Browns Shoes

Business operation

Browns Shoes is a fashion retailer that operates over 50 stores across Canada under the Browns, B2 and Browns OUTLET banners. The company was founded in Montreal in 1940 by Benjamin Brownstein. Today, a third generation leads the business which employs close to 1000 employees nationwide. Browns’ shoes have been seen on prominent Canadian celebrities and personalities such as model Coco Rocha, Montreal Canadien Mike Cammalleri, as well as Ben Mulroney and Tanya Kim from E-TALK Canada, for which Browns is the official footwear supplier. The latest Fall / Winter 2013 Campaign featured Canadian model Coco Rocha, Czech model Petra Nemcova, and Brazilian model Marlon Teixeira.

History

Browns Shoes was founded in Montreal in 1940 by Benjamin Brownstein, who immigrated to Montreal at the age of 15 from Romania. The original Browns Shoes location, located on St. Catherine Street in downtown Montreal, burned down in 1954. After the fire, Benjamin’s son, Morton Brownstein, took over the family business. Morton Brownstein was born on January 12, 1928 to Benjamin and Minnie Brownstein. Upon graduating from high school, Morton worked at his father’s department store on Montreal’s St. Lawrence Boulevard. Morton married Bernice Greenfield, whom he met at the age of 13 at the Strathcona Academy in Outremont. Together, they had three children –Michael, Janis and Cheryl. After taking over the family business in 1954, Morton decided to take Browns into a different direction toward exclusive designer and fashion footwear. In 1959, he became the first North American retailer to bring Italian-made shoes to Canada. Today, Browns Shoes is a nationwide shoe retailer, with 57 stores across Canada. Morton Brownstein remained the company’s president until 1999, when he ceded the presidency of the company to his son, Michael. On May 23, 2013, Morton Brownstein died at the age of 86 in his Westmount home in Montreal.

Community role

Morton Brownstein was especially known for his philanthropy, his generosity, and his charity work, receiving several honors such as Entrepreneur of the Year in 1995 and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award in 2002, and in July 2004, Morton Brownstein was appointed to the Order of Canada. In 1984, Morton Brownstein raised $20 million for the Montreal Jewish General Hospital’s emergency department, which was eventually named after him and his wife, Bernice. In 2003, he raised his largest contribution of $200 million. In 2009, he received the hospital’s lifetime achievement award and in 2012 was named director emeritus. Today, Browns Shoes carries on the charitable work of its past president Morton Brownstein. The company continues to donate 10% of its pretax profits to various Montreal charities, such as the Club de Petits Dejeuners in Montreal, an organization that provides breakfast for students at schools in underprivileged areas.

Products and brands

Browns specializes in footwear for women, men and children. In addition to carrying a large selection of brands such as Michael Kors, Stuart Weitzman and Giuseppe Zanotti, Browns also carries a range of exclusive collections, namely: Mimosa, Browns Couture, The Wishbone Collection, Luca Del Forte, Intensi and B2. In 1998, Michael became the first retailer outside of Italy to win the MICAM Award in Bologna, an award given to footwear buyers who showcase products made in Italy.