Member Article

American Eagle and Le Creuset open in Kent's Blue Water

US specialty retailer American Eagle Outfitters has opened its new store at Bluewater shopping centre in Kent.

The 4,818 sq ft flagship is located on Bluewater’s lower Thames Walk.

Kitchen accessory supplier Le Creuset is also opening at Bluewater with a 1,712 sq ft store on the upper Rose Gallery, next to Jolie Papier’s UK debut store.

The latest additions bring the total number of brands to sign at Bluewater since July to seven, including the first Steamer Trading Cookshop in a non-High Street location, Bill’s Restaurant, Rockar Hyundai’s new digital store, and White Stuff.

The latter has opened a 7,000 sq ft statement store on Bluewater’s upper Guildhall, adjacent to The White Company, Apple and Hollister’s redesigned store. The seven brands total 23,597 sq ft of space.

Russell Loveland, portfolio director at Land Securities, said: “Le Creuset and American Eagle bring the number of international brands selecting Bluewater for new stores to eight so far this year.

“Each adds something different to Bluewater and reaffirms its position as a must-have destination for brands seeking a significant presence in the UK.

“The announcements are also timed perfectly for our conversations at MAPIC with other potential new entrants.”

The news follows with another strong month for Bluewater, with sales in October up by 4.5% compared to the same time last year. This is significantly ahead of the 1.4% reported by BRC-KPMG for the UK as a whole.

CBRE acted for Bluewater. Reid Rose Gregory acted for Le Creuset.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .