A general manager has been appointed to shake up York's McArthurGlen Designer Outlet by improving the mix of shops.

He is Colin Wilding, 45, who has spent a decade with The Body Shop International and three years as business director at the vast Bluewater shopping centre in Kent.

He said today that he wanted to forge greater links with the York community and the city centre - and shoppers, he predicted, would start seeing the difference within a year.

It is a new post, and Mr Wilding will also focus on the York centre's overall business strategy and forging close relationships with new and existing retailers at the centre. Manager Norma Middlemiss will continue to concentrate on the day-to-day running of the outlet centre

He said: "She has done a fabulous job over the last five years and now the designer outlet needs to be looked at closely strategically to see where to go over the next five years."

McArthurGlen had proved in York as it had at its other outlets throughout the UK that its out of town offering actually benefited city centres - but he felt there was a need to extend that contribution. "We can be openly supportive of city projects like the Viking Festival, and involve ourselves with sponsorships of local activity in the community," he said.

Mr Wilding's appointment comes at a time of rapid growth for the Naburn centre, which has 115 stores, including Armani Collections, Burberry, Paul Smith, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, Joseph, Margaret Howell, Nitya, Sand, Decamps and Penhaligon's, offering discounts of up to 50 per cent off typical retail prices.

Latest arrivals at the centre are Clarks shoes, Heritage Cashmere, Thorntons Caf, a new, larger Daniel Footwear store and a Prima Designer store.

Mr Wilding, who is today relocating to Naburn from Chichester, to join McArthurGlen's six-strong management team, said his new job also offered him "a fantastic opportunity to work with some of the best designer names trading in the UK as the centre continues to add new retailers to its impressive portfolio.

He said: "I'm looking forward to working in the outlet sector, as it represents different challenges to high street retailing, and involves completely different relationships with the retailers with which McArthurGlen works so closely."

Updated: 11:31 Friday, October 22, 2004