Brown Thomas

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Brown Thomas & Company Limited is a chain of four department stores located in Dublin, Galway, Cork and Limerick. It is an upmarket chain, akin to Canada's Holt Renfrew chain and Britain's Selfridges stores, which are controlled by the same family.

1 Dublin Store(s)
2 Other Store Info
3 BT2
4 Stores
5 History
6 References
7 Further reading

[edit] Dublin Store(s)

The 130,000 square foot Dublin Store on Grafton Street is the chain's flagship location. It includes Boutiques for Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Gucci, Armani Cosmetics, Jo Malone, Molton Brown, Penhaligan's, and the like. Ladies boutiques include Chanel, Valentino, Versace, Jimmy Choo, and many others. A Vera Wang bridal salon recently opened.

It is expected by 2007 that Brown Thomas will build a second store north of the River Liffey in the current Clerys store on O'Connell Street. The store will be approximately 120,000 square feet and will compliment the merchandise selection at the Grafton Street store.

[edit] Other Store Info

The stores tend to a wide audience, vending both wearable and "standard" clothes and also expensive, "haute couture" garments. The downstairs of the Dublin branch contains "Browns Bar", a cafe, and a barber shop. The Limerick Branch also contains a Browns Café upstairs and a Browns Bar downstairs.

Also connected to the Dublin Branch is Aya Sushi Bar, on Clarendon Street. This is a conveyor sushi bar, and a stop here provides some respite from shopping in the area.

[edit] BT2

Brown Thomas also operates the BT2 chain, located in Grafton Street, Blanchardstown Shopping Centre and Dundrum Town Centre. These stores have more mass market clothes aimed at younger buyers, such as the Ralph Lauren and Timberland children ranges. In the Grafton street outlet there is a LCD screen which shows children's films so children be entertained while their parents shop for them.

BT2 also sells a wide range of cosmetics. Paris Hilton chose BT2 as the launchsite of her perfum Heiress by Paris Hilton.

In the summer of 2006 Starbucks Coffee opened an outlet the first floor of BT2 Grafton Street. In front of the children's department.

[edit] Stores

Dublin - 130,000 square feet Cork - 57,000 square feet Limerick - 43,000 square feet Galway - 17,000 square feet

Revenues for 2005 were about €210m.

[edit] History

The Dublin store first opened in its original location (now the Grafton Street branch of Marks and Spencer) in 1849, under its original owners Hugh Brown and James Thomas. In 1971, Galen Weston bought the company. In 1991, the company bought Switzers in Dublin, along with its sister stores Cashs of Cork, Moons of Galway and Todds of Limerick. The two Dublin stores merged in Switzers location in 1995, but under the name Brown Thomas. Cashs, Moon's and Todd's continued until 1998, however between 1998 and 2000 were all rebranded Brown Thomas. BT2 meanwhile opened in 1998. The company also owns the A-wear chain.