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New Browns store

New Browns store: where history meets tech

The new Browns flagship store in London is not just a milestone for the iconic brand, it’s also a massive step forward for truly interactive stores that bring tech and fashion together in a physical environment.

The new store has opened at 39 Brook Street – a landmark building in London’s Mayfair which has been comprehensively refurbished by Grosvenor. Built in 1723 by Thomas Phillips, this beautiful building was for 72 years from 1944 home to the famous interiors firm, Colefax & Fowler.

Head of Colliers London Retail Agency, Paul Souber, comments: “After a head-to-toe restoration of the building, we were delighted to work with one of the most exciting global fashion platforms to locate its Browns flagship store into this wonderful building and help it become a 21st century retail and digital masterpiece”.

In 2015, FARFETCH - the online luxury fashion retail platform which sells products from more than 700 boutiques and brands from around the world - acquired Browns, and the new store embodies its ‘Store of the Future’ augmented reality retail strategy.

In its new flagship, Browns wants customers to visit and stay longer. Unlike its previous store, which sold womenswear and menswear spread across two floors, the new building features four floors of fashion, accessories, homeware, fragrances, fine jewellery and watches. There is also a restaurant by Native with an outdoor courtyard, a dedicated area for makeup and styling, and a room with constantly rotating experiences - the first being an installation of work by British photographer Juno Calypso

The store is entirely tech-enabled. Customers can use Browns’ app to book an appointment, search for and add products to their wishlists, which can be shared with a personal shopper. The app also features an ‘in-store’ mode which responds to when a customer visits and shows content available only in stores. The dressing rooms feature special ‘connected mirrors’ which display the items on the customer’s wishlists.

Paul Souber comments: “At the end of last year, FARFETCH together with online giant, Alibaba Group and luxury brands specialist, Richemont, announced a global strategic partnership to provide luxury brands with enhanced access to the China market as well as accelerate the digitisation of the global luxury industry.

“This marvellous London store is a further embodiment of that seamless integration of the digital and physical realms of retailing. It was a great experience to advise Grosvenor on the leasing of this ground-breaking store.”

paul.souber@colliers.com | +44 (0)20 7344 6870