Bicester Village

Last updated
Bicester Village Shopping Complex
Bicester Village - geograph.org.uk - 1828514.jpg
Bicester Village in 2010
Bicester Village
Location Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°53′30″N1°9′21″W / 51.89167°N 1.15583°W / 51.89167; -1.15583
Address50 Pingle Drive, Bicester OX26 6WD, England
Opening dateApril 1995
OwnerValue Retail plc
ArchitectLyons+Sleeman+Hoare Architects
Stores and servicesApprox. 150
Floor area 286,564 square feet
Parking2,720
Public transit Bicester Village railway station
Website www.thebicestercollection.com/bicester-village/en/ OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Bicester Village is a designer outlet shopping centre on the outskirts of Bicester, a town in Oxfordshire, England. The shopping centre opened in April 1995 and is designed, owned and managed by Value Retail plc. [1] It is part of The Bicester Collection, a family of 12 luxury shopping destinations in Europe, China and the United States. Bicester Village has more than 150 boutiques of national and international fashion and lifestyle brands. The centre is the second most visited location in the United Kingdom by Chinese tourists, after Buckingham Palace with 6.7 million visitors in 2024. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Background and history

The story of Bicester Village began in the early 1990s, when founder Scott Malkin launched 'Two Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills'. [6] A luxury shopping street opposite the Beverley Wiltshire hotel, this area was inspired by European villages, with cobblestone streets and a stairway influenced by the Spanish Steps in Rome. In 1995, the team transported this idea of a luxury shopping street and replicated the model to Oxfordshire, England. [7] [8]

Originally, Bicester Village opened with 13 boutiques and one café. Over the years, the Village has undergone several expansions, most notably in 2017 when 30 new retail units were added. [9] As of 2025, Bicester Village is home to more than 150 boutiques, five restaurants and a handful of pop-up eateries. [10] [11] [12]

Retail area

Bicester Village shopping outlet is designed with a central cobblestone walkway, landscaped planters and pitched-roof façades. It is fully pedestrianised. It generates among the highest sales per square foot of any shopping centre in the world and boasts the world’s only reduced-price Dior boutique. [13]

Tenants

Bicester Village is home to more than 150 boutiques of international brands. Luxury labels, including Bottega Veneta, Burberry, FENDI and Polo Ralph Lauren, which hold retail spaces in the Village. [14] [15]

Transport connections

Bicester Village is served directly by Bicester Village railway station, with Chiltern Railways providing services between London Marylebone and Oxford. [16] From late 2025, Chiltern Railways is to provide a service between Milton Keynes Central and Oxford, calling at Bicester Village. [17] Multiple coach services, including Evan Evans Tours and The Oxford Tube, offer easy transport from locations in central London to Bicester Village. [18] By road, the site is 3 miles (5 km) from Junction 9 of the M40 motorway.

Awards or recognition

Bicester Village has received several awards, including a gold standard certificate at the Thames and Chiltern Bloom awards, one of Europe’s largest horticultural competitions. [19] In 2017, the National Rail Awards also recognised Bicester Village train station as the best small station in Great Britain. [20]

References

  1. "Bicester Village celebrating 30th anniversary this month". www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk. 2025.
  2. "What Chinese tourists really like about Britain". telegraph.co.uk. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  3. "Why do the Chinese love Bicester Village?". www.bbc.co.uk. 21 April 2018.
  4. "Inside Bicester Village – the bizarre shopping centre that's as popular as Buckingham Palace with Chinese tourists". www.telegraph.co.uk. 2017.
  5. "Bicester Village at 30: how a wet field in Oxfordshire defied the death of the shopping mall". The Guardian. 2025 [10th May 2025].
  6. "Two Rodeo Drive". www.rodeodrive-bh.com. Rodeo Drive.
  7. "Bicester Village has become one of the UK's biggest tourist attractions". 17 February 2025.
  8. "Luxury retail is about 'emotions, not transactions". www.mckinsey.com.br. 2024.
  9. "Bicester Village opens extension". fashionunited.uk. 2017 [23 October 2017].
  10. "Why Bicester Village Remains a Must-Visit Luxury Destination – 30 Years On". www.harpersbazaararabia.com. 15 May 2025 [2025].
  11. "Chef Dipna Anand Pops Up at Bicester Village with Punjabi Street Food Kiosk". www.hospitalityandcateringnews.com. 11 August 2025.
  12. "Bicester Village". www.lsharchitects.co.uk.
  13. "Bicester Village at 30: how a wet field in Oxfordshire defied the death of the shopping mall". www.theguardian.com. 2025 [Sat 10 May 2025].
  14. "Brands". www.thebicestercollection.com.
  15. "Bicester Village and the art of renewal". theweek.com. 20 October 2022.
  16. "Why Does Everybody Love Bicester Village, England's Famous Luxury Outlet Mall?". www.forbes.com.
  17. "Operator named for first part of East West Rail". www.bbc.co.uk. 25 March 2025.
  18. "Bicester Village Shopping Express Coach (4 Available Pick-Up Locations)". evanevanstours.com.
  19. "Bicester Village wins Thames and Chiltern bloom award". www.oxfordmail.co.uk. 2023 [17th October 2023].
  20. "National Rail Awards 2017: Bicester Village wins Small Station of the Year". www.railmagazine.com. 22 September 2017.