Bicester Village Transforms Luxury Shopping With an Immersive Retail Experience Near London

Located just under an hour outside London, Bicester Village is redefining the luxury shopping experience. It is one of The Bicester Collection’s 11 Villages in Europe and China with a 12th opening in New York later this year. In an interview with Alex Badia, style director for WWD, and Tori Campbell, Private Client Director at Bicester Village, Campbell shared insights into how the destination is about much more than just shopping.

“We are a luxury shopping destination. But for us, it is about so much more than shopping, it’s all about the experience. It’s all about the best day out,” Campbell explains.

The Village is home to 150 boutiques of global luxury and lifestyle brands, carefully curated to ensure a blend of international and domestic brands, contemporary and luxury — all in one place. Campbell elaborates, “We don’t have core pillars, we mix it up throughout the Village for that exact reason. The idea is for shoppers to stumble on these amazing treasures.”

Bicester Village is more than just a place to shop; it’s a place to dine and discover as well. Campbell emphasizes that the Village is “obsessed with food and beverage,” offering a range of dining options from Cecconi’s, farmshop restaurant & cafe by Soho House, Ottolenghi and several pop-ups such as Ladurée and Oliphant & Pomeroy.

The Village also prioritizes hospitality and aims to provide the most stress-free shopping experience possible. Even before shoppers get on the train at London Marylebone, they enjoy a first-class experience at the Bicester Village lounge where hosts can assist 7 days a week. And from the moment guests step off the train, there is a host ready to inform them about the day’s special offers and new boutiques. The Village also offers a Hands-free Shopping service, where they carry shoppers’ bags, creating a frictionless, stress-free day out. There is also a bespoke shopping service available to create a fully personalized experience.

“We’re all about ensuring that again, we have that full mix of incredible catering and food and beverage options, coupled with this really, really beautiful mix of brands,” Campbell says. She highlights the added elements of surprise in the form of personal shopping appointments and “random acts of kindness” throughout the day as well as an invitation-only VIP experience in a private space called the Apartment. The Village also extends its luxury offerings even to the restrooms, where Molten Brown hand wash and hand cream are available. “For me, that’s excellent service, because it’s in the details. When you have that level of care, it shows throughout,” Badia says.

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Video production F2MAX
Creative director Maxim Sapozhnikov
Filmed by Bohdan Rohulskyi
Edited by Ignat Rakhimov