Dr. Martens puts best foot forward with first ‘beacon’ store in Soho

Dr. Martens has opened its first-ever ‘beacon’ flagship store at 39 Brewer Street in London’s Soho, complete with a dedicated Made in England area and Doctor’s Orders Café.

The 3,400 sq ft space aims to “combine retail, community, creativity and craftsmanship” under one roof, and will also have exclusive product drops, customisation experiences and a “dynamic cultural events programme”.

The store has been designed as an immersive, inclusive environment for both long-time fans and first-time wearers of the brand’s iconic bouncing soles.

Customers can explore the full Dr. Martens line-up, from Made in England icons and store exclusive silhouettes to new designs and "boundary pushing collaborations with leading designers".

Salvaged wood from British schools and museums forms the foundation of the space, while the Made in England area features bespoke burgundy wall tiles from the same manufacturers behind the London Underground’s ceramics, described as “a tribute to enduring British design”.

The store also features a collection of artefacts from the Dr. Martens archive curated into a display that winds through the store’s central staircase, connecting the brand’s rich history with its "ever evolving" future.

The opening of the beacon store marks a pivotal moment for Dr. Martens under the leadership of new CEO Ije Nwokorie and is “an important milestone in the new consumer-first strategy”.

The strategy is centred on engaging more consumers and driving more buying occasions, and the beacon store is part of our wider retail strategy to build a differentiated retail footprint to elevate the brand. The brand’s ambition is “to become the world’s most desired premium footwear brand”.

Since his appointment, Nwokorie has made key leadership additions, notably Carla Murphy, who was appointed Chief Brand Officer in July 2025 to oversee global brand and product strategy, creative direction, marketing, consumer experience and sustainability.

Neil Cummings has also joined Dr. Martens as Global Brand Creative Director, now playing a central role in defining the brand’s creative language and shaping the Brewer Street aesthetic.

Carla Murphy said: “Brewer Street is where our heritage and future meet and is an important moment in the execution of our new strategy. Inside the store, wearers can explore a world of Doc’s and ‘Alternative Craft’ with our customisation bar and Made in England collections, but what excites me most is the potential for new connections with our wearers and partners.

“It feels like a natural evolution of the way Dr. Martens has brought people together for generations, a place to immerse, connect and reconnect.”

Neil Cummings added: “Brewer Street speaks to two themes so true to Doc’s: the practice of making, and of people coming together and finding community. We drew on reference from democratic meeting places - town halls, gig venues, clubs and market squares, before disassembling their forms and reconstructing them into something new, full of human energy and warmth.

“Throughout the store, materials, textures and crafts collide, there’s restored wood and recycled plastic as well as rich leathers and handcrafted tiles. The result speaks to the way we make and our explorations in alternative craft.”

The new space is “designed for interaction” and will host a programme of events and workshops curated by Dr. Martens alongside the brand’s community of collaborators and partners.

Experiences will include customisation workshops with Secondbest Studios, which will showcase its suede dyeing techniques as well as present a curated selection of bespoke ‘1460’ boots, ‘1461’ shoes, ‘2976’ Chelsea boots and ‘Adrian’ tassel loafers - each iron-soldered in their signature ‘alt-craft’ style, which will be available for purchase exclusively in-store.

Visitors will also be able to explore the ‘Repair & Customisation Bar’ in partnership with The Boot Repair Company, where they can personalise or rework their new or well worn Dr. Martens footwear.

At the heart of the store sits the Doctor’s Orders Cafe, a revival of the much-loved cafe from the brand’s original Covent Garden flagship. Inspired by classic British cafes, it serves as both a meeting place and cultural hub, offering food created in collaboration with social enterprises including London’s Dusty Knuckle Bakery and the Luminary Bakery - a partner that has been supported by the independent charity, Dr. Martens Foundation, since 2022.

Visitors can enjoy sandwiches, cakes, teas and coffees “that support meaningful causes within the local community”.

Last week, Dr. Martens reported ‘green shoots’ in the first half of the year’s trading as its new turnaround strategy, which was set out in June, ‘takes shape’.

For the 26 weeks ending 28 September 2025, the business achieved a 6% rise in full-price direct-to-consumer revenue, reflecting a deliberate shift away from discounting and towards what it describes as “quality of revenue”.

Group revenue remained flat at £322 million, up 0.8% on a constant currency basis, but the brand emphasised that the real progress lies in the early traction of its consumer-first framework.