Brown Thomas to open larger BT2 in Dundrum as HoF exits

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Feb 5, 2020

House of Fraser’s loss looks like being a gain for Brown Thomas, the upscale Irish department store chain owned by Selfridges Group, as it’s set to move its BT2 outlet brand into a location previously occupied by HoF.

It will take on the ground floor and lower ground floor of the HoF store that’s set to cease trading in May in the Hammerson-managed Dundrum Town Centre.

The prime south Dublin retail complex already hosts a BT2 store on the ground floor and the new move will enlarge the firm’s presence there and allow it to offer a wider range of products and brands in what will be a flagship BT2 location. The existing outlet will close once the new one is complete.

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The space will see a multi-million euro refit and the new store will open in the first half of next year. Covering 63,000 sq ft, it will employ over 400 people.

The company wants the new space to mix both the physical and the digital and enhance the shopping experience for customers.

Brown Thomas also has a presence elsewhere in Dublin although its Grafton Street flagship is double the size of the planned new store and Brown Thomas Arnotts MD Donald McDonald said the company has been looking for a larger space in Dundrum for several years.

Meanwhile, Hammerson said the new store would "transform the department store line-up" at the mall and added that it’s in talks about letting the remaining HoF space to other businesses.