An outlet store , factory outlet or factory store is a brick and mortar or online store where manufacturers sell their merchandise directly to the public. Products at outlet stores are usually sold at reduced prices compared to regular stores due to being overstock , closeout , returned , factory seconds , or lower-quality versions manufactured specifically for outlets. Traditionally, a factory outlet was a store attached to a factory or warehouse , sometimes allowing customers to watch the production process, such as in the original L.L. Bean store. In modern usage, outlet stores are typically manufacturer-branded stores such as Gap or Bon Worth grouped together in outlet malls . The invention of the factory outlet store is often credited to Harold Alfond , founder of the Dexter Shoe Company .
28-500: Direct Factory Outlet ( DFO ) is a brand of factory outlet shopping centres in Australia. They are large-floor warehouse buildings containing partitioned stores where retail outlets sell excess or previous seasons' stocks at reduced prices. Vicinity Centres have full or partial ownership of seven of the eight stores. Direct Factory Outlet was founded in 1997 by Liberty Oil founders David Goldberger and David Wieland. The first centre
56-587: A Beechcraft B200 King Air aircraft operating a charter flight, carrying a pilot and four passengers bound for King Island , crashed seconds after taking off from Essendon Airport in Melbourne , Australia. Four American passengers and the Australian pilot died in the crash. The pilot made two mayday calls before the aircraft clipped the roof of a building housing the DFO Essendon . The aircraft then impacted
84-550: A "Compare At" or "Comparable Value" price which indicates the outlet retailer's estimated full price of similar products at regular stores, but in many cases the specific product has never been available at that higher price point. Outlet stores often have more stringent return policies than regular stores, and manufacturers will typically not allow returns or exchanges for products purchased at outlets stores at their regular stores. 2017 Essendon Airport Beechcraft King Air crash On 21 February 2017, at 8:59 am local time,
112-524: A 50% shareholding with the remainder owned by Perth Airport Development Group Investments. It has 111 tenants on 23,729 square metres (255,420 sq ft) of GLA. It opened in 2018. DFO South Wharf is located in South Wharf , about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south-west of the Melbourne central business district. It opened in 2009. In April 2019, Vicinity Centres became the sole shareholder after buying out
140-497: A low price. After some time, the audience expanded to include non-employees. In 1936, Anderson-Little (a men's clothing brand) opened an outlet store independent of its existing factories. Until the 1970s, the primary purpose of outlet stores was to dispose of excess or damaged goods. In 1970, Vanity Fair opened the first multi-store factory outlet center in Reading, Pennsylvania . Outlet stores enabled manufacturers to directly enter
168-761: A side effect of the Airports Act of 1996, the Federal Government has planning control over the land, meaning state planning legislation can be bypassed by developers. In addition the property developer is able to exploit the cost difference between retail and industrial rents, gives outlet centre operators a distinct advantage over traditional shopping centres. A survey by The Age in 2007 found that in all three DFO-owned centres, most shops carried at least some full-price, current-season stock, available at normal shopping centres. By 2008 five legal challenges to DFO developments have been made by competing retail developers and
196-516: Is one of two DFO centres that Vicinity Centres has no ownership in, the other being Carins. It underwent a major refurbishment from 2019 through 2021. DFO Moorabbin is in Cheltenham , about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south-east of the Melbourne central business district. Originally Fairways Leisure Market, the centre opened in 1994 on land adjacent to Moorabbin Airport . In 1997 the centre was purchased by
224-548: The Australian Federation of Air Pilots also criticised commercial development of land at Essendon Airport. Anti-airport campaigners renewed calls for the airport to be closed. An investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau determined the accident was a result of one of the flight control trim tabs being set incorrectly. Failure of the pilot to realise the rudder trim was set fully to
252-578: The Brisbane centre in May 2016. As of December 2021, there were eight centres located in four states. Vicinity Centres have a 50% shareholding in two of centres, and 100% in another five. DFO Brisbane is located at Brisbane Airport about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north-east of the Brisbane central business district , It opened in 2005. As of December 2021, it has 144 tenants on 26,020 square metres (280,100 sq ft) of gross lettable area (GLA). It
280-570: The Plenary Group . DFO Uni Hill is in Bundoora , approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) north-east of the Melbourne central business district. It opened in 2008. Vicinity has a 50% shareholding with the remainder owned by MAB Corporation Just before 9am on 21 February 2017, a Beechcraft Super King Air on a passenger charter flight bound for King Island, Tasmania crashed shortly after takeoff from nearby Essendon Airport . All five people aboard
308-579: The Austexx Group as the group's first DFO shopping centre. The centre had approximately 45 stores on 8,000 square metres (86,000 sq ft). Since opening, the centre has expanded to 24,715 square metres (266,030 sq ft). DFO Perth is situated at Perth Airport , approximately 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) east of the Perth central business district . The shopping centre opened on 3 October 2018 with 113 retail outlets and 1,500 parking bays. Vicinity has
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#1733086007146336-590: The Shopping Centre Council of Australia, all being unsuccessful. On 16 August 2010, lead bank Suncorp-Metway , along with St George Bank , National Australia Bank and Lloyds Banking Group , issued a notice to parent company Austexx demanding repayment within 24 hours of the A$ 450 million they are owed. The South Wharf centre was under an A$ 500 million debt, with work on completing the centre stopped after workers placed bans over non-payment. Parent company Austexx
364-629: The U.S. generated $ 15 billion in revenue from 260 stores. The number of U.S. outlet centers increased from 113 in 1988 to 276 in 1991 and to 325 in 1997. Outlet malls are not an exclusively American phenomenon. In Canada, the Dixie Outlet Mall dates from the late 1980s, and was followed by Vaughan Mills in 1999, and Toronto Premium Outlets in 2013. In Europe, retailer BAA McArthurGlen has opened 13 malls with over 1,200 stores and 3 million square feet (about 30 hectares) of retail space; describing itself as an "outlet village", Bicester Village , on
