Real estate fund manager Europa Capital and its joint venture partner OCI have begun construction of the second phase of the Designer Outlets Wolfsburg retail complex.

Real estate fund manager Europa Capital and its joint venture partner OCI have begun construction of the second phase of the Designer Outlets Wolfsburg retail complex.

The expansion of the German outlet mall will add 6,000 m2 of lettable area across 31 stores. Construction work is scheduled to be completed before Christmas 2013.

Some 60% of the new phase is already pre-leased. Tenants will come predominantly from the textile, shoes and accessory sectors.

The development opened in December 2007 with 53 stores and is currently fully leased to designer brands including Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Nike.

Designer Outlets Wolfsburg posted strong first-quarter figures with visitor numbers, average spend and turnover significantly higher than 2012 on a like-for-like basis.