Montreal-based multi-brand footwear retailer Browns Shoes recently opened two state of the art locations for its B2 banner. The retailer is also in the process of expanding its store operations for its Browns, B2 and Browns Outlet concepts.

The new B2 stores compliment existing Browns store locations in each of the centres. The CF Promenades St-Bruno store (near Montreal) measures 2,594 square feet, while a B2 location at Mississauga's Square One spans an impressive 3,215 square feet.

Both B2 stores feature contrasting interiors, with black chrome and textured glass blending with raw materials. Cash counters, which act as focal points in the stores, appear to have been carved on-site from a single block of natural stone. Light fixtures, suspended in the air, resemble tiny, glistening jewels on a background of imperfect concrete tiles. Stores also feature state of the art screens and a sound system to play custom musical content, further enhancing the customer shopping experience. Browns Shoes uses an in-house designer for its stores.

*Inside the Square One store. Photo: Browns Shoes*

*At CF Promenades St-Bruno. Photo: Browns Shoes*

Browns currently operates 57 stores, and it will also open another five or six locations this year under its Browns and Browns Outlet banners, according to Senior Operations Manager Eric Ouaknine. Browns Shoes will open between four and six stores each year between 2017 to 2020, and the retailer is represented in Canada by brokerage Oberfeld Snowcap.

Browns Shoes is a family-owned business, founded in 1940 in Montreal by Benjamin Brownstein. The company is now third-generation run. Stores feature designer brands as well as in-house brands including Mimosa, Browns Couture, The Wishbone Collection, Luca Del Forte, Intensi and B2. The B2 brand became so successful in its own right that it now boasts its own freestanding stores, which also carry various other designer brands.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: May 4, 2016