Traditional shoemaker to open at The Grand
HIGH-END shoe brand Loake is to open its first store in Birmingham at The Grand on Colmore Row.
Loake has agreed a ten-year lease with landlord Hortons’ Estate, which has been refurbsiing the Colmore Row landmark.
The letting means the retail space at The Grand is now fully let.
Loake is one of England’s best-known traditional shoemakers being established in Kettering, Northamptonshire, by brothers John, Thomas and William Loake, in 1880.
Five generations later it remains a family-run business, with Andrew Loake as managing director.
It opened its first shop in London in 2011 and now has seven branches across the UK, including Bath, Chester, Leeds, London (Bow Lane and Jermyn Street), Edinburgh and Birmingham, as well as shops in Dublin, Czech Republic, Chile, Poland and Lebanon.
Steve Tommy from Hortons’ Estate said: “Loake is a distinguished brand with a long and successful heritage and we’re pleased it has chosen The Grand to open its first shop in Birmingham.
“We now have a full complement of retail tenants at The Grand, which includes Gusto, The Alchemist, Crockett & Jones, Cycle Republic, John Shepherd, The Liquor Store and 200 Degrees Coffee, and we look forward to welcoming Loake to the building.”
Andrew Loake said: “As Britain’s second city, Birmingham is an obvious choice and we believe that this location will give us the opportunity to introduce the brand to new customers as well as loyal followers of Loake.”
Loake is the second high-end shoe brand to take up residence at The Grand. In April, Crockett & Jones reopened its shop after it closed in 2015 to enable the redevelopment and restoration of the Grade II*-listed building.
During the redevelopment, Crockett & Jones opened a temporary shop in the Burlington Arcade, which it has now signed a new ten-year lease on with Hortons’ Estate.
It is re-fitting the shop, which is due to re-open on June 26.