VIA Outlets names Otto Ambagtsheer CEO, sees strong H1

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jul 4, 2019

Via Outlets has named Otto Ambagtsheer as its new CEO. The European premium outlet centres operator, which is part owned by the UK’s Hammerson, has also reported strong H1 results, showing a significant increase in both brand sales and footfall despite the wider retail market difficulties.

The company claims to be Europe's fastest growing owner-operator of premium outlet shopping destinations and Ambagtsheer has played a key role in its most recent past having joined as COO last September.

The company has been working hard to transform its centres into premium fashion outlets and earlier unveiled a ‘3 R’s’ strategy of Remodelling, Remerchandising and Remarketing its assets. “This strategy delivered a strong performance in 2018, and the growth has continued in the first half of 2019 with Via Outlets reporting a 10% increase in brand sales and an 8% increase in footfall,” it said Thursday.

Ambagtsheer said of this: “Our half-year results once again prove the successful execution of our strategy, as well as the resilience of the outlet market. As we enter the second half of 2019, we are delighted to have a strengthened senior management team in place which is vital to delivering [our] continued success and ambition for the future.”

The company owns 11 centres across nine European countries. Its centres are in leading tourist locations such as Amsterdam, Prague, Seville, Palma, Lisbon, Porto, Wroclaw, Zweibrucken, Gothenburg, Oslo, and Zurich, and last year, its total portfolio brand sales amounted to €1.07 billion and saw over 30 million visitors.