavia Stad near Amsterdam, which it still operates. This outlet, visited by over 2 million customers per year, drew its architectural inspiration from local traditions, as does the D1 development. While the D1 Outlet has been designed in the spirit of traditional Small Carpathian architecture, Batavia Stad is supposed to resemble original fishing settlements on the Dutch coast.
Construction of the first phase of the D1 Outlet was launched on February 1. It is supposed to open in March 2013. IPEC has invested €4.5 million in the outlet centre so far. Costs for construction of the first phase of 8,500 square metres of leasable area divided into 50 units are projected to be €10 million.