392-400: The aircraft crashed as a result of an engine failure on take-off. Some local residents and aviation groups have stated that the crash shows buildings have been constructed too close to the airport. The official investigation's initial findings include that there were no pre-existing aircraft faults, that the pilot made a mayday call, that the voice recorder failed, and that witnesses said
420-627: The crash occurred before the centre opened for the day, only staff were present, all of whom were accounted for. DFO Homebush is located in Homebush , about 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) west of the Sydney central business district . It opened in 2002. DFO Jindalee is located in the Brisbane suburb of Jindalee . It was constructed in 2007, and was sold by Austexx Group to Chin Yin in 2016 to be managed by Geon Property. It
448-622: The edge of the town of Bicester in Oxfordshire in England, is a regular stop for bus-tours of foreign tourists, especially from China. Stores have also been emerging in Japan since the mid to late 1990s. A majority of the products sold by clothing and accessory manufacturers at outlet stores are specifically manufactured for outlets using lower-quality materials and manufacturing processes than their higher-priced products sold in regular stores. Tags may list
476-496: The flight were killed. As the shopping centre had not opened yet, only staff were at the centre, all of whom were accounted for. The incident was the worst aviation accident in Victoria for 30 years. [REDACTED] Media related to Direct Factory Outlet at Wikimedia Commons Outlet store Outlets first appeared in the eastern United States in the 1930s. Factory stores started to offer damaged or excess goods to employees at
504-578: The four banks extending their funding to allow the South Wharf development to be completed. The ten DFO shopping complexes were then sold off separately to repay the $ 1 billion owed to the banks. In September 2010, CFS Retail acquired the Essendon , Homesbush and Moorabbin centres and a 50% shareholding in South Bank . All four passed to Vicinity Centres when it merged with CFS Retail. Vicinity would acquire
532-486: The ground a few metres away and ignited, starting a fire. The DFO complex, located on the airport grounds, had not yet begun the day's trading. All five people on board were killed in the crash, including the four passengers who were American tourists on their way to King Island to play golf. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said it was the worst civil aviation accident in Victoria in 30 years. Media sources reported that
560-418: The left caused a longer than normal takeoff and caused the aircraft to slip and yaw to the left once airborne. Ultimately the uncorrected configuration caused a loss of control of the aircraft. The checklist used by the pilot did not contain a specific check for the trim tab position before takeoff. The investigation was hindered by the lack of data from the cockpit voice recorder , which had stopped working on
588-551: The nearest department store, along major highways between metropolitan areas or in resort or recreational areas. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, outlet centers grew rapidly in the United States. A typical outlet center in the U.S. is opened with between 100,000 and 200,000 square feet (about 1 to 2 hectares) of retail space. This can gradually increase to 500,000 to 600,000 feet (around 5 hectares). The average outlet center has an area of 216,000 square feet. In 2003, outlet malls in
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#1733086007146616-456: The retail field themselves and capture more of the profit associated with their brand names. Very few outlet centers were built within major cities, in order to minimize disruption to manufacturers' existing relationships with department stores and other chain stores which had traditionally sold their merchandise. To avoid "retaliation" against manufacturers from such retailers, outlet centers were often positioned at least 20 to 30 miles from
644-404: The take-off took "longer than normal". Engine tear-downs show that both powerplants were free to rotate and both propellers showed evidence of rotation, although only the left propeller left slash damage to the building roof. Further findings would be made public as the investigation was concluded. The aircraft was a Beechcraft B200 King Air , serial number BB-1544 and registered as VH-ZCR; it
672-539: Was acquired by Vicinity Centres in May 2016. DFO Cairns is located at 274 Mulgrave Road, Westcourt. It is the only direct factory outlet centre north of Brisbane. The centre is 3.7km south west of the Cairns CBD and approximately 8.4km south east of the Cairns Airport. DFO Cairns is home to leading brands including Polo Ralph Lauren, Oroton, Quiksilver, Oakley, Lorna Jane, Cotton On, Bonds, Converse and TK Maxx. The centre
700-608: Was manufactured in 1996 and had accumulated just under 7,000 hours of service time. The Executive Director of the Australian branch of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) criticised the practice of allowing commercial developments, such as the Essendon DFO complex, at Australian airports, saying these reduced the options available to pilots in emergencies. He stated that AOPA had been calling on governments for two decades to stop such developments. A spokesman for
728-402: Was opened at Moorabbin Airport in 1994. Other shareholders were property developer Geoff Porz and former Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chief Graeme Samuel through a blind trust . Valued at A$ 1.5 billion, in early 2010 the business was put up for sale with a number of retail investment funds expressing interest. DFO centres have traditionally been located around airports:
756-557: Was purchased by Sentinel Property Group for $ 39.7 million in 2016. DFO Essendon is in the Melbourne suburb of Essendon Fields , approximately 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) north of the Melbourne central business district . It opened in October 2005. On 21 February 2017, an aeroplane crashed into the centre . A Beechcraft Super King Air on a passenger charter flight bound for King Island, Tasmania crashed shortly after takeoff from nearby Essendon Airport with all five people aboard killed. As
784-423: Was understood to have had total debts of A$ 1.2 billion, with the four relatively successful DFO sites used as cross-collateral for bank-funded expansion into five other less successful locations including Canberra , Cairns and Hobart . The group of banks appointed insolvency specialists KordaMentha as advisers, with the entire group facing receivership. Negotiations continued until a deal was struck on 19 August,
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