Outlet mall

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An outlet mall (or outlet centre) is a type of shopping mall, in which manufacturers sell their products directly to the public through their own branded stores. Clothing, sporting goods, electrical products, cosmetics, and toys are among the types of items sold at outlet malls.

Outlet malls first appeared in the United States as a development of the traditional factory outlet: a store attached to a factory or warehouse. An outlet mall places several such outlets under one roof in a convenient location, usually an "out-of-town" site. The out-of-town site minimizes overhead costs. And they may be legally necessary as conventional retailers may have contractual restrictions on the manufacturer on the location of the factory outlets so as to minimize competition with the traditional retailer. Therefore, factory outlets are usually located some distance from major cities.

Although Canada has its own outlet malls, American outlet malls located in border states have become tremendously popular with Canadians engaging in cross-border shopping.

Outlet malls have since spread to the European Union and to many other parts of the world. During the early 1990s, UK company McArthur Glen opened some of the earliest outlet malls in the UK (Cheshire Oaks) and France (Troyes) in 1995, and since 2000s Italy (Alessandria, Rome and Florence) and Portugal (Lisbon). In Europe they are more commonly referred to as Designer Outlets.

The expansion of outlet malls has reached Asia. With Chelsea Premium Outlets in at least 4 Japanese locations. China and Hong Kong are catching up. Hong Kong's 1st outlet mall, Citygate Outlets, is located in Tung Chung, Lantau.

In Australia, Direct Factory Outlets are warehouse-style outlet malls in a number of locations.