Buy and large
Massive retail outlets are now a key draw for visitors to Europe's most storied destinations. Words and pictures by Tim Pile
The sleek, air-conditioned coach looks identical to countless others speeding towards the holiday resorts of Spain's Costa Brava. Ours is no "bucket and spade seaside special", however, and the Mediterranean beaches will have to wait. We're going shopping.
It's a 40-minute drive from Barcelona to La Roca Village. Around me passengers dressed in their finest designer threads gaze in rapt admiration as television screens run a loop of glossy fashion ads. This leads to a bout of onboard "eyeing up" and sartorial point scoring that Patsy and Edina, from the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, would approve of.
In contrast to the airbrushed perfection on screen, the landscape outside is less than elegant. The Shopping Express takes us through industrial suburbs that don't rate a mention in any travel literature. Just when the driver appears to have taken another wrong turn, we pull into an enormous car park. There's a frenzy of excitement bordering on religious fervour and a mad scramble to get off the bus.
La Roca is one of nine Chic Outlet Shopping Villages created, owned and operated by Anglo-American company Value Retail. Situated a short hop from some of Europe's A-list cities, such as London, Paris, Milan and Barcelona, the boutiques showcase collections from internationally renowned designers as well as national and local brands. Much of the stock is "last season" or end-of-line, but no one seems to mind. Bagging a bargain is a breeze as items are discounted by up to 60 per cent and non-EU residents can also reclaim the sales tax.
The Disneyesque main street is spotlessly clean, spacious and traffic free. It's also eerily pedestrian free, which, combined with the remote location, gives La Roca the feel of a cult headquarters. In fact, the entire experience is about as far removed from traipsing around Tsim Sha Tsui on a sticky Saturday as it's possible to get.
