Birmingham’s Bullring has strengthened its jewellery offer with a new store opening from pre-owned watch specialist Watchfinder & Co and a revamped store from luxury jeweller Goldsmiths.
Watchfinder & Co has opened its first Midlands store at the Hammerson-owned centre in a 300sqm unit situated between jeweller Links of London and H&M’s premium label COS. The new store stocks a range of pre-owned watches from more than 50 brands including, Omega, Rolex, Cartier and TAG Heuer.
Founded in 2002 as an online retailer, the brand is now Europe’s largest pre-owned watch retailer with eight stores across London and the UK, including Hammerson centres Brent Cross and Victoria Quarter in Leeds.
Alex Stonely, head of retail at Watchfinder & Co, added: “I’m delighted to bring Watchfinder to Birmingham, the Bullring is a fantastic retail destination centre and has been on my wish list for some time. We’ve put together a fantastic team, the store looks great and I’m confident it will prove itself a very successful addition to the portfolio.”
Goldsmiths, meanwhile, has upgraded its store, which includes the third largest Rolex concession in the UK. Following £1m of investment, the refit includes the extension of a 560 sq ft luxury watch room, offering a variety of branded pieces such as Cartier, Breitling, TAG Heuer and Fope. It also sells fine jewellery from brands such as Mappin & Webb, Messika and Birks, and an exclusive collaboration with bridal designer Jenny Packham.
The new Rolex concession at Goldsmiths
The two openings follow on from a string of fashion, luxury and beauty openings at the centre in the past year. Iain Mitchell, commercial director at Hammerson commented: “Watchfinder is a fantastic addition to the luxury retail line-up at Bullring, following in the footsteps of NYX Professional Make Up, Russell & Bromley, and Coach, who have all selected Bullring for their first regional stores within the last 12 months.”
“The addition of the Rolex concession at Goldsmiths is a prime example of the growth of the premium offer available and Bullring’s appeal to international brands as one of the strongest retail destinations outside of London,” he added
