Whiteley Village outlet centre opens

1999

The Whiteley Village outlet shopping centre opened in November 1999, providing the first significant retail facility within the development. The centre was developed by Universities Superannuation Scheme and Swan Hill as a 160,000 square foot outlet mall. The opening brought shops, cafes and a commercial identity to a development that had previously lacked a centre. However, the outlet centre struggled commercially in its early years, facing competition from other outlet malls and from conventional high street shopping. Its underperformance would eventually lead to the comprehensive redevelopment that created the modern Whiteley Shopping Centre.