With this investment, the company reinforces its commitment to Catalonia and its position as the leader in shopping tourism.
Value Retail, the company that has created and manages La Roca Village, has just opened the enlargement of the village, located in La Roca del Vallès, which includes 40 new boutiques belonging to top national and international fashion brands, with the aim of consolidating its position as a leading shopping tourism destination.
The first brands to open boutiques – some of which opened on 6 June, while others will be doing so over the summer months – include Armani, Aristocrazy, Baldinini, Becara, Bow Tie, Carolina Herrera, Castañer, Cottet, Diesel, Inspazio, Fossil, G-Star Footwear, Hour Passion, Oro Gold, La Martina, Liu-Jo, Missoni, Pinko, Purificación Garcia, Salomon, Vilebrequin, Woldford, and Zwilling, among others. A special mention should be given to the opening of the pop-up boutique of the Barcelona Designers Collective project, which will showcase the collections of new Catalonian talent. The rest of the boutiques and restaurants will be opening progressively during the rest of year.
With this enlargement, La Roca Village has given a boost to the consolidation of shopping tourism, as well as meeting the demands of high-end tourism, which currently represents 65% of La Roca Village’s visitors.
Value Retail has invested 300 million euros in the enlargement project and expects to generate 300 jobs (200 direct). The enlargement has also included the construction of a new connecting road from the AP-7 motorway, thus facilitating access to the village.
Investment in improving services and customer support
Value Retail is aware that its clients are increasingly more sophisticated and expect unique experiences. For this reason, as part of the enlargement, the company has made a large investment in improving services and customer support so as to offer them a shopping experience with added value. Communal areas are one of the core values of Value Retail’s business model. New areas include a VIP lounge, a MICE room, accommodating 80 people and designed exclusively with congress, meeting and incentive tourism in mind, a multi-faith prayer room, a tax refund office, and hands-free shopping, among other services and facilities.
Architecture
The buildings included in the enlargement are inspired by traditional Catalonian architecture, along the lines of the village’s initial philosophy. The international architecture studio L35 handled the plans and building work. Each building comprising La Roca Village is the result of an exhaustive analysis of some of Catalonia’s most emblematic monuments built at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century (textile factories, homes of the Catalonian bourgeoisie, public buildings, etc.). Hence, the village recalls a Catalonian village inspired by the region’s popular and modernist architecture.
The enlargement has increased La Roca Village’s surface area from 17,000sqm to 24,000sqm, which makes it the largest in Chic Outlet Shopping’s European Village Collection, comprising nine in total: London, Dublin, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan/Bologna, Brussels/Antwerp/Cologne, Frankfurt, and Munich. The company’s distinctive shopping concept is also present in China, with the opening of two villages. The first – Suzhou Village – is located in the historical city of Suzhou, 50 miles to the west of Shanghai, and opened on 15 May 2014; while the second is located in Pudong to the east of Shanghai, next to Shanghai Disney Resort. As with the collection’s other villages, these two villages are characterized by their international brand offerings and an exceptional level of service.
La Roca Village
