The Transformation of Bicester Village

Last weekend we worked our way down the M4 towards Bicester Village. I admit, when we were invited to visit I probably should have been more excited than I actually was. I hadn’t visited the Village for about three years and my memories of overcrowded stores and only a handful of staple brands offering limited collections, meant I actually put this trip off.

Truth be told, I wasn’t actually going to write a blog on Bicester Village, but I was so impressed with its transformation that I felt I should.

It’s nothing like it was the last time I visited. 

The transformation includes a full-face lift and a host of new stores, playing host to 160 world-renowned brands.

It takes around 45 minutes by train or 1.5hrs to drive from London and when I arrived I began perusing the shops with some scepticism, however I was happy to see I could draw a shortlist of stores that I already shop in. The shortlist included Orlebar Brown, Smythson, Lululemon and The Kooples.

One key mission I had was to see whether or not the Gucci boutique store had any loafers and what type of discount they offered. Much to my liking they had a multiple options and the loafers were priced at £210, instead of £500 / £560 – huge discounts.

The belts were also massively reduced to £85 from upwards of £200.

All my other purchases were between 30-60% off and were products that were prominent in last season’s collection, including this Smythson wallet down to £60.

On the day we enjoyed some of the Village’s luxury services, which included Valet Parking and access to The Apartment, a luxury boutique hotel on site. (The Valet Parking was £35.)

There’s also a host of events happening throughout the year, which include even more offers.

On the whole, a very enjoyable and worthwhile visit!

Visit: Bicester Village