Global footwear brand Birkenstock has opened a new Melbourne flagship store, taking over a 122-year-old historic building.
The building is the Carlton & United Breweries complex, built in 1904, with the store taking over the Malt Store. The store brings together retail, repair and the brand's Australian office under one roof, following more than a decade of operation in Clifton Hill.
A dedicated repair workshop anchors the space, covering services including heel replacements, buckle fixes, sole retreads and footbed replacements. At over 81 square metres, Birkenstock describes it as the largest of its repair workshops in the world. The workshop is expected to complete more than 5,000 repairs annually, with salvaged leather and other usable materials reused where possible.
The fit-out retains the building's original brick and steel structure. Design elements include circular chandeliers made from recycled aluminium, recycled timber shelving, and a cobbled bluestone entrance threshold. A sculptural interpretation of the Birkenstock footbed is positioned at the centre of the store, with open timber frames displaying raw footwear components including cork granules, jute, EVA, leather and buckles.
The repair workshop is visible from the shop floor through black steel-framed windows.
The product offer includes core silhouettes – the Arizona, Boston and Madrid – alongside seasonal collections, the Birkenstock 1774 line, and the Care Essentials foot and body care range.
Birkenstock was founded way back in 1774 and currently employs more than 6,200 people worldwide, and produces all its footbeds in Germany, where more than 95 per cent of its products are assembled. More than 90 per cent of materials and components are sourced from Europe.
The group is headquartered in Linz am Rhein, Germany, and operates sales offices across North America, South America, Asia – including Australia – the Middle East and Europe.