McArthurGlen has entered into a partnership with successful fashion and retail entrepreneur, Thomas Dankbar of Hütten Holding, the owner and developer of the Ochtrup outlet near Münster, North-West Germany.

The new venture will see market leader McArthurGlen take a majority stake in the popular Ochtrup outlet and become the manager of the 18,000 square metre centre.

Already a successful centre with over two million visitors expected this year, Ochtrup Outlet is currently home to 65 stores with famous brands including Nike, Adidas, Liebeskind, Lacoste, Esprit, Bogner and Tom Tailor. 

The multi-award-winning McArthurGlen Group, which currently manages 21 centres in nine countries, already operates two designer outlets in Germany: McArthurGlen Berlin and McArthurGlen Neumünster, near Hamburg, which is Northern Germany’s largest designer outlet.  The group is also investing a further 150 million euros in what will become its fourth German outlet after Ochtrup, McArthurGlen Remscheid, near Cologne, which is due to open in 2017.

Gary Bond, McArthurGlen’s Managing Director of Development, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Thomas Dankbar and his team and are confident we will add value through our extensive brand relationships and our international experience of DOC management.  We also look forward to working closely with him to secure permission to extend the centre by a further 8,000 square metre sales area. I hope this will be the first of many new partnerships across Europe.”

Thomas Dankbar, Outlet Centre Ochtrup, said: “I am very proud of how Ochtrup has developed since we first opened 11 years ago with just 5,000 sq m of GLA.  It is now time to take the centre to the next level.  McArthurGlen has an outstanding track record in Europe and I believe that their skills, resources and ways of working will bring huge benefits to the centre and to the local economy.”

Factory Outlet Centre Ochtrup is a 30 minute journey from Münster in a densely-populated region with approximately 13 million inhabitants within a 90 minute drive time. It features neo-classical architecture and a brick and glass design.  At its centre is an iconic 1893 listed building that used to belong to the Gebrüder Laurenz textile company.

The centre has a free children’s play area and 1,500 car parking spaces. A diverse culinary experience is on offer in the Ochtrup centre’s six restaurants and cafés.