retail outlet

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablebusiness

   a place where a company sells goods directly to the public, such as a shop or store.

   Grammar: Countable: a retail outlet, two retail outlets. Often used in the plural when talking about a chain.

   Patterns

   • open a retail outlet
   • a retail outlet for something
   • operate retail outlets

   The brand opened its first retail outlet in central London last month.

   They sell mainly through retail outlets rather than online.

   The company plans to close ten retail outlets to cut costs.

2. 2nouncountablebusiness

   a shop that sells goods for a particular brand or at a discount, often outside a city center.

   Grammar: Used after words like 'factory' or 'discount': a factory retail outlet.

   Patterns

   • factory retail outlet
   • discount retail outlet

   We bought the shoes at a factory retail outlet for half price.

   The discount retail outlet attracts shoppers from across the region.

Word forms

Common combinations

open a retail outlet

The chain will open a retail outlet in the new shopping center.

operate retail outlets

They operate over 200 retail outlets nationwide.

close a retail outlet

The company decided to close the retail outlet after poor sales.

factory retail outlet

A factory retail outlet sells surplus stock at lower prices.

retail outlet for

The museum shop is a retail outlet for books and gifts.

Synonyms and how they differ

store

The everyday American word for a place that sells goods; 'retail outlet' sounds more businesslike.

shop

The everyday British word; it can also mean a place where a service is done, such as a repair shop.

point of sale

Refers to the place or moment where a purchase happens, not to the building itself.

showroom

A place where products are displayed, often for large items like cars, and not always for immediate purchase.

Word family

retail noun

the business of selling goods directly to the public

retailer noun

a person or company that sells goods to the public

outlet noun

a shop or place that sells a particular company's goods

Commonly confused: retail outlet or outlet mall?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “retail outlet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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