LUXURY IRISH RETAILER Brown Thomas is to open a flagship store at Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin.

It’s expected to take over two of the four levels that the House of Fraser outlet occupies; this company went into administration last August.

After a complete refit of the existing retail space, the store will launch in the first half of 2021, with plans to employ over 400 people.

Brown Thomas currently has four Irish department stores located in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick.

Its developer Hammerston has said that Brown Thomas’s vision for the store “is to create a contemporary space – mixing physical and digital – designed to enhance the shopping experience for customers”.

The store will trade over two levels and comprise of over 63,000 sq ft, with a net retail sales area of 45,000 sq ft.

Donald McDonald, Managing Director of Brown Thomas Arnotts said: “We are delighted to have secured a new enlarged store at Dundrum – one of Ireland’s leading shopping centres.

We have been looking for a larger space in the centre for a number of years to enable us to deliver a more enhanced customer experience, and in particular, to help grow our successful BT2 business there.

“Brown Thomas Dundrum will reflect the considerable investment we’ve made in recent years to make our stores and online platforms exciting and inspiring destinations for our customers, who can expect unrivalled product ranges and innovative new retail and digitally-enabled concepts at Dundrum once opened.”

Mark Bourgeois, Managing Director of UK & Ireland at Hammerson said:

“The investment from Brown Thomas will transform the department store line up at Dundrum, replacing two levels of the existing House of Fraser store, ensuring Dundrum remains the premium destination of choice for both brands and consumers.”