Rendering of the Vaughan Mills store, which is seeing an expansion this summer.
Montreal-based multi-brand footwear retailer Browns Shoes will open two new stores under its Browns banner this summer, while an existing Browns location will see a substantial expansion. The retailer is in the process of expanding its store operations for its Browns, B2 and Browns Outlet concepts.
On July 14 of this year, Browns will open a 3,740 square foot location at Ottawa’s CF Rideau Centre, which will be the retailer’s second store for the Ottawa market. On August 18 of this year, a 4,557 square foot Browns location will open at Les Galeries de la Capitale in Quebec City. It will be the third for the Quebec City region, where Browns Shoes also operates one Browns and one B2 store. On August 11, Browns’ Vaughan Mills store (north of Toronto) will expand to an impressive 7,061 square feet, making it one of the retailer’s largest units.
CF Rideau Centre store rendering.
CF Rideau Centre interior rendering
Galeries de la Capitale rendering
Browns currently operates 57 stores throughout Canada, and it will also open another three to four locations this year under its Browns and Browns Outlet banners, according to Senior Operations Manager Eric Ouaknine. Browns Shoes will open between four and six stores each year between 2017 to 2020, and the retailer is represented in Canada by brokerage Oberfeld Snowcap.
Browns Shoes is a family-owned business, founded in 1940 in Montreal by Benjamin Brownstein. The company is now third-generation run. Stores feature designer brands as well as in-house brands including Mimosa, Browns Couture, The Wishbone Collection, Luca Del Forte, Intensi and B2. The B2 brand became so successful in its own right that it now boasts its own freestanding stores, which also carry various other designer brands.
*Renderings were provided by Browns Shoes.
Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: June 21, 2016
