As befits a business so closely aligned with fashion, Brown Thomas has always moved with the times. In 1991, under the stewardship of Hilary and Galen Weston, it went on the expansion trail, acquiring rival retailer the Switzer Group. The deal included not just Switzers in Dublin but also Todds of Limerick, Moons of Galway and Cashs of Cork. Within a decade all had rebranded as Brown Thomas, giving the store a nationwide presence.
At the time, Brown Thomas managing director George McCullough outlined to the nation, via RTÉ news, the benefits the acquisition would bring, including access to goods for which Switzers had exclusive rights, as well as new lines for the store such as TVs, music players and toys.
The acquisition also brought with it the opportunity for relocation, with Brown Thomas moving across the street to Switzers’ old building.
On Valentine’s Day 1995 the new and improved Brown Thomas store opened its doors. Spanning an impressive 140,000sq ft, it was much larger than either Switzers or the old Brown Thomas had been and even more elegant.
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Its interior design had been personally overseen by Hilary Weston. Under her guiding hand it aimed to rival the best department stores anywhere in the world, while also paying homage to its Irishness. Among the Celtic design flourishes incorporated were Ogham script in its stairwell, handwoven stair carpets and, in the men’s department, Irish stone mosaic flooring inspired by the karst landscape of the Burren.
The pace of commercial development continued with the launch of BT2, across the road on Grafton Street, in 1998.
It was located beside what had previously been A/wear, a business that had started as a single boutique in Limerick in 1966 and in which Galen Weston invested in 1973. The high street fashion boutique had subsequently expanded quickly nationwide, rebranding in 1985 as A/wear, before becoming the subject of a management buyout in 2007.
BT2 was a different proposition entirely, the first one opening on Grafton Street in 1998 and, by focusing on contemporary labels and designers, attracting a younger demographic for Brown Thomas. Brown Thomas focused on expanding its offering and more stores opened in Dundrum, Cork, Galway and Limerick. The remaining BT2 store is in Blanchardstown.
All along the way the company continued to invest and improve. By 2008 yet another revamp was reaching its final phase in its flagship store, with the remodelling of the basement.
Indeed, throughout even its most challenging events, such as flooding in 2003 and 2010 – the latter of which meant shoppers couldn’t enjoy Brown Thomas’s St Stephen’s Day sale – it responded by seeing crisis as an opportunity for improvement.
In the 2010s the store underwent a multimillion-euro refurbishment which modernised it and positioned it well to capture growing consumer spend as the State emerged from recession.
In 2015 Arnotts was acquired by the Selfridges Group, Brown Thomas’s owner, ultimately becoming Brown Thomas Arnotts. That same year Brown Thomas undertook a €1.5 million exterior renovation on its Grafton Street store, resulting in a sleek new facade.
The following year saw the unveiling of a second-floor refurbishment and the introduction of high-performing, energy-efficient LED lighting. A sustainable solution, the new lighting also added to the store’s vibrancy, better illuminating the quality materials used in its latest new fit-out, including dark stone floors and hand-carved walnut walls.
Throughout the store its interior designers have always worked hard to develop the perfect settings in which to display a growing portfolio of designer labels, which today includes Chanel, Hermes, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Armani, Balenciaga and Prada, to name just a few.
Following the death in 2021 of Galen Weston, Brown Thomas and Arnotts were sold by the Weston family as part of a €4.7 billion deal that saw parent company Selfridges Group bought by a joint venture between Thai conglomerate Central Group and Signa Retail in Austria.
The businesses added Selfridges in the UK, Brown Thomas and Arnotts in Ireland and De Bijenkorf in the Netherlands to a portfolio of 22 luxury department stores in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Denmark owned either by Central alone or jointly with Signa.
Among the most exciting departures since then has been the opening in 2022 of a 63,000sq ft shop in the Dundrum Town Centre, one of Ireland’s largest shopping centres, taking over part of the former House of Fraser location there.
Fresh innovations have flowed from that, such as the introduction of Planet Beauty, a dedicated space for the hottest new cosmetics and beauty brands emerging quickly as a result of social media. Its success has seen the initiative roll out across the Brown Thomas group. It also entered the digital age fully, investing in its ecommerce platform during the pandemic and broadening its geographic reach.
Throughout its history Brown Thomas has attracted the foremost celebrities of the day, whether as customers keen to enjoy a luxury shopping experience or as designers visiting to promote their brand. At the height of the Celtic Tiger era socialite Paris Hilton visited to launch her fragrance, Heiress. More recently Victoria Beckham charmed staff and customers during a visit to promote her collection, in partnership with Estée Lauder.
Supermodels Naomi Campbell, Elle Macpherson and Helena Christensen have all graced the store, as have design supremos Stella McCartney and JW Anderson.
Since the acquisition of Switzers, its commitment to strong capital investment, expertise in luxury retail, and top-notch customer service have all helped Brown Thomas look forward to the next 175 years.
