Heritage Australian brand R.M. Williams opens new store in Marlow

A heritage Australian footwear, accessories and apparel business has expanded its UK portfolio with a new store in Marlow.

R.M. Williams opened its new 1,700sq-ft venue at 46 High Street on Thursday, October 10.

This is the brand’s first shop to open outside Australia since 2017.

The company was founded 92 years ago, and Reginald Murray Williams’ vision was to craft ‘high quality, durable boots and leather goods’, that were built to last in the ‘rugged Australian landscape’.

The new shop features R.M. Williams’ new retail design concept, which was first introduced at the company’s global flagship store on George Street in Sydney last December.

The venue ‘embraces the skills of local British craftspeople’ and sells an array of products including new season boots, apparel and accessories.

A Marine Blue Comfort Craftsman is exclusive to the new store in Marlow, which also features the brand’s ‘largest women’s offering in the UK’.

The Marlow venue, along with a new shop in Cambridge, set to open in December, join the brand’s existing locations in London’s New Bond Street and Berwick Street in Soho.

The openings are in line with the brand’s strategy to target towns and cities in the UK with a ‘high concentration of consumers who value quality, craft, and timeless heritage’.

The company has partnered with a number of British craftspeople for the opening of the Marlow store.

These include Hampshire furniture maker Morgan, Stroud-based handmade furniture and cabinet supplier Timberwoolf, and Sheffield joinery supplier Eclipse Manufacturing.

The brand has also partnered with Rush Matters, the Bedfordshire-based creator of the new Marlow shop’s window plinths and in-store risers, all woven from British rush, harvested by hand by the company’s founder Felicity Irons.

Commenting on the opening of the new Marlow store, R.M. Williams’ CEO Paul Grosmann, said: “The UK has been part of the R.M. Williams story for many decades and we’re thrilled that our next chapter of UK investment is spearheaded by the impressive new Marlow opening.

“Marlow’s heritage and character makes the town an ideal setting for introducing the brand’s handcrafted products to a community which appreciates quality authenticity.”

R.M. Williams has also extended its network of stockists for AW24 to include high-end department stores Selfridges, Harrods and Liberty.

All three of the stores will carry the brand’s men’s boots collection, with a focus on the company’s craftsman styles.

The brand will also feature in the Harrods’ men’s trunk show, which is currently running until Sunday, October 20.

R.M. Williams has had a presence in the UK for more than two decades after opening its first international store in Knightsbridge in 1989.

The company also sells products through 90 wholesale partners nationwide.