About us
Our history and our origins
The history of the company SHG Ruhr already begins in 1904, when Bernhard and Maria Brune open a shoemaking in the German city of Gladbeck. In the year 1920, they expand their business and open a shoe store in the building right beneath.
In 1953, their son Willi Brune and his wife Katharina take over the business and tear down the old building to build a new one that offers an area of more than 100 square metres. In comparison to the shoemaking, the shoe retailing business becomes more and more important.
In 1982, their son Heribert Brune takes over the business in the third generation. He keeps the head office in Gladbeck until the year 1995, when he has to abandon the location. Together with his wife Mechthild Brune he founds the new company Mechthild Brune GmbH and he opens a new Mephisto Store in the city of Essen in Germany. A second store is opened in the year 1997 in the city of Dortmund.
In 2004, Heribert Brune founds the company Schuhhandelsgesellschaft Ruhr (SHG Ruhr) and opens several ara stores in the German region of the Ruhr. Shortly after, he also opens shops which sell shoes from the brand Think!. In the years to come, the SHG develops the business and more ara and Think! mono-brand stores are opened, especially in the West and South of Germany.
In 2010, the SHG risks the step into the online business and opens its first Think! store for Germany (www.think-schuhe-online.de). Just a short time later, the ara online store (SHG) and the Mephisto online store (Mechthild Brune GmbH) follow for Germany and in the coming years also for other European countries. Heribert Brune decides to broaden the SHG´s range and, with the beginning of 2017, the company starts to run one more online shop offering the brand Brako. Also in 2017, a new shoe shop will be opened in the city of Essen with a completely new concept: for the first time in the SHG´s history, all brands are offered in one store. The customer finds a wide range of fashionable, comfortable, individual and excellent shoes from the brands Think!, Brako and ara. The company SHG then runs 10 shoe shops and 7 shoe online stores in Germany and other European countries.
Our advantages at a glance:
- Best customer service
- Highest product quality
- Perfect fit and exclusive design
- Consulting by professional staff
Enjoy shopping in one of our stores!
You find our UK shops here: