From next month, fans of upmarket cycle clothing firm Rapha will have the chance of picking up hard-to-find or discontinued items at a discount as the brand opens a store at the Kilver Court Designer Village near Shepton Mallet in Somerset.
The business, founded in 2004, will join brands such as Agnès B, Mulberry and its sometime collaborator Paul Smith at the designer outlet centre, open seven days a week, when the Rapha Archive Store opens on 3 April.
According to the company, the store will stock “past-season and sample products from across the Rapha range, all offered with significant savings – including items that are no longer available in Rapha Cycle Clubs or the online store.”
It says the area around the Kilver Court offers “excellent riding” and that young riders will get an additional 15 per cent discount when buying items in their own size on production of a valid British Cycling membership card confirming they are aged 18 or under.
Rapha adds that “a selection of examples of garments and accessories from the development of the Rapha range will be on display” at the store, “alongside classic items of artwork and brand photography.”
The cycle clothing brand already has a connection with Somerset – its leather gloves are made by Pittards, which has been one of the mainstays of Yeovil’s glovemaking industry for nearly two centuries, and which also has an outlet at Kilver Court.
Rapha Archive Store, Kilver Court, Kilver Street, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 5NF
13 thoughts on “Rapha to open outlet store at designer village in Somerset”
Brilliant. Somewhere to go
Brilliant. Somewhere to go when the Mrs wants to visit the Mulberry outlet. Now both of us can see stuff we can’t afford.
Awesome! That’s Good Friday
Awesome! That’s Good Friday sorted- new kit in a.m; ride in p.m.
Bugger. I knew they weren’t
Bugger. I knew they weren’t doing any more sample sales, but had hoped that some of end-of-line stuff would make its way to the Manchester store. Looks like everything will go to this outlet.
Amazing – not far from
Amazing – not far from Bristol for me! Think I’ll be making the journey on bank holiday weekspend.
Well, they’ve got to shift
Well, they’ve got to shift all those XS-sized Team Sky jerseys and Va Va Froome t-shirts somewhere. 😉
…reading between the lines
…reading between the lines : “we are not going to dent our high end retail store and online sales by offering old style stock through those outlets, instead we’ll stick em all in some ‘store’ so people can buy them and sell them on ebay later in the hope of making a quick buck”
a_to_the_j wrote:…reading
‘Outlet stores’ are massive in the States, to the point where they have become where most people do most of their shopping for clothing and shoes. They tend to be huge retail parks, with up to 100 different stores, located off important Interstate junctions and advertised via huge hoardings from tens of miles out.
Certainly they offer discounted end-of-line bargains but I think the main attraction for the customer is access to the full range of a favoured brand’s items. The brand benefits from cutting out the ‘middleman’ of the general retailer and also gains direct access to their customers … you are very much encouraged, when making a purchase, to give them your email address for upcoming ‘special offers’ for example. Being as we tend to follow the trends from the States I think it is quite likely that we’ll be seeing more of these outlet centres over the coming years.
Joeinpoole wrote:a_to_the_j
Outlet stores are already massive in the UK – Bicester Village is something like the 3rd most visited tourist attraction in the UK (also it has a Paul Smith shop where I’ve picked up loads of pieces from the Rapha + Paul Smith collaboration in the the past at about half RRP).
Having an outlet is fairly standard for lots of luxury brands. Usually discounts range from 30-70% and sometimes you’ll pick up stuff that was ordered but never made it into stores for whatever reason.
Good bit of advertising!
Good bit of advertising!
Struth that’s walking
Struth that’s walking distance! Check out the Spelt bread in the cafe too.
Oh heck. The other half just said “oh that’s right by the hand bag shop”. So a visit is inevitable but probably won’t have enough money left for the Rapha stuff
I feel your pain.
I feel your pain.
The new range is awful, the
The new range is awful, the designers serm to have lost the plot !
I expect the archive store to be busy as I can’t imagine people buying the new gear (other than Bruno)
Can’t wait! Working in Bath,
Can’t wait! Working in Bath, and living half way between it and Shepton, I may just have to pop down on opening day! 🙂 Hopefully though, just like their shops, we’ll be able to cycle there and secure our bikes inside the store?!