Hammerson has today announced that premium timepiece specialists, Watches of Switzerland, will open its first ever store in Ireland, a Tag Heuer boutique at Dundrum Town Centre.
The new store forms part of Watches of Switzerland’s expansion plan to open mono-brand boutiques across Europe where customers can book private one-to-one appointments in-store and experience the finest in luxury brand hospitality. The 1,475 sq ft store will be positioned directly opposite the newly opened Brown Thomas on Level 1 and is expected to open in February 2023.
This comes as Irish clothing brand, Gym+Coffee, backed by singer-songwriter Niall Horan and with a presence in Dundrum Town Centre since 2017, will increase its footprint with an upsize and relocation adjacent to the North Mall entrance on Level 2. The new 1,918 sq ft flagship store is to open in September.
The in-store success and now permanent occupancy of Gym+Coffee underpins a wider Hammerson strategy to identify digitally native brands and offer them an opportunity to grow their business and customer-base through a physical space. Other Irish brands Hammerson has recently incubated at Dundrum Town Centre include Millies, Movrs, 4th ARQ and Folkster. Gym+Coffee has built their brand around an authentic and engaged community, encouraging socialising through exercise and the brand is now synonymous with world class hoodies. Earlier this year, the brand opened another store at Hammerson’s Swords Pavilions.
Dundrum Town Centre has attracted a number of high-end brands from the city centre over the last 18 months. Brown Thomas opened at the turn of the year, driving significant footfall with its focus on experiences you can’t replicate online, whilst gourmet grocer and restaurant Donnybrook Fair opened last year. Furthermore, high-street favourite Penney’s confirmed its major relocation and expansion within Dundrum.
Connor Owens, Managing Director, Asset Management (Ireland & Scotland), Hammerson, co-owners and asset manager of Dundrum Town Centre said: “The arrival of Watches of Switzerland, a first for Ireland reinforces Dundrum Town Centre’s position as Ireland’s premier shopping and leisure destination. Across our portfolio, premium jewellery brands have performed exceptionally well as people invest in timepieces after saving up during the pandemic and we expect demand to continue. The new Tag Heuer will resonate well with Dundrum customers, and we’re excited to be pioneers, bringing a new concept to Dublin. We’re also delighted to facilitate Gym + Coffee’s ongoing growth as it becomes the go-to athleisure brand in Ireland.”
Commenting on the announcement, Gym+Coffee Retail Director, Natalie Conway, said: “Dundrum Town Centre was our very first bricks and mortar retail location and the community there has always been incredibly supportive of us and our Make Life Richer mission. It definitely holds a special place in our brand’s history, and we’re absolutely delighted to be investing further into our Dundrum community with this flagship Clubhouse.”
As Ireland’s largest shopping centre, Dundrum Town Centre prides itself on offering an engaging and exciting range of retail, leisure, and food and drink options. Dundrum Town Centre is home to over 169 tenants, including the newly expanded Brown Thomas store, almost 140,000 m² square metres of floor space and, over 3,400 car parking spaces.
ENDS