BIRKENSTOCK opens its first company-owned UK retail store on Neal Street in London’s Covent Garden district, in the heart of the Seven Dials neighborhood. The German brand’s store opens its doors to customers on November 16. The historic storefront features a 19th century brick façade, a reconstruction of a building originally dating from the 17th century.

The BIRKENSTOCK London store encompasses 60 square meters (650 square feet) of retail space on the ground floor. The selection of over 250 footwear styles is the largest in the UK and encompasses sandals and closed shoes for women, men and kids, as well as BIRKENSTOCK bags, legwear and accessories. The BIRKENSTOCK Natural Care line debuts in the UK with a range of hand and foot care.

Leather and cork, materials synonymous with BIRKENSTOCK, appear throughout. Design elements include an oversized footbed sculpted into concrete and framed in sumptuous leather. Felt, another signature BIRKENSTOCK material, appears in multilayered stacked display units, held together with brown leather straps.

BIRKENSTOCK’s retail environment features VITRA® furniture and custom shop fittings, including the light concept and custom-made units to reflect the BIRKENSTOCK philosophy.

Oliver Reichert, CEO of BIRKENSTOCK, says, “It is an essential part of our global retail ambition to open our own stores in strategic, high traffic locations and vibrant neighborhoods. London is a key market for BIRKENSTOCK and we are thrilled to open our first store in the artistic and historic Covent Garden neighborhood. This London opening follows a few months of ephemeral stores, our BIRKENSTOCK BOX concept, which allows us to develop a global retail experiment with key partners.”

After previously working with a distributor, BIRKENSTOCK takes over distribution for the UK directly, strengthening the brand’s direct client focus. BIRKENSTOCK’s London store now offers the same holistic experience, lifestyle and design sensibility as the other 43 brand-owned stores around the world. The design and product selection reflects BIRKENSTOCK’s positioning as a heritage brand with a focus on functionality, diversity and innovation. Further, direct distribution allows the brand to respond more directly to customer feedback.

The product selection at 48 Neal Street includes the iconic sandals as well as a range of closed toe Fall/Winter shoes. The UK online store <link http: www.birkenstock.com gb external-link-new-window internal link in current>www.birkenstock.com/gb went live recently and provides an extensive overview of versatile collections giving consumers access to the entire product universe of BIRKENSTOCK.

BIRKENSTOCK LONDON

48 Neal Street, Covent Garden

London WC2H

Store opening hours:

10am - 7pm Tue-Wed

10am – 8pm Thu-Sat

11am – 7pm Sun