Louboutin, Gucci open in Selfridges, Birmingham, as London eyewear space opens

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Aug 20, 2018

Selfridges has been busy this month upping its luxury credentials at its key department store in the Bullring, Birmingham, and also unveiling the last phase of its giant accessories project in its London flagship with a new eyewear space.

In Birmingham, luxury international fashion brands, Christian Louboutin and Gucci, have both opened new boutiques, as part of the continued investment in the Selfridges store there.

Louboutin, has launched an art deco-themed boutique and its red-soled shoes now sit alongside other luxury brand exclusives to the region including Tiffany, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo and Burberry. 

Also investing in the Birmingham store is Gucci, whose London Selfridges store is a magnet for tourists and is busy from the moment the store opens. The brand is now also retailing its shoes, accessories and fashion at the Birmingham location. And while Birmingham may not have quite the same level of tourist flow as London, as the UK's second largest city and a key business destination, its appeal for luxury brands is very clear.

Selfridges in Birmingham has seen plenty of development in recent periods from the opening of its Shoe Galleries, to a number of designer brands debuting boutiques there.

But the Selfridges spend in Birmingham pales into insignificance compared to the many millions being spent on the accessories project at the London location.

This month, the retailer completed the worlds largest accessories hall with the launch of the UK's biggest eyewear destination, as well as The Progressive Edit and Dover Street Market jewellery.

The new eyewear destination was designed by Alex Cochrane Architects and sits within the Accessories Hall. The simultaneous opening of the eyewear destination and the Progressive Edit, a new space “showcasing the most original accessories labels” including exclusive Dover Street Market jewellery, marks the completion of a project that has been running for several years.

The massive spend at Selfridges comes as luxury rivals Harrods and Harvey Nichols across town in Knightsbridge also spend heavily on their London flagships to ensure they continue to attract the highest spending tourists as well as affluent locals.