A group of discount shops outside London made the journey part of the product — and millions of visitors came.
Harder version: read this lesson at C1 level →
Look at each word. Say what you think it means. Then tap the card.
Tap a card to see the meaning.
Write one word from the cards in each gap.
1. I bought these shoes with a 30% .
2. There was a huge outside the stadium before the match.
3. The from my house to the office takes an hour by bus.
4. The hotel gave every a free breakfast.
5. How much time do you on your phone every day?
6. We loved the restaurant, so we want to back next summer.
1. discount · 2. crowd · 3. journey · 4. guest · 5. spend · 6. come
Read each part. Then answer the questions before you read the next part.
Bicester Village opened in 1995, about an hour from London.
It was a group of outlets. They sold designer brands at a discount.
But there was a problem. The village was not in a city centre. Nobody walked past it by chance.
People had to decide to make a special journey there.
So the company, Value Retail, had an idea. If people have to travel, the place must be worth the trip.
It started to use new words. The shops were “boutiques”. The shoppers were “guests”. The centre was a “village”.
And it changed real things too. There were streets for walking, restaurants, and staff who spoke many languages.
By 2019, there were about 7.3 million visits in one year. About 2.3 million visitors came from other countries.
True or false? Click your answer.
1. Bicester Village is in the centre of London.
2. The company called its shoppers “guests”.
3. In 2019, all the visitors came from Britain.
The founder is Scott Malkin. He says online shops are fast and easy. A real place cannot beat the internet on speed.
So a real place must give people something different. There is a nice atmosphere. There are surprises. There are good memories.
Here is one small example. There isn't one music system for the whole street. Each shop plays its own music, like a real street.
Many visitors spend six or seven hours in the village. On one busy Saturday, there were about 43,000 visitors.
When people stay all day, small things become very important. Is there shade? Are there seats? Are there any queues for the toilets?
The company sees a chain. A good reason to travel brings people. An easy arrival makes them happy. A long, nice day means they buy more. A good memory makes them come back.
True or false? Click your answer.
1. The founder thinks real shops can be faster than online shops.
2. Every shop plays its own music.
3. Many visitors stay for six or seven hours.
A destination has one big danger. People can decide not to come.
Bad weather, busy trains, traffic and crowds can all stop a visit.
In 2026, the company started a new programme. It checked the whole visit, from planning the trip to going home.
It found problems. The welcome was not always the same. Some services were hard to find. There were crowds. Some guests expected luxury and did not get it.
The answer was not a new advert. The company wanted to fix every step of the journey together.
So even a famous success still has work to do. A destination must give people a reason to come now. It must remove the reasons not to come.
Here is the hard question. When fewer people come, which part of the visit is really the problem?
True or false? Click your answer.
1. Bad weather and crowds can stop people visiting.
2. The company found no problems in 2026.
3. The company decided that one new advert was the answer.
When we describe a place, we say what exists there. English uses there is and there are.
Singular or uncountable: There is a car park. There is free parking.
Plural: There are two cafés near the station.
some / any: use some in positive sentences, any in negatives and questions. There are some benches. There aren't any buses today. Are there any taxis?
a lot of: works with plural and uncountable nouns, in all sentences. There is a lot of traffic. There are a lot of tourists.
Careful: do not say It has many people to describe a place. Say There are a lot of people.
| Singular / uncountable | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | There is a hotel. / There is some space. | There are some shops. |
| Negative | There isn't a bank. / There isn't any water. | There aren't any trains. |
| Question | Is there a lift? / Is there any milk? | Are there any toilets? |
Write There is, There are, any or a lot. Read the whole sentence first.
1. a direct train from London to the village every morning.
2. Are there cheap places to eat near the entrance?
3. more than a hundred boutiques in the village.
4. On Saturdays there are of visitors, so it is very busy.
5. There isn't music for the whole street — each shop plays its own.
1. There is · 2. any · 3. There are · 4. a lot · 5. any
Each sentence has one mistake. Say the correct sentence out loud, then check.
1. There are a big car park next to the village.
2. There is a lot of shops with designer brands.
3. Is there some toilets near the restaurants?
4. There aren't some seats in the shade.
5. It has many people in the village on Saturdays.
1. There is a big car park next to the village. (one car park = is)
2. There are a lot of shops with designer brands. (shops = plural)
3. Are there any toilets near the restaurants? (plural question = are there any)
4. There aren't any seats in the shade. (negative = any)
5. There are a lot of people in the village on Saturdays. (not it has)
Take your time. Short sentences are fine.
Tell me the story of Bicester Village in your own words. Six or seven sentences is enough.
Describe a shopping centre, market or high street you know well.
Use there is, there are, some, any and a lot of.
What do you buy online, and what do you still buy in a real shop?
Why?
Tell me about a place you would travel a long way to visit again — a shop, a café, a market or a town.
What makes it worth the journey?