The Mall Florence – Luxury Outlet Mall in Italy With Fantastic Discounts on European Luxury Goods

The Mall Florence is a famous luxury outlet near Florence that offers awesome discounts on some of the biggest European brands. This is indeed THE mall to visit in Italy if you’re looking for great bargains. Below is my full review of this famous shopping destination. This article was last updated on 18 April 2020.

The Mall Florence

The Mall Florence is an open-air luxury outlet mall located in the small town of Leccio (Tuscany), just 35 kilometres away from Florence city.

It is also known as “The Mall Firenze”.

The outlet stores here are known for offering steep discounts on European luxury goods ranging from 35% to 70%, compared to retail prices.

Famous brands include Gucci, Prada, Ferragamo, Moncler, Armani, Valentino, Burberry, Yves Saint Laurent, and more.

I saw that several of the brands even had their own large building, such as Prada, Gucci, Moncler, and Michael Kors.

While walking around The Mall, the wife and I realised that there were actually more outlets here than listed on the website.

MORE luxury outlets than expected? Well, the wife was elated of course.

Later on, I found out it’s because some brands like Prada, Michael Kors, Boss, Armani Jeans and Moncler are not part of The Mall. But due to their proximity, it’s easy to assume that these outlets are also part of the complex.

Beautiful Tuscany Countryside

The Mall is located amidst the green Tuscan hills.

The lush landscapes, boundless azure skies, and fresh crisp air will definitely make this a special shopping experience.

Therefore, even though I was really bored while the wife was shopping, at least I could bask in the tranquility of the countryside.

Our Personal Experience At The Shops

On the whole, the prices at The Mall were extremely affordable compared to regular boutiques.

Service was generally quite good too. Most of the staff at the shops were helpful and patient.

Similar to most luxury shopping spots, we saw plenty of Chinese retail staff in the shops. This is due to the large number of PRC tourists visiting The Mall. If you are more comfortable communicating in Chinese this will be good for you.

Below are our personal experiences at some of the shops.

– Gucci –

Even though we took the first Direct Bus to The Mall, there was already a long queue of about 50 people (mostly Chinese) outside the Gucci store when we reached!

And since we are kiasu Singaporeans, we decided to join the queue too. We started queueing at about 9.50am, and the store’s opening time was 10am.

Once the shop opened its doors, the queue moved quite fast and we entered the shop within 10 minutes.

Walking around the shop, I could see why this Gucci outlet was so popular. Everything was being sold at really steep discounts. For example, I saw a Gucci men’s wallet going for just €130 (original price €420), and a Gucci women’s zippered wallet at €220 (original price €380).

There was a good selection of bags. However, the wife didn’t manage to find her favoured Disco Bags and Marmont Bags.

There was a decent selection of ladies and men shoes, but the shop didn’t carry the popular Ace Sneakers series (or maybe it was sold out).

There was also a range of Gucci apparel on sale. The wife bought a GG Jacquard Wool Scarf for €165 (original price €250).

Service was good despite the shop being rather crowded. The staff was quite helpful when we asked them questions about the items.

– Prada –

The Prada outlet at The Mall is one of the biggest in Europe! Similar to Gucci, the items were sold at steep discounts.

The wife had a fantastic time shopping here and I think we spent over an hour in the shop.

The shop has two levels, stocked with a large variety of bags, shoes and apparel.

Prada Leather Loafers bought for €289 (original price €468)

Leather Bag bought for €670 (original price €1300)

The wife bought a pair of Prada Leather Loafers for €289 (original price €468) and a nifty Leather Bag for €670 (original price €1300).

All the staff who attended to the wife was quite helpful, with the exception of one who spoke to her in an airily manner.

– Yves Saint Laurent –

Kate Tassel Leather Bag: €1155 (original price €1500)

There was a decent selection of bags here and the wife almost bought a red Kate Tassel Leather Bag which was going for €1155 (original price €1450). The staff was very patient and didn’t change her attitude even after the wife decided not to buy the bag.

– Fendi / Valentino –

Fendi Runaway Tote Bag: €1,200 (original price €1,800)

Fendi and Valentino both offer awesome discounts as well.

The wife had a pleasant experience at the Fendi shop, even though ultimately she didn’t buy anything here.

Basically, she was in two minds about whether to buy one Fendi bag. The staff was really nice about it and answered all her questions patiently. She didn’t use any high pressure tactics at all.

The service at Valentino was very good too. The staff was very friendly even though we didn’t buy anything here.

