|
Mid to late
1800's |
Apparel and shoe mill
stores on Eastern seaboard began offering excess and
damaged goods to employees. Eventually these mill stores
opened their doors to consumers. |
|
1936 |
Anderson-Little, a manufacturer
of men's clothing, opens the first "factory-direct"
stores. These Outlets were located in remote areas. |
|
1940's |
Factory Outlets continue
to grow over the next 40-50 years. During this period,
Outlets served mainly as centers for the disposition
of over-runs and damaged merchandise. |
|
1970's-1980's |
Several economic factors
contributed to the growth of the Outlets industry during
the 70's and 80's:
， Decrease in consumer's
discretionary income
， Energy crisis
， Increased awareness
and desirability of designer labels
， Manufacture of private-label
merchandise
， Increased financial
risks associated with traditional retail channels (i.e.,
department store viability)
， Consumer importance
placed on quality, value and status |
|
1974 |
Vanity Fair opens first
multi-tenant manufacturers' Outlets center in Reading,
Pennsylvania. This factory conversion led the way for
other such projects. |
|
1980 |
The first enclosed Outlets
center opens in a non-metropolitan market to avoid direct
competition with retail accounts. |
|
1980's |
Outlets centers continue
to grow, especially in areas of high tourist trade due
to:
， Over saturation of regional
malls
， Outlets becoming profit
centers for manufacturers
， Growth of private-label
merchandise
， Technological advances
in apparel manufacturing |
|
Late 1980's |
Manufacturers' Outlets
experience phenomenal growth as the industry becomes
more sophisticated due to: reduced sensitivity to retail
stores, increased emphasis on customer service, in-season
merchandise is emphasized in Outlets stores, visual
merchandising, sophisticated store design, better center
ambiance and amenities. |
|
1990's |
Manufacturers' Outlets
rank as fastest growing segment of retail industry,
representing an $12.2 billion dollar industry and more
than 300 centers nationwide. |
|
2001 |
Outlets industry stabilizes,
with over 260 centers nationwide and $14.1 billion in
gross sales. |
