French luxury fashion house Dior plans to open a boutique in Brown Thomas’s department store on Grafton Street in Dublin later this year.
Dior's boutique will offer women's accessories on the ground floor of the Brown Thomas store, when it opens in the autumn. The Grafton Street store is currently closed due to Level 5 restrictions on non-essential retail to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Dior's outlet will feature handbags, small leather goods and other essentials by Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior's creative director. A selection of jewellery and timepieces will also be on display.
‘Exciting partnership’
In a statement, Brown Thomas said it was “delighted” to secure Dior for its flagship store on Grafton Street. “This is an incredibly exciting partnership for Brown Thomas,” managing director Donald McDonald said. “Dior is one of the most prestigious luxury brands in the world, and this opening signals confidence not only in Brown Thomas but also in Dublin and Ireland as an exceptional shopping destination.”
Dior was founded in Paris in 1946 by leading French fashion designer Christian Dior, who died in 1957. It was credited with revolutionising post-war women's fashion and is now part of luxury goods group LVMH, with more than 200 outlets globally.
Brown Thomas and Arnotts in Dublin are both part of the UK-based Selfridges Group. Brown Thomas currently has stores on Grafton Street and Dundrum in Dublin, as well as outlets in Cork, Limerick and Galway. It is developing a larger store in the Dundrum Town Centre, on a large portion of the site previously occupied by House of Fraser.
Latest accounts show that Brown Thomas & Co Ltd made a profit of €5.9 million on revenues of €173.7 million in the year to the end of February 2020.
