From a classic designer outlet
to a premium Nordic lifestyle destination.

Challenge

Malmö Designer Village had a compelling commercial proposition: a large premium outlet with international ambition, a strong cross-border location and the potential to attract consumers from both sides of Øresund. But the existing story was dominated by rational outlet conventions: scale, discounts, accessibility and square metres. 

The strategic analysis identified a significant gap between the ambition for a premium, design-led destination and the way the project was perceived. The existing brand world lacked the cultural identity, curatorial point of view and emotional relevance needed to resonate with Nordic consumers and convince premium Scandinavian brands that their universe would be elevated rather than diluted. 

This was not simply a branding challenge. It was a commercial one.

Without a compelling destination identity and the right premium Scandinavian tenant mix, leasing momentum risked slowing. The challenge was therefore to create a concept powerful enough to work simultaneously for consumers, brands and the long-term commercial ambition of the destination. 

Solution

Hatch & Co identified a simple strategic opportunity: stop competing as another outlet and create a destination that could only belong in Scandinavia.

The transformation was defined as: From a classic designer outlet to a Nordic lifestyle destination. 

And distilled into a new destination position:

THE HOME OF NORDIC LIVING™

A premium Nordic design outlet bringing together curated lifestyle brands, design, culture and gastronomy in a full destination experience. 

The new platform reframes traditional outlet value as Democratic Luxury, bringing premium brands and smart prices together within a design-led Scandinavian context. Its brand essence, Nordic Living, Curated, connects Nordic design, quality, nature, craftsmanship and accessibility with a destination designed around culture as well as commerce. 

At the centre of the strategy is Hatch & Co's 3C Framework: Commerce × Culture × Community, designed to ensure that commercial performance, cultural relevance and human experience reinforce rather than compete with each other. 

Destination Concept

To transform the positioning into a living experience, Hatch & Co created:

NORDIC RITUALS
Curated by the Seasons

Nordic Rituals translates the rhythm of Scandinavian life, including light, weather, nature, gatherings, craftsmanship and seasonal rituals, into the cultural and experiential core of Malmö Designer Village. Rather than treating seasonality simply as communication, it becomes an organising principle for how the destination changes throughout the year. 

Spring. Ritual of Renewal.
Summer. Ritual of Light.
Autumn. Ritual of Harvest.
Winter. Ritual of Hygge. 

Each season creates a new atmosphere, retail story, cultural programme and opportunity for brand collaboration. The Seasonal Experience Framework translates those shifts across atmosphere, retail, experiences and communication, creating an operating system designed to continually renew the destination and encourage repeat visitation. 

The result is a strategic concept that connects brand, architecture, retail, gastronomy, events and community through one coherent cultural idea.

Curation & Leasing

But creating the destination concept was only part of the assignment. The strategy also had to help populate it with the right brands.

Hatch & Co developed the Brand Match Map, identifying and evaluating premium Nordic brands capable of defining the style, credibility and commercial relevance of the new destination across fashion, lifestyle, sport, outdoor, home, family, beauty and food & beverage. 

The strategic work was subsequently translated into a sales-driven B2B leasing platform. This included a master leasing narrative, a light brand framework, a premium master pitch deck, tailored brand adaptations, film messaging and visual direction for the seasonal concept. 

The leasing narrative brings the proposition together around a simple idea:

Scandinavian brands don't simply open a store at Malmö Designer Village.
They become part of a curated Nordic lifestyle destination.

Hatch & Co's role has since extended from strategy and concept development into Nordic leasing consultancy, working with Gate46 in Stockholm to curate and engage the premium Scandinavian lifestyle brands intended to help define the project ahead of its May 2027 opening. 

From concept to commercial activation.

What began as a destination positioning assignment therefore extends throughout the commercial journey:

Strategy → Positioning → Concept → Experience → Curation → Leasing

The ambition is not simply to create a better outlet.

It is to create a destination with a distinctly Nordic reason to exist.

THE HOME OF NORDIC LIVING
Nordic Rituals. Curated by the Seasons.

Where Commerce, Culture and Community turn Scandinavian lifestyle into commercial advantage.