Prague The Style Outlets opens

The largest outlet center in the Czech Republic is finally opening after some delays. Prague The Style Outlets opens May 18 at 10 am.

The mall is located near Václav Havel Airport Prague just outside the city limits in Tuchoměřice. It is 25 minutes from the city center. It is served by city buses 312 and 322, which were launched recently.

An outlet center is different from a traditional shopping mall as its main focus is on fashion and accessories, sold by the brands themselves at a discount. Often the items are from the previous catalog.

Customers will find brands such as Adidas, Benetton, Bogner, Geox, Karl Lagerfeld, Nike, Palmers, Pepe Jeans, Trussardi and Versace Jeans. There are also some new brands on the Czech market, such as Gattinoni Roma, Marina Militare, Massimo Rebecchi, IXOS, Frankie Morello and Hispanitas. Hamleys is opening its first European outlet there.

Prague The Style Outlets will also offer a gourmet experience. The Czech restaurant Šalanda and the Greek-Italian restaurant La Pasteria offer a selection of Mediterranean delicacies. Coffee is served on a large terrace overlooking the nearby airport. The terrace can be used for plane spotting, a popular pastime.

The décor of the outlet is inspired by landmarks in the center of Prague.

“I believe we have created something unique in Prague The Style Outlets,with its mix of fashion brands plus food and beverage offerings. In particular, however, the concept of a city within the city —by its idea, atmosphere and absolute detail — makes this property unique, I dare say, not only in the European context,” Martin Kubišta, director of company The Prague Outlet, said in a press release.

The center offers services such as free Wi-Fi, chill out zones, a terrace, restaurants, cafes and public transport links.

The opening weekend will have an open-air entertainment program. From May 18 to 20, there will be performances from Czech-African singer Victoria as well as Czech singer and winner of the Czech Miss 2010 contest Jitka Boho. There will also be fashion shows.

On Saturday, May 26, Prague The Style Outlets will have an event called Day for My Mom, with TV Prima presenter Lucie Špaková, the author of the project Štroodl. An all-day program with lectures, workshops, stories and concerts will look at famous Czech mothers and daughters.

In the first phase, the center will have nearly 20,000 square meters of leasable area (GLA), 100 business units, and 2,400 parking spaces. The second phase will increase the total space to 30,000 sqm of GLA and 180 units.

The joint venture for Prague The Style Outlets was closed in summer 2016 between Neinver S.A. and. The Prague Outlet s.r.o., with Neinver being the operator of the center. On the Czech side, the project belongs to the portfolio of the investment group Kaprain Group, founded by Czech financier Karel Pražák.

The Czech Republic has fewer outlet centers per capita than cities in Western Europe. This outlet is the third. Prague already has Fashion Arena Prague Outlet in Prague 10–Štěrboholy, and there is Freeport Fashion Outlet at Hatě near Znojmo.

Prague The Style Outlets involved an investment of over €70 million. When complete, it should generate about 600 to 700 direct jobs.

The catchment area, meaning the potential customers within easy access range, is 4.6 million people.

The space was set to open in 2008 as Galeria Moda. It was all but completed when the original investors ran into financial trouble as the economic crisis hit. It was built with a kilometer of hidden service corridors so stores can be restocked almost invisibly and had other attractive design features.

The mall also has glass skylights covering all the pedestrian areas, allowing in lots of natural light. This is not only energy efficient, but it also makes for a much more pleasant shopping experience.

The shopping area is elevated, and cars can park under the stores but on ground level.

The entrance had to be redesigned to make the center more visually impressive from the outside. All of the interior space, which was built with a very dated sci-fi look, had to be redesigned.

The outlet was originally scheduled to open in fall 2015 with just 12,000 sqm of shops in the first phase, but the date was pushed back several times for undisclosed reasons.