MAB Development, part of the Rabo Real Estate Group of commercial property developers in Europe, has announced plans to open a shopping outlet in Alsace, France. Situated 40km north of Strasbourg and designed as a traditional fortified Alsace village, Roppenheim Village will accommodate about 100 stores and 1,750 parking places, and will be easily accessible from several motorways in France and Germany. Financed by Freeport Leisure BV, a company of the CEREP II fund managed by The Carlyle Group, the project will begin construction at the beginning of 2010, with a target completion date of mid-2011. The hope is that a hundred mid to high segment brands will lure customers to the 23,225-sq.-meter site. Numerous national and international brands have already shown an interest in taking part in the project, including Cerrutti 1881, Geox, Mango, Mephisto, Moeve, Moncler and Pepe Jeans.

—Melanie Gropler