Chinese visitors clear out Bicester Village shopping outlet centre Two thousand Chinese tourists went on a shopping spree in Oxfordshire and swept 1,800 shoes and handbags off the shelves of a shoe shop in a day, spending around £20,000.

Bicester Village factory outlet acted like a magnet to the Chinese visitors on a three-day shopping extravaganza.

And stores are bracing themselves for more "spend, spend, spend" visits during the summer because Bicester Village is on the itinerary of coach and rail trips organised by the company in collaboration with international tour operators.

The tourists stay in London and go on coach trips into the country including Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds, with Bicester Village a popular stopping off point for shopping. Hundreds more come by train from London Marylebone to Bicester.

One shop, Clarks Shoes, was virtually cleared out in a day when 1,800 shoes and handbags were sold in a shopping frenzy.

Assistant manager Dorian Gwynn said: "It was amazing. We have never seen our stock disappear so fast. We sold about £20,000 worth of goods in one day and with more visits planned in the future we are getting prepared.

"We usually carry about ten weeks stock and we get a delivery every day so we never run out. The Chinese visitors are certainly good for business and staff -- we're looking forward to a day out with the bonus we are expecting."

Miranda Markham the group community relations manager for Bicester Village said: "About 2,000 Chinese visitors came in coaches over a three-day period.

"They work for the Chinese branch of the American pyramid company Amway that sells cleaning products. These are properly planned trips and Bicester Village was expecting them. There will be more visits over the coming months."

At a time when the retail market generally has been suffering a down-turn in spending, foreign tourists have been greeted with open arms by grateful shops keen to bolster sales.

Mrs Markham added: "The Chinese spend a small fortune in many of the shops -- clothes, shoes, handbags and accessories. They are particularly fond of the international designer brand clothes shops who have been doing a roaring trade."

The tourism manager for Bicester Village Jacquie Craig visits countries in the Far East encouraging people to visit Britain, Oxfordshire and Bicester Village. She said: "The Chinese visitors enjoyed their shopping experience and loved visiting the historic attractions in Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds."

During the next ten years the number of visitors from China to Britain is expected to double to 200,000.