The luxury British shoe and handbag retailer has reportedly been trying to open a store in Dublin for nearly 20 years.
The latest addition to the Grafton Street shopping experience is Russell and Bromley, the independently run and family owned shoe shop who pride themselves on being "the definitive choice for the well-dressed".
Located at the former site of Fitzpatricks Shoes at 76 Grafton Street, there's an obvious sense of luxury but also fun when you walk through the doors. Formal loafers and Oxford shoes are displayed alongside knee-high, red leather platform boots and purple cheetah print pumps - there's a lot more on offer than the traditional styles you might associate with the store.
Images from Russell and Bromley's new Grafton Street store.
CEO Andrew Bromley
said Grafton Street was chosen for the retailers first non-UK store because of the area’s “high-quality reputation [and] unique appeal that not only attracts customers from across the region but also from overseas”.
At one point this year there were as many as 15 non-trading units on Grafton Street, representing a vacancy rate of 17 per cent in terms of overall unit numbers, so the addition of such a high-profile occupier comes as welcome news. The store will employ 13 people. CEO Andrew Bromley and other members of the family were in attendance at the launch of the store yesterday, and expressed their excitement at the new opening.
Andrew told the
Independent:
About 12 years ago my brother Stuart and I came over to look at a store in Grafton Street. It was an ambition even then. We always had it at the back of our minds.
Dublin has an energy to it, it’s got sophistication and it’s got style – it’s got an eclectic mix of all sorts and it’s all very contained in the centre.
Russell and Bromley's "Hold Up" boots, on display at Allta Winter House
Russell and Bromley Grafton Street is open to the public from today.
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