Selfridges
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![]() Selfridges flagship storein London | |
Selfridges | |
Company type | Private limited company |
Industry | Retail |
Genre | Department store |
Founded | 1908[1] |
Founder | Harry Gordon Selfridge |
Headquarters | 400Oxford Street London,United Kingdom |
Number of locations | Four: Oxford Street,London Trafford Centre,Manchester Exchange Sq.,Manchester Bullring,Birmingham |
Key people | Andrew Keith[2](Managing Director) |
Owners | Selfridges Group,owned by: Central Group(100%)[3][4] |
Parent | Selfridges & Co. Limited[5] |
Website | www |
Selfridges,also known asSelfridges & Co.,is a chain of upscaledepartment storesin the United Kingdom that is operated by Selfridges Retail Limited, part of the Selfridges Group of department stores.[1]It was founded byHarry Gordon Selfridgein 1908.[1]
The historicDaniel Burnham-designedSelfridges flagship storeat 400Oxford StreetinLondonis the second-largest shop in the UK (afterHarrods) and opened on 15 March 1909.[6]Other Selfridges stores opened inStretfordat theTrafford Centre(1998), inManchesterat theExchange Square(2002), and inBirminghamat theBullring(2003).
During the 1940s, smaller provincial Selfridges stores were sold to theJohn Lewis Partnership,and in 1951, the original Oxford Street store was acquired by theLiverpool-basedLewis'schain of department stores.[7]Lewis's and Selfridges were then taken over in 1965 by theSears Group,owned byCharles Clore.[8]Expanded under the Sears Group to include branches in Manchester and Birmingham,[9]the chain was acquired in 2003 by Canada'sGalen Westonfor £598 million.[10]In December 2021, theWeston familyagreed to sell the majority of Selfridges Group for around £4 billion to a joint venture between Thai conglomerateCentral Groupand Austria'sSigna Holding.[11][12]The acquisition was completed on 23 August 2022.[13]
History
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Harry_Gordon_Selfridge_circa_1880_2.jpg/220px-Harry_Gordon_Selfridge_circa_1880_2.jpg)
The basis of Harry Gordon Selfridge's success was his relentlessly innovative marketing, which was elaborately expressed in hisOxford Street store.Originally from America himself, Selfridge attempted to dismantle the idea thatconsumerismwas strictly anAmericanphenomenon.[14]He tried to make shopping a fun adventure and a form of leisure instead of a chore,[15]transforming the department store into a social and cultural landmark that provided women with a public space in which they could be comfortable and legitimately indulge themselves.[14]Emphasizing the importance of creating a welcoming environment, he placed merchandise on display so customers could examine it, and moved the highly profitable perfume counter front-and-centre on the ground floor.[16]
Either Selfridge orMarshall Fieldis popularly held to have coined the phrase "the customer is always right".[17]
In 1909, after the first cross-Channelflight,Louis Blériot'smonoplanewas put on display at Selfridges, where it was seen by 150,000 people over a four day period.[18]John Logie Bairdmade the first public demonstration of moving silhouette images bytelevisionfrom the first floor of Selfridges from 1 to 27 April 1925.[19]
In the 1920s and 1930s, the roof of the store hosted terraced gardens, cafes, a mini golf course and an all-girl gun club. The roof, with its extensive views across London, was a common place for strolling after a shopping trip and was often used for fashion shows.[20]
During theSecond World War,the store's basement was used as an air-raid shelter and during raids employees were usually on the lookout for incendiary bombs and took watch in turns.[21]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Selfridges_Oxford_Street.jpg/220px-Selfridges_Oxford_Street.jpg)
A Milne-Shawseismographwas set up on the Oxford Street store's third floor in 1932, attached to one of the building's main stanchions, where it remained unaffected by traffic or shoppers. It successfully recorded the Belgian earthquake of 11 June 1938, which was also felt in London. In 1947, it was given to theScience Museum.[22]
The hugeSIGSALYscrambling apparatus, by which transatlantic conferences between American and British officials (most notablyWinston ChurchillandFranklin D. Roosevelt) were secured against eavesdropping, was housed in the basement from 1943 on, with extension to theCabinet War Roomsabout a mile away.[23]
