Retail therapy

[Diana]

Retail therapy or a day in hell as my husband would describe it... Are there any designer retail discount villages in France, Normandy in particular?

Thanks

Diana

[Will]

Don't know of many of these in France, certainly not Normandy. McArthur Glen has a couple - one at Roubaix (Lille), the other at Troyes (Champagne).

One recommended place in Normandy is the Guy Degrenne factory shop in Vire (14), top quality tableware cutlery etc at very big discounts.

Otherwise, Caen, Rouen and Le Havre are all good places to get rid of your cash.

[Cacknanty]

I think Troyes is where all this designer outlet factory shop malarky started out.

Huge areas of buildings, Macarther Glen is only a part of one area which include Marques City, Pont Ste Marie.

Marques Avenue is another area on the Dijon road out of town with lots of other places dotted around the city.

So much therapy - so little time !

[Loiseau]

There's a branch of Marques Avenue near the Tunnel entrance, at Coquelles (S of Calais, 62).  It's mostly clothes shops, and a good shop for bedlinen & towels. Perhaps about 50+ shops?  I didn't count.

I tried Googling to see what others there were, and here is the result:

... dans cinq villes, à Troyes, Romans (Drôme), Talange (Moselle), Coquelles (Pas-de-Calais) et Ile-Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis)...

so nothing very near Normandy.

There are quite a lot of designer outlet shops around Cholet (49): mostly at a manufacturing area called La Séguinière just to the west of Cholet, and a few a couple of km south, near a roundabout on the bypass.  Clothes (Mat de Misaine, good kids' clothes such as Sucre d'Orge) and sports shoes (either Nike or Adidas, can't remember which). The stores are close together, but separate, if you see what I mean - i.e. they are not under one roof like the Marques Avenue place is.  That said, Cholet is soon to have its own Marques Avenue - against huge local opposition!

In the Vendee, at Junction 7 of the A83, there is a very good "New Man" clothing store on a new industrial estate just by the motorway exit for Sainte-Hermine (85).  Just the one shop though. I think it's signposted "Relais des Marques "

Angela
http://www.the-vendee.co.uk

85 & UK