LONDON, 18th July 2018 - McArthurGlen, Europe’s leading owner, developer and manager of designer outlets, has confirmed that construction of the £160 million designer outlet in Cannock will commence this month, beginning with site preparation and earth works.

Cannock Chase District Council granted planning approval for a designer outlet at Mill Green in September 2016 following extensive consultations with the local community. In December 2017 McArthurGlen announced a joint venture with Aviva Investors (on behalf of Aviva Life and Pensions), The Richardson Family and U+I to develop McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Cannock, which will span 285,000 sq ft of retail space across two phases. The development will become the Group’s 26th centre, and their seventh in the UK.

This £160 million investment will create a landmark retail destination and community hub for Cannock and the West Midlands, generating 1,000 jobs for the local area. Due to complete in 2020, Phase I will be home to 80 sought-after premium and luxury brands offering year-round savings of up to 60%, a selection of restaurants and cafes, a children’s play area, bike parking for cyclists  and 1,400 car parking spaces.

McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Cannock will also deliver an additional £1.5 million investment in various projects that will bring significant benefits to the local community. This investment programme will include the enhancement and ongoing maintenance of the Mill Green Nature Park, improvements to Cannock Town Centre and the railway station, and support for developing skills and employment prospects for local people.

Gary Bond, Joint Managing Director of Development at McArthurGlen, said: “We are thrilled to start construction on this milestone development for Cannock. The new centre will generate significant employment for the local area and create a new retail destination for the region, serving 11 million local residents. McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Cannock will be built to the highest standards of architectural design and sustainability, reflecting and respecting the surrounding natural landscape.”

Councillor George Adamson, Leader of Cannock Chase Council said: “The reality of creating one of the most significant things to happen in the district in recent memory is definitely here now, with this exciting news. As construction commences we will be working closely with McArthurGlen to ensure that disruption is kept to the minimum for our residents, as we progress to a development we can all be very proud about.”

Derbyshire based construction company Bowmer & Kirkland has been appointed to deliver the scheme.

The start of construction on McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Cannock comes at a time of rapid growth for Group, which opened Europe’s first designer outlet in the UK in 1995 and now operates 24 centres in nine countries. McArthurGlen will enter its 10th market when it opens the first designer outlet in the south of Spain in 2019. It is currently expanding two of its existing centres in the UK - Cheshire Oaks near Manchester, which is the country’s largest designer outlet, and Ashford near London. Earlier this year, the company announced that it will be adding a second phase to its award-winning centre at Vancouver Airport in Canada.