Sambil Outlet Centre in Madrid has 130 shops across a GLA of 43,500sqm and is the first major investment in Spain by Venezuelan group Sambil who have invested €60m in the project. The centre also has the largest indoor skydiving wind-tunnel in Europe.

Sambil acquired the centre in 2013, which is in Leganes on the outskirts of Madrid, and commissioned Broadway Malyan to develop a new interior design strategy, renovate and reimagine the indoor and outdoor food court areas as well as refresh the facades.

Jorge Ponce, who heads Broadway Malyan’s Madrid studio, said the project represented a new era for outlet centres both in terms scale and commercial offer as well as design.

“The design represents a complete change in mindset for outlet centres in Spain,” he said. “While the essence of an outlook centre is about budget shopping, we wanted to introduce a feel of quality throughout the centre through the use of materials, vegetation, lighting and the optimization of space.

“We have adopted a modern design approach with a strong geometry throughout the centre with all the different elements combining to create a rhythmical narrative that is both fresh and dynamic and really stands this centre apart.

“Creating a strong experience for the customer is very much at the heart of current retail thinking so there was also a major intervention in the centre’s food offer where transformed the lay out from a single space to a fragmented space with a range of different offers for dining, with public and private areas that integrate from the inside to the upgraded outside areas.”

Sambil is one of the largest retail groups in Latin America and Jorge said the new centre represented a growing trend of investment from that region into Spain.

He said: “Spain has been an attractive international investment opportunity in recent years with a growing economy and well-priced assets and with the obvious links with Latin America in terms of language and culture, we are now seeing and more operators looking at the potential that Spain offers.

“As well as working with Sambil, we are also currently working on a number of projects with Brazilian group Armorica as well as with international brands such as Carrefour for whom we have recently delivered major schemes in Spain and Latin America.”