Converse to open first UK store at London Designer Outlet

Converse is set to open its first UK store at the London Designer Outlet at Wembley Park.

The Nike-owned brand, best known for its iconic All Star shoes, is joined at the outlet centre by Dr Martens, which has decided to take a long-term lease on a store after the success of its pop-up, and Vans which has signed for a 1,800 sq ft store.

"Converse and Vans are great additions to the range of top brands LDO offers and we’re proud to be the centre of choice for Converse’s first-ever store in the UK. Furthermore, the move from temp-to-perm by Dr Martens shows the confidence top brands have, not only with this location but also with an urban outlet option as part of their go-to-market mix," said Realm’s leasing director for LDO Christine Grace.

The London Designer Outlet is the only outlet centre in the capital and attracts 5.8m shoppers a year. It is one of a "new wave" of outlet centres that blend retail, food & beverage, leisure and residential accommodation in one place.

Fashion, sports/urban and lifestyle names with stores at LDO include Superdry, Jack Wills, H&M, Gap, Guess Lee Wrangler, Kurt Geiger, M&S and Hamleys, and it is increasingly on the radar of tourists. Tax-free sales rose by 36.8% year-on-year for the first five months of the year. Of the visitors from outside the EU, some 22.6% were from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

LDO is owned by Quintain and managed by Realm.