This is a vision of the near future - artist's impressions of the £60 million designer outlet shopping complex being built at Naburn, near York.

It opens on November 5 and some five million visitors are expected to converge on the former hospital site from all over Britain and the world in its first year.

They will be lured by the notion of 40 per cent average discounts on end-of-line and dated top fashion and other brands in the 25 shopping units in the 275,000 sq ft complex, where 1,500 retail jobs will ultimately be created over two years.

Already developers BAA McArthurGlen which insists that it wants to encourage visitors to use the city centre shops too, has pledged £100,000 over the next two years towards the operation of bus services between the site and the city.

Finishing touches are now being put to this latest example of its tried and tested formula for American-style designer shopping to be found also at Swindon, Chester, Bridgend, Wales and in Troyes to the south east of Paris.

Also under construction are ventures in Derbyshire, which opens in October, and in Vienna, which is expected to open before the end of the year.

Future complexes are planned for Ashford, Kent, Roubaix in France and in Scotland, Germany and Switzerland.

Among the big names which will be selling their couture wares at York will be Armani, although BAA McArthurGlen is keeping the identity of the remaining top name outlets close to its chest.

But if some manufacturers who already have doubled up their presence at the Cheshire Oaks and Swindon outlets remain true to form there could be the likes of Timberland and Joe Bloggs casualware, Pied a Terre footwear and other top fashion labels like Burberry's, Viyella, Austin Reed, Van Heusen and Dorothy Perkins.

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