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| NUANCE EXPANDS RESORT SALES CHANNEL BY TAKING OVER 2'100 SQM OF FASHION RETAILING AT UK CENTER PARCS |
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| Zurich, November 19, 2007 – The Nuance Group and Center Parcs Ltd. are pleased to announce that from 2008 Nuance will be operating retail at all four Center Parcs villages in the United Kingdom. The offer will focus on fashion and accessories and include swimwear, sports clothing as well as casual fashion, watches and sunglasses. |
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As the leader in the UK short break holiday market, Center Parcs occupies a unique position after twenty years of operation in Britain, enjoying enviable annual occupancy rates in excess of ninety per cent. In that time, the name Center Parcs has become synonymous with the provision of an exceptional short break experience in a forest location.
The agreement between Center Parcs Ltd. and The Nuance Group is for five years. From January 2008, Nuance will be operating a total of 2’100 square metres of shop floor. The company will employ more than seventy staff across the four resorts.
The retail offer provided by Nuance will comprise four shop concepts:
“Aquatique” focuses on swimwear and associated products, with a very large range of Speedo and other leading brands at the centre of the offer. Located next to the Pool area, this shop enjoys high frequencies throughout the year.
“Sportique” provides active visitors with sport clothing and equipment. Brands like Quicksilver and O’Neill will guarantee a relevant offer for a fashion-conscious sportive audience, while a range of outdoor wear and accessories by brands such as Berghaus or Barbour will appeal to visitors venturing into the open air even under challenging weather conditions.
“Casual Classics”, a new introduction to the Parcs’ retail offer, will carry a range of up-market leisure brands as well as accessories and a select range of top selling fragrances.
Finally, “Watch & See”, the second new addition to the resorts’ retail portfolio, will present a range of sunglasses focusing on key outdoor and fashion brands as well as a watch offer driven by sports and fashion brands.
Jean-Paul Bonnel, CEO, The Nuance Group Europe, commented: “As the world’s leading airport retailer, The Nuance Group has an intimate knowledge of the needs and aspirations of travellers. It is only logical that, taking a step beyond our traditional area of business, we should strive to serve that same target customer group we encounter at our airport outlets every day.”
“It has been a pleasure to work with the management of Center Parcs and to jointly shape an attractive fashion offer for their visitors”, Bonnel went on to add. “People coming to this resort want to relax, want to have fun – but they also want to be inspired. Our aim therefore was to go beyond the offer you’d expect to find at a resort and to come up with something more: something that will make people want to take home a piece of that very special environment they just visited.”
Speaking on behalf of Center Parcs, Martin Dalby, CEO Center Parcs, said: "We pride ourselves on the overall quality of everything we deliver and as such we have selected a retail partner that appreciates our customer focus, our brand integrity and our service ethics. The new retail outlets are part of an overall investment programme in Center Parcs that will offer our guests a wider choice and which we are confident will enable Center Parcs to maintain its long-held position as the UK's leading short-break holiday operator.”
Center Parcs (www.centerparcs.co.uk)- The United Kingdom’s leading short break holiday company currently operates four Villages in the UK located in Sherwood Forest (Nottinghamshire), Elveden Forest (Suffolk), Longleat Forest (Willtshire) and Whinfell Forest (Lake District). Each Village is set in a forest environment and provides high quality accommodation in fully equipped Villas, Apartments and Lodges, which are set amongst trees and streams. Each Village offers an extensive range of sports and leisure activities plus numerous restaurants, bars and retail outlets and a superb spa facility. Overall, the Center Parcs boast 17’152 beds. A fifth Village is scheduled to open in 2010.
The Nuance Group – Swiss-based The Nuance Group (www.thenuancegroup.com) is the global market leader in the travel retail industry, operating 320 shops across 56 airports and 17 countries around the globe and employing 4'250 staff. In addition to its duty- and tax-free operation, the Nuance portfolio comprises specialist shops as well as food & beverage operations, distribution, inflight services and shops in other travel retail channels. Nuance currently operates over 140 fashion and fashion related stores across the world and has recently opened a 2’000 sqm mega store at the spectacular new Venetian Macau Hotel Resort in Macau.
For further information please contact:
Ulrike Janett-Bachner, The Nuance Group Corporate Communications,
phone +41 43 260 39 77, e-mail ujanett@thenuancegroup.com, or visit our website at www.thenuancegroup.com. |
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