L’Usine Roubaix

A fascinating place to visit, even without the great bargains. L’Usine Roubaix is set on the architecturally stunning site of a former textile factory – so different to the modern shopping malls of concrete and glass. L’Usine (‘The Factory’) was the first factory outlet centre in Europe when it opened in 1984, bringing together on one site around 25 existing factory shops.Roubaix is a city famous for its textile industry.
Today the centre is home to 85 shops offering around 200 fashion brands for men, women and children along with shoes, lingerie, bags and leather goods, shoes, jewellery and accessories. There are also top sports brands like Nike, Rip Curl and Quiksilver. Typical discounts are between 30% and 70%, plus occasional additional bargain offer in the ‘Entrepot’ (Warehouse) at various times of the year (check the website for details).
L’Usine Roubaix also has four food outlets for everything from a sweet pastry to ‘plat du jour’ meals with a coffee or a cold beer. For younger visitors there is a children’s play area in Building B and a buggy hire service at Reception.

Description of the location and accessibility

Access:
By Car: Direction Roubaix then take avenue Alfred Motte. By Bus & Metro: From Gare de Roubaix: Take the “”CIT 5″” bus to “”Roubaix Brotherhood”” and get off at “”Les Hauts Champs’. From the centre of Roubaix: Metro line 2 in the direction “”Lomme – Saint Philibert”” – stop “”Epeule Montesquieu”” and take the “”CIT 5″” bus to “”Roubaix Brotherhood”” and stop at “”Les Hauts Champs””. 1 bus every 10 minutes.

Shopper Trafic/Catchment Area

Catchment area: 3.9 million people from the surrounding areas.

Features mall architecture

Contemporary architecture.

Planning

The site has now expanded to three buildings linked by walkways and covered escalators – you can loan an umbrella from Reception if the weather is bad.