Running shoes at 50% off, shirts and jackets at 30% markdown and pants at 40% discount. These are some of the things sold at The Outlets at Pueblo Verde in Basak, Lapu-Lapu City.
The Outlets formally opened today after a brief ceremony attended by Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz C. Radaza, AboitizLand, Inc. president and chief executive officer Andoni Aboitiz and assistant vice president for project development Rafael de Mesa.
It is an outlet store for such brands as Adidas, G-Force (which sells Reef and Oakley), Levi’s, Dockers, Giordano, Converse and Timberland.
Outlet stores are shops where manufacturers directly sell items to consumers, at a lower price compared to those in retail outlets. The company said The Outlets is the only one of its kind in Visayas and Mindanao.
Shops at The Outlets sell products at discounts ranging from 20% to 75% off the whole year round, said de Mesa.
The Outlets will see a lot of tourism shopping, said de Mesa.
Radaza said The Outlets will complement the tourism push of Lapu-Lapu City. She said The Outlets is very near high-end resorts and hotels in Lapu-Lapu and is sure to draw foreign tourists. Radaza said she also projects a growth in domestic tourists with people from nearby towns and cities and even provinces going to Mactan to buy in the shops.
The Outlets has spaces for 22 outlet stores. Eight have opened, 14 more will open soon, de Mesa said. Giordano will open next week while Timberland will open next month. Shops are open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.
De Mesa said The Outlets is located on a 1-hectare area and they are already looking into expanding by another hectare. The Outlets will include outdoor dining in the future, de Mesa said.
When asked about the possibility of The Outlets opening in Cebu City, de Mesa said it is very unlikely because the big discounts offered by the shops will cannibalize sales of traditional retail outlets.
