Manila’s first Designer Outlet mall set to open August 2

Local shoppers and foreign tourists will soon enjoy year-round bargain hunting for international fashion and gift brands at the country’s first pure Designer Outlet mall.

Acienda Designer Outlet in Tagaytay City will provide approximately 20,000 sqm of prime commercial spaces with over 100 brands. Twenty-five restaurants, cafés, snacks and bars will be situated around a performance plaza anchored by a scenic 40m tall French windmill.

The overall style is a village environment drawing on themes and special features from Europe. Over 1,400 free parking spaces will be provided.

The new Outlet mall is located along Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, five minutes north of the Tagaytay Rotunda and opposite the new Silangan local government complex.

Construction is now on its final stages and units will be handed over to retail tenants starting this March.

The grand opening is slated for August 2 and the project is expected to serve the shopping needs of approximately 3 million local and foreign tourists who flock Tagaytay City yearly.

Acienda Designer Outlet is a joint venture between property developer Cathay Land Inc. and London based Freeport Retail, a specialist developer and operator of Designer Outlets.

The partner firms have invested P2.5 billion into the project. Confident of their success, they announced that they are already identifying strategic locations for their second outlet mall that is set to open in the next three years.

Jeffrey Ng, president of Cathay Land Inc., said: “We look forward to bringing our dedicated designer outlet shopping experience to the Philippines. Over the past decade the outlet format has been hugely successful with massive growth worldwide.”

“There is a large customer base in Metro Manila that have enjoyed high quality outlet shopping abroad and are keen to have the same opportunity at home. We set out to deliver something truly different and memorable with a look and feel that is unique to the Philippines which will draw customers back time and time again,” Ng added.

Chris Milliken, co-founder and director of Freeport Retail, shared: “There are now worldwide over 400 international standard outlet centers offering more than 5000 brands. Outlet is an established and mainstream retail channel that works for brands, retailers and of course the consumers. Since we started back in 1992, Freeport has developed many Outlets throughout Europe.”