ZSAR OUTLET VILLAGE
NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION, OPENING LATE 2018
8.5 MILLION CUSTOMERS WITHIN A 200 KM RADIUS
7,2 MILLION BORDER CROSSINGS THROUGH THE NEAREST BORDER STATIONS IN 2017
10% INCREASE IN BORDER CROSSINGS EXPECTED IN 2018
Opening late 2018, Zsar Outlet Village will be the first Outlet centre in Finland. It is located halfway between St. Petersburg and Helsinki on the EU-Russian border, just 300 metres from busiest EU−Russian checkpoint.
With its c. 110 premium and luxury fashion, jewellery, cosmetics and homewear brand stores, restaurants, coffee shops and other leisure services, Zsar Outlet Village will attract millions of affluent customers from Finland and Russia, as well as a rapidly growing number of Asian tourists.
Zsar Outlet Village will include 20,000 m2 leasable area. The first phase – 12,000m2 – will be opened in Q4 2018.
Zsar is located just 300 metres from the nearest EU−Russian border crossing at Vaalimaa, and a one-hour hour drive from the other major border crossings at Nuijamaa, Imatra and Vainikkala.
According to the Finnish Border Guard, 7,2 million tourists crossed the EU−Russian border in the South-Eastern Finland in 2017, and by 2018, this is estimated to increase by 10%.
74 % of Russians say their primary reason for coming to Finland is shopping, in part due to tax free prices. Zsar will fill the gap in the relatively scarce premium retail market in the region, thus offering brands a unique business opportunity − in one of Europe’s most secure business environments and with a huge potential from growing Russian tourism.
Driving time from Helsinki to Zsar via the new direct E18 motorway is 75-80 minutes. A new motorway from St. Petersburg is now under construction, scheduled to be ready in 2019-2020. The route is also popular among the exponentially growing number of Chinese and other Asian tourists who travel between St. Petersburg and Helsinki.
Zsar Outlet Village gives brands a unique opportunity to target the Russian consumer without any of the risks and concerns of operating in Russia.
EXCELLENT LOCATION RIGHT ON THE BORDER BETWEEN THE EU AND RUSSIA
NEW DIRECT MOTORWAY OPENED FROM HELSINKI TO ZSAR MARCH 1, 2018
TAX FREE PRICES FOR RUSSIANS AND OTHER NON-EU CITIZENS
A SECURE TRADING LOCATION INSIDE EU BORDERS
FACTS & FIGURES
ON AVERAGE, ONE RUSSIAN TOURIST SPENDS 243 EUR/VISIT (Source: TAK Oy)
€7,800/M2 ESTIMATED ANNUAL SALES (Source: Ken Gunn, FSP)
According to the Russian Federal State Statistics Service, Finland is the number one destination country for Russian tourists. Most of the Russians coming to Finland come in their own cars or by shuttle bus via the border crossings near the Zsar Outlet Village. According to a survey by the research and analyst company TAK Ltd, 74% of them say their primary reason for coming to Finland is shopping – due to a wider and better quality brand selection as well as affordable prices. Russians will enjoy tax free shopping in the Zsar Outlet Village, which will represent a great retail opportunity for premium brands.
The Zsar Outlet Village region is a historical vacation resort for the Russian Tsars, and the features of its tsarist heritage are represented in the architecture and appearance of the project. Due to its concept, active destination marketing and year round family events, Zsar provides a unique shopping experience in Northern Europe.
20,000 M2 BY 2020
1ST PHASE 12,000 M2
2ND PHASE 8,000 M2
110-120 COMPANY STORES
1,000 PARKING SPACES
LOCATION
NEW DIRECT MOTORWAY FROM HELSINKI TO THE GATES OF ZSAR OPENED MARCH 1, 2018
Find us on the map
The Vaalimaa area is rapidly becoming a hot spot between Russia and Finland due to its main gateway location. Every day thousands of Russian tourists pass through the Vaalimaa border control just 300 metres from Zsar Outlet Village. In addition, other major border stations at Nuijamaa and Imatra are located one hour north of Zsar.
The area around Zsar is quickly growing into a true family and shopping destination with several other attractive shopping and leisure activities currently under development.
Driving time from Helsinki to Vaalimaa and Zsar via the new direct motorway is 75-80 minutes. In addition, a direct motorway from St. Petersburg to the border will open in 2019-2021 and reduce the driving time to under 2 hours.
THE PREMIUM SHOPPING DESTINATION
ON THE EU-RUSSIAN BORDER
STATUS
First buildings ready for finishing works in May 2018
Opening late 2018
Our goal is to create the leading shopping destination in Northern Europe. We are proud to have key industry players as our brand partners, such as Armani, Hugo Boss, Nike, Bagatt, Braccialini, Flavio Castellani, Guess, Le Creuset, Maya Maya, Sunsolo and Stayer. With our brand positioning, Zsar will differ significantly from any other shopping scheme in Finland.
Zsar’s first-class food and beverage offering has been secured with three quality restaurants and two coffee shops.
The construction of Zsar is in full swing and the first buildings will be ready for finishing works in May. The opening of Finland’s first Outlet village is in the end of 2018.
Leading luxury and premium anchor brands secured
A unique shopping destination in Northern Europe
Tenant services
EASIER MARKET ENTRY
EFFICIENT BUSINESS OPERATIONS
BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE
There are several services we can offer for our brand partners in helping them to begin and run operations in a cost efficient and reliable way.
PREOPENING TENANT SERVICES
- Store Operations Manual (Zsar rules and regulations), Vanilla Box specification and Shop Fitting Manual available on request
- Brand specific retail market feasibility study by FSP available on request (find out why they are predicting €7,800 per sqm sales density)
- Selected service providers for tenants’ market entry and company setup available
- Highly competitive insurance package for tenants already negotiated
- Selected service providers in legal counseling in place
- Staffing services in place for recruiting bilingual staff
- Selected Human Resources service provider in place
- Selected contractors for shop fitting available if needed
TENANT SERVICES DURING OPERATIONS
- Staff training in retail academy provided by expert retailers (customer service, window displays etc)
- On site / local storage and warehousing available
- Comprehensive office services for tenants available
- Marketing plan for the Finnish and Russian markets in place
- Strong year-through event program for Finnish, Russian and Asian shoppers in place
VISITOR SERVICES
- Tax free refunds and money exchange services on site
- Bus services from Helsinki city centre, the airport, high-speed train station and St. Petersburg city centre
- Compelling one-day travel packages to Asian stopover tourists in partnership with Visit Finland, Finnair and other Finnish tourism companies under Stopover Finland Program