I tipped my belongings into it while I was still at the till
and left the store clutching my new accessory with all the intensity of Mufasa holding the newborn Simba aloft over Pride Rock
The reason I could afford it (or at least convince myself that I could)
where I’d succumbed to the siren call of the leather goods on my way to browse Ugg boots and The White Company candles
Bicester Village – technically a designer outlet mall, but in reality far removed from the visions the term might conjure – is celebrating its 30th birthday, and while Alexa has long since hung up her satchel bag (although <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/vintage-mulberry-bags">vintage versions are huge these days</a>)
the promise of luxury bargains continues to lure shoppers to Oxfordshire in their droves – Vogue editors among them
“I have gotten some unbelievable bargains: gowns
things I saw and loved on the runway for a true fraction of the price.”
“On Running is a brand that didn’t even exist five years ago,” she points out
there will always be some people who get sniffy about discount shopping
who imagine that it only ever involves ploughing through a mountain of outdated and unwanted surplus stock on the slim chance of happening upon a gem
“If misconceptions didn’t exist our life would become so easy and boring,” Bollier says
“There is definitely an evolution in the understanding of our boutiques
but it’s still stigmatised in some people’s brain
The misconception is always going to be there
it’s really up to us how we communicate our brand positioning.”
Word of mouth is Bicester’s best marketing tool
who makes no bones about the fact that bargain hunting is central to the appeal
But why not do it in a pleasingly bougie environment
The core message is actually experiential retail
You might come and you might not shop at all
It’s really about the sense of discovery.”
Liz Hurley cuts the ribbon on her standalone swimwear boutique at Bicester Village in 2009
It’s certainly all part of the draw for Singer
who refuels at Ottolenghi or the Lindt hot chocolate stand on her visits
“If I don’t find anything to wear (although I’m not sure that’s ever happened)
then I get sheets and towels from The White Company and candles from Byredo so it’s not a wasted trip
I have a list of fellow fans who I can call upon – honestly
fashion is full of them – but none who are too indecisive about things because I value efficiency in my shopping companions
My philosophy is: you always regret what you didn’t buy
and I expect my plus ones to take the same approach.”
The traditional phone booths are playing tracks from 1995 at Bicester Village
as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations
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#article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed .font-accent{font-family: Graphik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;}Bicester Village is widely believed to be the leading Designer outlet shopping destination in Europe Bicester Oxfordshire
(Photo by: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
<a href="https://www.thebicestercollection.com/bicester-village/en/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.thebicestercollection.com/bicester-village/en/" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.thebicestercollection.com/bicester-village/en/" aria-label="Bicester Village">Bicester Village</a>
the open-air mall located just an hour outside of London
has come a long way since its grand opening 30 years ago
Having defied digital disruption and the “retail apocalypse” during the pandemic
the luxury shopping destination has become UK’s top tourism attractions
and expanded to offer its unique appeal to some of the world’s most prime locations
the Village’s stylishly decorated VIP space
and an exclusive additional 10% discount at most brands
Some threads on Reddit see local residents recalling the Village’s humble beginnings with Reebok and stores at all levels at the beginning
but few have predicted its trajectory — the luxury shopping destination has not only transformed a quiet Oxfordshire town into the retail phenomenon today
bur also proved that brick-and-mortar can thrive without an e-commerce site — a seemingly risky and backdated strategy that is now paying dividends — literally
stakes in Value Retail Plc — Bicester Village’s parent company — was sold off in a deal worth £1.5bn (roughly $2bn.)
