Vancouver Airport (YVR), Canada’s second busiest gateway, has set an opening date for British Columbia’s first luxury designer outlet centre for the spring of 2015, with construction now underway at the 30-acre site on airport-owned land.

 

The off-airport project – first reported by TRBuiness in September 2012 –is a partnership with Europe’s biggest outlet mall developer and owner, McArthurGlen Group, and goes under the name McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Vancouver Airport.

 

Some 35,000sq m of luxury, designer and lifestyle retail is planned on the north east corner of Sea Island near the Templeton Canada Line station. YVR hopes it will reinforce the airport’s role in the economic development of the region and increase the airport’s destination appeal. Last year the west-coast gateway served 17.9m passengers via 68 airlines.

 

Tony Gugliotta (left), Senior Vice President, Marketing and Business Development at Vancouver Airport Authority, says: “(The project) will offer the airport an alternative revenue source that will allow us to continue building YVR as a premier global gateway.”

 

TWO-PHASE DEVELOPMENT

The designer outlet centre is being built in two phases: the first will offer 22,500sq m of retail space, including what YVR claims are “the most sought-after North American and European luxury brands” plus restaurants and cafes, with another 12,500sq m added in the next phase.

 

Talking up the project, Joan Jove, McArthurGlen’s Development Director for North America comments: “We are seeing strong interest from leading European and North American fashion brands. Vancouver offers an excellent location, economic strength, tourism potential, as well as a strong partner in the Vancouver Airport Authority.”

 

Through its designer outlets in in Europe, McArthurGlen has existing relationships with a string of luxury labels such as Armani, Burberry, Ermenegildo Zegna, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Michael Kors, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Salvatore Ferragamo.

 

The YVR location will feature two luxury piazzas, and is designed as an open-air village, with pedestrian walkways and tree-lined streets.

 

The design elements are inspired by Vancouver architecture, including the city’s first post-office building (c. 1937) and now part of the Sinclair Centre downtown complex), the Vancouver Rowing Club (c.1911), and the distinctive brick facades associated with historic Gastown.

 

In 2013, McArthurGlen became a joint venture between the world’s largest retail developer, Simon Property Group, and Kaempfer Partners. The YVR outlet will be the first McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in North America.