The shop carries the famous Rockstud Shoes series, but the wife didn’t spot her favourite Patent Rockstud Ballet Flats and Patent Rockstud Caged Pumps. Maybe they were sold out.

– Ferragamo / Armani / Burberry –

We also browsed through the above three outlets, and found many items being sold at great prices. Service was good too.

– Nike –

I took a quick walk around the Nike outlet, and found that the prices were not much different from regular retail stores.

Therefore, it is definitely more worthwhile to buy European / Italian luxury goods at The Mall Florence.

VAT Refund

And here’s the best part. The prices I mentioned above are NOT inclusive of the tax refund yet! All tourists are entitled to a 12% VAT refund, as long as you spend a minimum of €155.

We processed all the refunds at the Milan Malpensa Airport on the day of our departure.

It is also possible to process the VAT refund at The Mall itself, with the option of getting the tax refund back in cash (though I prefer getting it back via credit card). The limit for cash refunds is €999.50.

Some Useful Tips

1. Go to The Mall as early as possible to beat the crowds. If you go too late, the popular items might be sold out. Once the store runs out of stock, you will have to wait for the next shipment.

2. Remember to bring your passport! It is required to get a “tax-free” receipt which you will need for claiming the VAT tax refund later.

3. As mentioned earlier, you will find more brands here than listed on The Mall’s website, such as Prada, Boss, Moncler, etc. You can refer to Google Map to see what are the other brands available.

4. If possible, try to visit during the sale periods: January (Winter sales) and July (Summer sales). You will enjoy even steeper discounts during these two periods.

5. If you are catching the last bus (around 7.30pm), make sure you get to the bus stop early. If not, there might be no more space left on the bus. For us we caught the 4pm bus which was pretty much empty.

6. If your partner is waiting for you in the shop, he / she can serve a useful purpose by helping you to queue for the cashier first. This is because the queues in popular shops like Gucci and Prada can get really long.

7. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes because The Mall is a large complex.

8. If you are thirsty, the Welcome Lounge near the bus stop has a hot and cold water dispenser.

What to Eat at The Mall

Walking around The Mall, I was surprised to find that there were very few dining options in The Mall. Below are the three restaurants I found.

1. Gucci Caffè

Some of the food at the cafe

Gucci Caffè is a cafe / bar offering a range of sandwiches, pastries, cakes, hot beverages and alcohol. It also has an impressive selection of premium tea.

The cafe is located on the roof of the Gucci building, and has a large alfresco dining area. It is a great place to admire the surrounding lush Tuscany landscape.

2. Antico Caffè Torino

I also walked past Antico Caffè Torino, a casual dining restaurant serving classic Italian fare like paninis, pizzas, pasta, pastries, cakes and desserts. Click here to see the menu.

3. Asian Food


Last but not least, there is also a Chinese restaurant, creatively named as Asian Food. I was led to it by multiple bright red signage placed throughout The Mall.

The selection of Chinese food was actually quite impressive. I saw a variety of cheekily-named Sichuan small dishes, including dumplings (“Ravioli), noodles (“Spaghetti in Brodo”), Fried Noodles (“Spaghetti Saltati”), Fried Rice (“Riso Saltato”) and Desserts (“Dolci”). Click here for the menu.

I thought the Italian translations were pretty amusing.

I didn’t eat here, but the restaurant seemed popular as it was quite packed.

How to Go The Mall

There are several ways to get to the luxury outlet, but the best way is to take The Mall’s Direct Bus. A round trip costs just €13. For more details, check out my article on how to get to The Mall Florence.

Map of The Mall Florence (click to enlarge)

Conclusion

So was it worth it to visit The Mall Florence? The short answer is yes, definitely.

I saw plenty of European luxury goods that had very steep discounts compared to regular boutiques in the cities of Florence and Rome. The discounts for Prada and Gucci goods in particular were quite unbelievable. If you are ok with buying off season styles at fantastic prices, then this will be a great place to shop.

On the downside, the number of outlet shops is rather limited. I mostly saw only European luxury brands, and even among those I did not see major brands like LV, Celine, and Dior. There are also no mid-market brands like Adidas, Gap, Zara, Under Armour, etc.

In comparison, we spent almost two full days at the famous Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in New York, which has a much larger number of outlets and restaurants. But we only spent six hours at The Mall.

The Mall Luxury Outlets (Florence)
Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 7pm
Website: https://firenze.themall.it/en
Transport: https://themall.busitaliashop.it/en
Address: Via Europa, 8, 50066 Leccio FI, Italy