Clarks Village celebrates 30 years since being the UK's first shopping outlet with celebration weekend

This August it will be 30 years since Clarks Village opened to become the UK’s first shopping outlet and to mark the huge milestone a special weekend of activities and exclusive offers has been announced.

The opening, on 14th August 1993, put Somerset on the UK retail map, as outlet shopping was unveiled to British shoppers for the very first time. Since then, the iconic retail and leisure destination has become a key part of the region since it opened its doors to 50,000 guests in spectacular style.

As well as becoming the leading shopping destination of choice for many in the region, it has attracted visitors to Somerset from across the UK and internationally too.

To mark the milestone, a celebratory, jam-packed weekend of activities, family-friendly fun and exclusive offers will launch at Clarks Village across the weekend of Saturday 12^th August - Monday 14^th August, to mark the anniversary in style.

The special weekend of events will see the outlet transform its stunning outdoor gardens into a bustling street party, with an artisan market made up of 40 stalls, live roaming 90s music, family friendly activities including face painting, store competitions and giveaways. More details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Opening in 1993 on the site of old C&J Clark factory buildings, the original shops included Benetton, Clarks, Dartington Crystal, Farah, Laura Ashley, Pierre Cardin, Thorntons and Wrangler.

The initial development included shops, cafes and restaurants and was built in 22 weeks at a cost of £3m. More than 300 jobs were created in the complex and 15,000 plants were moved to the site just before the opening to create the stunning central gardens.

Chris Davis, Centre Director at Clarks Village, commented on the milestone: “Celebrating such an incredible milestone means so much to us all at Clarks Village. As the first ever outlet to open in the UK, it’s a great honour to be a part of such a special occasion for British retail and we’re looking forward to a fantastic weekend of celebrations during the summer.

“Outlet shopping continues to be a firm favourite for shoppers and with the variety of store openings we’ve already seen this year, we’re looking forward to welcoming even more guests to the outlet in the years to come.”

In 2023 alone, an array of new stores have opened at the outlet, including Sweaty Betty, Bubble T, Hugo Boss, ZWILLING and The Village Bite Box. This year has also seen Clarks Village partner with charities Key4Life and Ahead Partnership to support local young people into employment and education.

As the outlet looks ahead, sustainability continues to remain at the centre of Clarks Village, with a number of new initiatives launching at the outlet this year, including produce planters offering free vegetables for the local community and upcoming plans for a new ‘bee-friendly’ meadowland area with community ‘listening benches’, the building of bird boxes and bug hotels, as well as giving its 110-year-old tree the space to spread its roots. 

Further details of the 30^th anniversary weekend celebrations will be announced in due course. For more information, visitwww.clarksvillage.co.uk.