The merger of footwear groups Dune and Shoe Studio has been completed to create Dune Group.

Executive chairman Daniel Rubin is now set on raising the profile of former Shoe Studio brands, such as women’s brands Bertie and Pied A Terre, by opening standalone stores, developing the concession business and launching distinct websites.

Rubin acquired Shoe Studio in March as part of the wider administration of former owner Mosaic Fashions. 

The women’s brands sit alongside a new men’s footwear division, which has been created under Shoe Studio’s Chelsea Cobbler brand. Dune Group intends to increase menswear sales, which currently account for 18% of turnover.

The retailer is considering opening standalone men’s footwear shops and concessions under the Chelsea Cobbler name.

Bertie – which has had an “edgy” design overhaul, according to Rubin – and Pied A Terre are scheduled to launch their first standalone websites imminently, after previously trading on Shoestudio.com.

Standalone stores for both brands are expected to open in as yet undisclosed central London locations in the future.

Rubin said: “We are the leading affordable footwear and accessories operation in the UK. Now we’ve absorbed the brands which have languished a bit, we can raise
their profile.”

At present Dune Group has 42 eponymous stores and 128 Shoe Studio concessions in department stores.

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