Aymeric Faucheux ǀ Director Buying & Merchandising ǀ Fashion & Luxury Retail ǀ Entrepreneurship
Deputy, then Retail Director, Maasmechelen Village
The Bicester Collection, Belgium, 2023-2025
Value Retail is a pioneering company in luxury outlet shopping, founded in 1992. Best known for creating The Bicester Collection—a network of high-end shopping villages across Europe and China—it has redefined the outlet experience by blending fashion, hospitality, and entertainment.
Its destinations, including Bicester Village (UK), La Vallée Village (Paris), and Fidenza Village (Milan), are strategically located near major tourist hubs, attracting millions of international visitors each year.
Value Retail partners directly with leading luxury houses such as Gucci, Prada, Dior, and Burberry, offering exclusive collections and carefully curated assortments. Beyond shopping, the Villages feature VIP lounges, personal shopping services, and fine dining, creating a lifestyle experience tailored for affluent global travelers.
Bicester Village stands out as the most profitable retail location in the world on a per-square-meter basis, underscoring the group’s unique model.
In 2024, L Catterton, the LVMH-backed investment firm, acquired a 40% stake in Value Retail, a move that cemented the company’s luxury positioning and highlighted its strong growth potential.
Although brands within the Villages operate under lease agreements, each location in The Bicester Collection is supported by a dedicated Retail team. These teams work hand-in-hand with brand store staff and Area Directors on critical topics such as product assortments, visual merchandising, staffing, and promotional strategies.
As Retail Director, my role—together with my team—was to build strong, collaborative partnerships with the brands to help them maximize performance. To achieve this, I introduced a “3 Engines” model, built around three equally essential pillars: Products, People, and Promotions. This framework ensured that all 100+ brands in the Village were equipped to deliver sustainable growth.
Beyond retail operations, the Villages also place a strong emphasis on guest experiences. In this area, I oversaw the four restaurants within the Village, managed visual merchandising across the site, and worked closely with the Marketing team to design and execute activations and initiatives that enhanced footfall and elevated the overall visitor experience.
Senior Merchant Manager, Wertheim Village
The Bicester Collection, Germany, 2020-2023
The Bicester Collection has built its success on consistently driving high footfall through powerful marketing campaigns, tourism initiatives, and strategic partnerships. What truly sets it apart from competitors, however, is its extensive retail team, which works hand-in-hand with brands to influence every aspect of store performance.
By 2020, the one area where the Villages had limited visibility and influence was Product—a gap that became even more critical during Covid, when supply was constrained and securing the right merchandise was vital. To address this, the company created a Merchant role in each Village, tasked with shaping a clear Product vision. The objective was twofold:
Partner with brands to secure the right product quantity and quality.
Elevate the fashion message across communication and marketing, with a more product-driven approach.
As an experienced merchant, I brought fresh ideas and innovative ways of working to this newly created role. These initiatives not only boosted sales but also proved so effective that they were replicated across other Villages in Europe.
MAASMECHELEN VILLAGE
Maasmechelen Village is strategically located in northeast Belgium, at the crossroads of Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Within a 90-minute drive from major cities such as Brussels, Antwerp, Düsseldorf, and Cologne, it attracts a broad international audience.
The Village hosts around 100 brands, spanning sportswear, premium ready-to-wear, and luxury, making it the most profitable retail destination in Belgium. It has even been recognized by the CEO of Rituals as “the most beautiful shopping street in Belgium.”
Beyond fashion, Maasmechelen Village offers a rich lifestyle experience, with four restaurants complemented by a variety of food and coffee kiosks, reinforcing its position as both a shopping and leisure destination.
WERTHEIM VILLAGE
Wertheim Village, nestled in the picturesque Tauber Valley near Frankfurt, Germany, is a premier luxury outlet shopping destination. It offers a unique and upscale shopping experience, attracting both local and international visitors.
It is home to 110 boutiques from leading national and international Fashion brands such as Armani, Tod's, Ralph Lauren, etc.