Croydon Village Outlet forced to close due to overwhelming crowds
The new Croydon Village Outlet centre was forced to close just hours after its grand opening yesterday because it could not handle the crowds of shoppers coming through its doors.
The store, which offers designer brands at up to 75% off, was officially opened at 1pm Harry Derbidge from The Only Way is Essex. However, later in the afternoon the tills stopped working and staff announced that the store would be closing for the rest of the day.
It is understood that the store will remain closed today and re-open on Saturday. The store said it has decided to change its configuration and bring in additional security, sales staff and barriers in advance of the re-opening.
Chief executive Marco Cash said: “We were overwhelmed by the popularity and sheer numbers of people arriving at the store today. When we opened the doors there was an incredible rush of of excitement as people sought to get the best bargains.
“As advised, we had taken on additional security but no one could have estimated the enormous enthusiasm of the public in welcoming the store. In 40 years of retail I haven’t seen anything this huge.”
He added: “As a result of the mass volume of people and the number of transactions on the tills we decided it was safest to close the doors and let shoppers already inside filter through the store, complete their purchases and leave.”
