Singapore — Get this: Here is a man obsessed with shopping. Not that Ian Stazicker, the head of tourism of Chic Outlet Shopping — which manages the shopping villages across Europe, such as Bicester Village, selling off-season discounted branded items — minds very much.

The job takes him to different cities and regions to promote the brand and the villages, and he gets to check out the competition in the meantime.

“I feel like I’m travelling every week. It’s the definition of the job and it’s good. I get to see things. For example, the only touristy thing I haven’t done in Singapore is visit the zoo,” the Londoner said.

His tip for combining work and a bit of pleasure is to organise his trip so that he’ll be in a foreign city over the weekend.

“That gives me some free time to walk around on my own, see what the locals are interested in shopping-wise, and how we can improve our villages, too,” he said. Serene Lim

Chic Outlet Shopping will be opening its first Asian village in Suzhou later this year. Why Suzhou for the first outlet and will we be seeing more Chic Outlet Shopping villages in Asia?

Ian Stazicker: The Suzhou Village will have the same model offering genuine merchandise at up to 60 per cent off. Suzhou is a popular tourist destination with 70 million visitors a year domestically and it’s near Shanghai so it’s extremely convenient. Besides, China is our largest market in terms of revenue. We might be looking at having one more village in China.

So which is your favourite Chic Outlet Shopping Village?

I can’t choose. They’re all my babies and all different. But each has a different feel and I like them for different reasons. For food, it’s the Fidenza Village near Milan as my favourite restaurant is there. The village with the nicest architecture is Wertheim — it’s like an Alpine village. Las Rozas in Madrid has the best scenery as it looks out to the mountains.

Since you travel so much, what are your personal tips for maintaining sanity on the road and avoiding the likes of jetlag?

I’m lucky because I can sleep just like that. Although I also ensure I force myself to stay awake when I land in another city in the evening so I can go to sleep in the night or get up early when I arrive in the morning. And I always choose the same hotel group — the Marriott — because the beds are the same across (the chain). I minimise my time in the airport by arriving as late as possible and checking in online first. Lastly, I pack real books as I feel we rely on too much technology. It’s nice to have a real book in your hand to pass the time. I finished three during this work trip.

Do you have a favourite city to unwind and vacation in?

Bueno Aires. I just love it. It’s the perfect mix of Europe and South America. It’s so varied in terms of its attractions and the food’s great. I’m also excited about going to Australia this Christmas to catch England play cricket. Yes, I got that all booked already.