Concept Store Rotterdam

Van Lier opened a new Concept Store in the centre of Rotterdam. The shop is located on the corner of the Stock Exchange building on the Coolsingel and Meent. Materials such as teak, mahogany and brushed aluminium were used for the interior. A colourful LED lighting emphasises the shop in the evenings. The store - with a floor surface of more than 100m2 - has a strict, minimalist style. M. Hans Smeele, an experienced footwear entrepreneur of the Randstad, runs the franchise of the shop.

"This location needs an outstanding and open shop, says the 48 year old Van Lier owner, Geert van Spaendonck. That's why I chose transparency. The window layout is minimal and there is no strict division between the inside and the outside. The interior design concept was inspired by the Stock Exchange building itself. Construction started in 1936. The building as we know it now, with the elliptical tower, was built in the next decades. I wanted to give this Van Lier shop elements of that past and the future. Some walls are covered in soft beige fabric - in sixties style. The floor is laid out in teak and black mahogany beams like a true classic yacht deck. The benches are covered in the style of a pre-war first class train coach. In respectful contrast there are wall elements sprayed shiny black again, brushed aluminium shelves and Van Lier logos; modern leather bucket chairs, the anthracite grey ‘catwalk’ to try on the shoes. The striking LED lighting in the back walls that glows softly blue in the evenings slowly changes intensity. I am very proud of this Concept Store, which shows the taste and design feeling Van Lier represents in conjunction with the whole collection.“

Van Lier shoes are available from some 600 independent shoe shops and the more upmarket footwear chains all over the Netherlands. A Concept Store has been established at the Heiligeweg in Amsterdam since 2005. The whole collection is available in the Concept Stores. In addition there are more than 100 Shop-in-Shops all over the Netherlands.

Van Lier always exploits the Concept Stores and the Shops with experienced footwear entrepreneurs in varied franchise constructions. The shops are successful and contribute significantly to the reputation of the Van Lier brand in the Dutch main cities. It is therefore expected that a few more Concept Stores and Shop-in-Shops will be opened in future.