A Bicester Village poster in the early days
This physical retail boom isn’t unique to Bicester
ath-leisure brand Vuori has opened its third store in just three years (its King’s Road site launched last week following the Regent Street flagship opening in October last year)
while competitor ALO has rapidly launched three locations
Fashion label RIXO recently added a café to its boutique concept
and even Sloane Street — London’s luxury shopping artery — has invested heavily in widening pavements to enhance the pedestrians’ experience when browsing shop windows
But there is something to be said about the Bicester Village way of shopping that goes beyond just retail therapy
going to the Village can be seen as quite an outing — a journey that begins at the Marylebone station with excitement building up with each passing mile
The social ritual side of the experience is what draws the crowds back
with unhurried pleasure and human connections promised
completed with a glass of champaign or a scoop of ice cream
It is not surprising then the Village is reported to be operating at 100% occupancy
with brands constantly queuing for pop-up spaces
Despite its continuous rise in popularity in Asia and the Middle East, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bicestervillage/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.instagram.com/bicestervillage/" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.instagram.com/bicestervillage/" aria-label="Bicester Village">Bicester Village</a> has been quietly reshaping its social image
and began to attract a fresh category of shoppers: next-gen
A simple search on Instagram and TikTok can bring up thousands of posts on Gen Z and millennials flaunting their designer scores from the Village
let it be a steal hunted down or a discontinued cult item discovered
Bicester Village has launched a range of merchandized goods in celebration of the 30-year milestone
Bicester Village is embracing its 1990s heritage with a campaign titled “The Original Then
visitors can explore a “Village News” pop-up featuring Village merch including 1995 caps
and scratch cards — all capturing the spirit of the era that birthed the Village
a collaboration with The Gentlewoman magazine has produced “1995,” a 97-page literary time capsule designed to be read during the train journey from London Marylebone to Bicester Village — 46 minutes in total
There’s something for nostalgic music lovers too
The transformed red telephone boxes that now serve as listening booths will feature 1990s playlists curated by iconic Britpop band Blur bassist turned artisan cheesemaker Alex James
Shoppers looking for limited edition products can look out for Ferragamo’s Wanda Bag capsule collection that reimagines a classic 1990s top-handle style paying homage to Salvatore Ferragamo’s wife
as well as an exclusive Lacoste Roland-Garros collection launching in May
referencing the iconic tournament’s significant 1990s moments
The second part of the anniversary campaign will be announced in June
promising further activations throughout the summer season in celebration of what the Village calls “30 years of Bicester Village magic.”
The luxury shopping destination has just unveiled its new creative campaign concept dubbed What Will You Find?
 It’s a five-part episodic campaign that aims to transport the audience into the world of Bicester Village
exploring all the unique findings of being a guest that far exceed product alone”
especially when so many of your closest parkrun friends plan their Saturdays months in advance… So after some careful consideration
I decided to bring the date forward and change my venue
I’m also very thankful that one of my lovely parkrun friends
made the journey up to mark the occasion with me; this was our 25th event we’d spent together
As a Run Director down at Great Salterns in Portsmouth
I also do like to ‘put in a volunteering shift’ once in a while
since I know how incredibly difficult it can be to round up the troops so an event can go ahead
allows you the freedom to run at a parkrun and volunteer
Barcode Scanning (though if you’re uber-fast
you can always jump in and help at the end of your run) and being a Marshal that matter the most
it can often lead to an event having difficulty going ahead
and when you’ve made plans to visit such a parkrun
it can be disappointing — so the message here is
please volunteer once in a while and give up your run for those who do volunteer a lot
I’ll get off my soapbox now and finish by thanking every single volunteer today; you were all fabulous
My understanding ‘parkrun widow’ wife and I set off from the south coast at around 6:15 this morning to give us plenty of time to make our way northbound to Bicester parkrun
We chose the more rural route for a change
even though it’s usually hassle-free early on Saturday mornings
We arrived in good time and I managed to speak to today’s Run Director
Lucy HUNTER… Thank you both for your time at both pre-event and post-event
Today marked my 400th parkrun and I wasn’t alone
Congratulations also go to Elizabeth FOSS for achieving the same arbitrary milestone — well done you
I can honestly say that Bicester parkrun is a hidden gem found in the north of Oxfordshire — it was my penultimate parkrun to complete the county
with evidence suggesting occupation in the late Iron Age and Romano-British periods
The town itself features in the Domesday Survey of 1086
which records it as a settlement of two manors and home to about two hundred people
although recent archaeological evidence confirms that there was a settlement on the site of the present town from early Saxon times
with outline planning for the site granted in 1987
nestled between Bicester Village and Langford Village are several children’s play areas
several ponds and two modern stone circles
the largest of which is named Langford Stonehenge
The wider area also boasts the ‘Bicester Langford Health Route’ which was created in partnership with Cherwell District Council and offers multiple walking and running routes
of which a 5k route passes in and around Langford Park
There were an amazing 14 newcomers to parkrun at Bicester today… a huge well done to all of you and I hope you’ve well and truly caught the parkrun bug and return next week (or even venture to another parkrun nearby)
Well done to milestone achievers Milan BANWAITH and Brandon SUTTON for hitting their 25th parkruns today and Arran WHITE for his 50th parkrun… Congratulations to you all
First male finisher was Mark STITCH with an incredibly impressive 17:30
just 14 seconds shy of a PB and first female finisher (and first timer)
Natasha STEVENS in an equally impressive 21:53 — well done to the both of you
there were 45 participants that achieved a PB and there were 42 first timers to the course; well done to all of you who either smashed it
were tourists or participating at your first ever parkrun
Bicester volunteer team for making my 400th a memorable one
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