You're reading: Upscale Manufactura Outlet Village to open in Kyiv

Kyiv’s fashionistas and shopaholics will soon have a place where they can fulfill their desires – and at a discount. The first Ukrainian fashion outlet center, Manufaktura Outlet Village, is set to open outside Kyiv on Oct. 12, 2013.

Developed
by ADS Group, the outlet mall is located in Khodosivka, a Kyiv suburb, next to a
recently opened MegaMarket. It will cover 25,000 square meters and feature a
1,340-square-meter entertainment center for children. The center will also
house five restaurants, a fitness center and a cinema, as well as parking for
1,000 vehicles.

The mall
will be focused on luxury retailers, such as Baldinini, DKNY, Helen Marlen
Group, G-Star Raw, Lagerfeld, Gant, Pepe Jeans, Tommy Hilfiger and U.S. Polo. It
is unlikely Ukrainian designers will have their collections for sale in
Manufactura, according to a mall spokesperson, which disappoints some.

“I wish
local brands would be present at such an outlet,” Inga Vyshnevska, the
spokeswoman at Ukrainian Fashion Week says, adding that she is still pleased
that the mall will open. “Outlet centers are very popular abroad, so it’s good
to have one in Kyiv now, as we lacked it.”

Vitalii
Mukhin, Manufactura’s spokesman, hopes the outlet will attract people with an
average salary of Hr 5,000, who prefer casual as well as luxury brands and like
to plan their shopping.

Outlet
centers are often the best choice for those who prefer designer clothes but
can’t afford designer prices. Most outlet stores sell past seasons’ designs
fashion collections at discounts of 30 to 70 percent year round, says Nataliya
Mykolaychuk, the head of Retail Department at international consultancy DTZ
Ukraine.

Experts
predict Manufactura to be successful, because the mall can be conveniently
accessed by public and private transport, being next to major highways, which
also means good visibility and enough critical mass to attract visitors.

Besides
customers, perspective retailers will be pleased with the discounts on leases
at the mall.

“The levels
of rent in outlet centers are the lowest if compared to the similar retail
premises in other shopping centers, due to the suburban location, low cost of
land, and lower construction costs,” Mykolaychuk says.

Volodymyr
Mysak, an Associate Director at Investment Department at DTZ Ukraine, agrees
that renters may benefit, as it is cheaper to develop outlet centers.

“For example,
the land within city limits for retail costs $150-200 per square meter, whereas
land for outlet centers outside of the city costs $20-30, based on the current
market situation,” Mysak says.  

One
downside, however, Mysak says, refers to customs, as clearance is quite
expensive in Ukraine, due to the fact that items aren’t differentiated between
discounted goods and full price goods. This could mean that the discounts may
not be a steep as many outlet malls.

Info box

Manufactura Outlet Village

http://www.outlet.kiev.ua/ua/

Free transfer from Vydubychi metro station every 15 min

Kyiv Post staff writer Olena Goncharova can be
reached at
[email protected].