When I arrived at Bicester Village, my main destination for this trip was the Stone Island Outlet. I wasn’t planning to visit any other shops—I just didn’t have the time on this trip, and I’ve covered Bicester Village in recent videos, which you can check out here.
As expected, the place was quite busy, with people out and about looking to bag some deals. Before I left for Bicester Village, I made sure to have a good meal. The food options there aren’t great, in my opinion, and to make matters worse, they’re too expensive. I mean, £12 for a salad at Pret? Not for me. I’d rather have a nice, home-cooked meal, so I whipped up some grilled fish, vegetables, rice, and squash with a bit of jerk seasoning before I left. It was a satisfying meal and definitely better than anything I could have found at Bicester Village. If you’re planning a trip there, make sure to eat before you go, unless you’re okay with spending your hard-earned cash on mediocre food.
Here’s a helpful tip that I personally use when visiting Bicester Village. If you’re carrying luggage and don’t want to be burdened by it while shopping, you can make a quick stop at the concierge, located right at the entrance from the main train station. The concierge lounge area is a convenient spot to take a break, grab a drink of water, and gather some information about the village. What’s even better is that if you ask politely, they’ll store your luggage in a safe place at the back, free of charge.
I always take advantage of this service when I have my equipment, like cameras or a laptop, with me. It makes shopping much more enjoyable, as I don’t have to carry anything heavy around. Plus, it’s completely free, which is a huge bonus! So next time you’re at Bicester Village, be sure to drop off your bags at the concierge for a hassle-free shopping experience
As mentioned the main reason I went to Bicester Village was because one of the members from our 17K Facebook Community mentioned there would be an extra 50% off the outlet prices—which was actually better than the deals at the Stone Island Outlet in Hackney before it closed down. I made sure to share this info with the group so everyone could take advantage of the incredible discounts so make sure to follow our 17K community for the heads up on stuff like this. Oh by the way I did a Pick Up Video for items I purchased at the Stone Island Outlet earlier in the year, click here to watch it.
An interesting update whilst walking pass the Boss Outlet, Fraser Group has increased its holding stake in Hugo Boss making me wonder if Hugo Boss might be bought out by Fraser Group at some point in future. For those who shop at outlets, keep in mind that some brands—Coach, Gucci, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, and more—often manufacture items specifically for outlet stores. Always ask in-store so you know what’s what; sometimes you think you’re getting a deal, but it’s actually a subpar piece, I’ve also covered these stores on our YouTube channel so make shore to check those out on our channel too.
As I walked towrds the Stone Island Outlet, I noticed a long queue outside. The store was busy, with people eagerly waiting to get their hands on some discounted items. While I was waiting, I overheard someone mention an extra 50% off sale prices at the Moncler outlet. Given Moncler’s usual high prices, it’s not surprising they’re offering these sales promos, something that was unheard of in the past.
After queuing for a short while i finally made it inside the Stone Island Outlet and I was pleasently suprised to see there was actually quite a lot of stock available. With their recent price hikes in general, I wasn’t surprised that there could be quite a bit of inventory building up that needed shifting.
The first thing I’d like to mention is that the Stone Island outlet store itself is very impressive. It aligns perfectly with the brand’s modern concept stores scattered across Europe, many of which I’ve covered in videos, like the ones in Amsterdam and Milan. Both of those locations had excellent customer service, and the Stone Island outlet in Bicester didn’t disappoint in that regard either. All of the staff, including the security guard, were super friendly and accommodating, which was great to see. Kudos to them for maintaining such a welcoming atmosphere.
So typically the outlet offers 30% OFF RRP on regauler days, however on the week I visted they were running a special promtion whuch meant items were around 65% off the RRP, which was just insane. The offer extended to accessories and menswear, but children’s wear wasn’t included. Items were plentiful and varied when I visited from shorts to joggers, sweats, knits, and light to heavy jackets, there seemed to be something for everyone.
Since it was summer collections included mainly bright summer colours, with plenty of pinks, blues, reds, and greens and blacks. Size-wise, there seemed to be plenty of mediums, but they did have larges and XL, XXL ins stock, although mediums and larges seemed to dominate the sales racks more. To see more of what was on offer, make sure to watch the full vlog video. My top tip is to give them a call in advance to find out what stock levels are like before your visit, the Stone Island Outlet in Bicester can be contacted on: 01869 717361
After spending some time browsing the Stone Island Outlet, I left and later found myself at the Moncler store. It turns out, as I overheard earlier, they were also offering an extra 50% off sale items, which is quite unusual for Moncler to do. I’ve never seen Moncler do sales like this before, so it was definitely an interesting sight further highlighting how tough the retail market is at the moment for luxury brands. With Moncler now owning Stone Island and offering similar discounts, it seems like they were trying to clear out some hard to shift inventory as quickly as possible.
After leaving the Moncler Store in Bicester I walked past the Palm Angels outlet and I couldn’t help but recall that our Facebook community had mentioned the brand had lost some of its appeal I also noticed that their outlet wasn’t drawing in as many shoppers to their store something I noticed on my last visit. It’s a tough time for fashion brands currently, especially since they’ve increased prices substantially over the last few years. I think the cost of living, along with these price hikes hasn’t helped luxury retail overall.
I have covered lots of videos on the types of designer brands & stores you can find in at Bicester Village Outlet like the Burberry outlet, Canada Goose outlet, Moncler outlet, Gucci outlet, Prada, Off-White and many others you can find these all on our youtube channel so you can get that pre-shopping experiance before you head down to see what it’s actually like,
The extra discounts at outlets seem to be an attempt to lure customers back into stores, especially those who’ve turned to pre-owned options, which by the way you can find lots of on our 17,000 member community on our Facebook Group. However one downside to heavy discounts is that they can diminish a brand’s appeal. When customers see such steep price cuts, they might wonder why they should pay full price in the future. Fashion is going through an interesting period, to say the least.
For a more relaxed shopping experience, it’s ideal to arrive in the morning when the crowds are typically smaller. If you’re on vacation and have flexibility in your schedule, consider visiting on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, as these weekdays tend to be quieter, allowing you to shop with ease.
Bicester Village outlet operates from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, the opening hours are slightly shorter, from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM. However, keep in mind that individual stores at Bicester Village may have their own opening and closing times that differ from the Village’s general hours. If you have any questions or need further information, feel free to reach out to me or our team on Instagram.
We have more videos on the Bicester Village Outlets on our Youtube Channel, so make sure to subscribe there for more similar content.
