Allbirds, Joseph Cheaney and Martel + Ram open in Marylebone Village

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jan 28, 2020

Marylebone is becoming a hub for footwear brands with news of more openings there, including a trio of key names that seem to be attracted by its neighbourhood feel, proximity to the West End and upscale image. 

Having earlier said it's keen to open more UK stores, Allbirds has announced that it’s to open its second UK location at 46 Marylebone High Street. This will follow the opening of its Covent Garden store a little over a year ago and becomes the 17th store for the brand around the world after the recent opening in Tokyo.

The new location will debut on February 20 and it’s clear that Allbirds has found a receptive market in London with the company saying its existing store has welcomed over 150,000 people so far.

The sustainability-focused company said that over 80% of shoe sales are still conducted in-store and “there’s still strong consumer demand for a physical retail experience”. 

The stores also allow it to “educate its customers on the different benefits and properties of the novel natural materials that are used in their shoes and socks. By offering a tactile experience, customers can touch, feel and engage in-person with the Merino wool, eucalyptus tree fibre and sugarcane that the products are made of”.

The new store itself will take inspiration from its neighbourhood and the design will “nod to nature and have a Regent’s Park theme”.

Meanwhile, landlord The Howard de Walden Estate also said this week that it has secured new footwear occupiers to Marylebone Village.Shoemaker Joseph Cheaney has opened a unit at 1a Marylebone High Street and will be joined by Martel + Ram, which is to open a pop-up at 56 New Cavendish Street that will run until April 1.

Rob Kirk, Head of Retail & Leisure at The Howard de Walden Estate, said that “the general affordability of products and changing consumer behaviour are driving activity at the higher end of the [footwear] market [while] consumers are becoming increasingly aware of buying quality footwear that has a longer lifespan, and are willing to invest in order to do so.”

According to the latest market research report by Technavio, the global footwear market is expected to post a Compound Annual Growth Rate of over 2% during the period 2019-2023.