Louis Vuitton, the luxury luggage and accessories company is to open its first retail outlet in Ireland early next month. The new concession shop will be in Brown Thomas at the corner of Clarendon Street and Wicklow Street, which BT has earmarked as its designer corner, with Gucci and Prada already in position.

Louis Vuitton luggage is very much at the top end of the luxury goods market. It is owned by LVMH, which also has Dior, Givenchy and Moet & Chandon in its extensive luxury goods portfolio. The distinctive Louis Vuitton monogrammed luggage has been the preferred brand of moneyed travellers since it was established in France in the 1890s. Its famous steamer trunks start at £5,000, while its most popular range of suitcases start at £280. The shop in Brown Thomas will have only 250 sq ft, but it will carry most of the range.

According to the company, they were encouraged to open in Ireland by this country's booming economy and their existing Irish client base, who up to now have usually had to travel to one of Louis Vuitton's four London shops.

The location of the new concession in this part of Brown Thomas shows the impact of the department store's car-park. Up to two years ago, this section of the shop at the corner of Clarendon Street would hardly have been thought of as a prime retail pitch. It is at the opposite end of the store from Grafton Street, and, at that time, it faced on to a street with little footfall and few attractions. However, over 30,000 cars now pass through the car-park every week and in doing so, they have to pass this stylishly redesigned section of the store. In addition to this, Brown Thomas is planning a new sushi bar in its building on Clarendon Street, which will further attract the sort of fashion conscious shoppers who seek out well known designer brands.

The redesign of the Powerscourt Centre further up the street, with its emphasis on fashion outlets at street level, further enhances the street's profile as a fashion destination.

Louis Vuitton is one of the world's most famous luxury brands, but its popularity declined in the early 1990s, thanks to a combination of old-fashioned designs and the devaluation of the brand through the proliferation of replica handbags and luggage widely available in street markets worldwide.

The company is fighting back, most notably with the recruitment of high profile US designer Marc Jacobs as its design director. He has designed a ready to wear and a footwear range which is currently available in only eight of the company's seventeen retail outlets worldwide. The Brown Thomas concession will concentrate on luggage and accessories, which include several ranges of handbags and fashion accessories, as well as pens, wallets and belts.