In 1926, Selfridges set up theSelfridge Provincial Storescompany, which had expanded over the years to include sixteen provincial stores, but these were sold to theJohn Lewis Partnershipin 1940. TheLiverpool-basedLewis'schain of department stores acquired the remainingOxford StreetShop in 1951, expanding the brand by adding Moultons ofIlford,purchased from rival chain R H O Hills and renaming the store Selfridges.[24]In 1965 the business was purchased by theSears Group,owned byCharles Clore.[8]Under the Sears group, branches in Ilford and Oxford opened, with the latter remaining Selfridges until 1986, when Sears rebranded it as a Lewis's store. In 1990, Sears Group split Selfridges from Lewis's and placed Lewis's in administration a year later. In March 1998, Selfridges introduced new branding in tandem with the opening of the ManchesterTrafford Centrestore and Selfridges' demerger from Sears.[25]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Trafford_Centre_Selfridges.jpg/220px-Trafford_Centre_Selfridges.jpg)
In September 1998, Selfridges expanded and opened its first department store outside London. A 200,000-square-foot (18,600 m2) anchor store at the newly openedTrafford CentreinGreater Manchester.[26]Following its success, Selfridges announced they would open an additional store in Greater Manchester. A 126,000-square-foot (11,700 m2) store inExchange Square,Manchester city centre.The Exchange Square store opened in 2002 as Manchester city centre started to return to normal following the1996 Manchester bombing.[27]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Manchester_Selfridges.jpg/220px-Manchester_Selfridges.jpg)
A 150,000-square-foot (14,000 m2) store soon followed in 2003 atBirmingham's Bull Ring.[28]
Plans for expansion and additional stores continued soon after. Desired locations includedLeeds,Liverpool,DublinandGlasgow.The company purchased a site inGlasgowin 2002 and announced a new 200,000 sq ft Scottish flagship store was due to open in 2007.[29]The following year all expansion plans were put on hold as the company began negotiations to sell the business. The Glasgow site was eventually sold off in 2013 and no plans to open any future stores has been announced - as of 2023.[30]
In 2003, the chain was acquired by Canada'sGalen Westonfor £598 million and some of his other investments, which includedBrown ThomasandArnottsin Ireland,Holt Renfrewin Canada andde Bijenkorfin the Netherlands, became part ofSelfridges Group.Weston, a retailing expert who is the owner ofLoblaw Companiesin Canada, chose to invest in the renovation of the Oxford Street store—rather than to create new stores in British cities other than Manchester and Birmingham.[31]
In October 2009, Selfridges revived its rooftop entertainment with the pop up "The Restaurant on the Roof" restaurant.[32]In July 2011,Truviacreated an emerald green boating lake (with a waterfall, a boat-up cocktail bar and a forest of Stevia plants).[33]In 2012 the Big Rooftop Tea and Golf Party featured "the highest afternoon tea on Oxford Street" and a nine-hole golf course with "the seven wonders of London" realised in cake as obstacles.[34]
In August 2020, during a difficult time for UK retail, Selfridges offered luxury pieces for hire to millennial and socially conscious clients. The store partnered with HURR, an online fashion rental platform, offering hire of 100 items from over 40 fashion brands for up to 20 days at a time.[35]
TheWeston familyput the Selfridges business up for auction in July 2021, with an estimated value of £4 billion. The sale includes all stores including the flagshipOxford Streetstore and worldwide outlets.[36]In early December 2021, the family was reported to be finalising the chain's sale toCentral Group.[37][38][39]
On 24 December 2021, it was announced that the majority of Selfridges Group had been sold to a joint venture between Thai conglomerate Central Group and the AustrianSigna Holdingfor around £4 billion.[12]
Architecture
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/SelfridgesBhamFront.jpg/220px-SelfridgesBhamFront.jpg)
Selfridge stores are known for architectural innovation and excellence, and are tourist destinations in their own right.[40]Theoriginal London storewas designed byDaniel Burnham,who also created theMarshall Field'smain store in his home town ofChicago.Burnham was the leading American department store designer of the time and had works in Boston (Filenes's), New York (Gimbel's, Wanamaker's), and Philadelphia (Wanamaker's, hismagnum opus).[41]
The London store was built in phases. The first phase consisted of only the nine-and-a-half bays closest to theDuke Streetcorner,[42]and is an example of one of the earliest uses of steel cage frame construction for this type of building in London. This circumstance, according to the report of a contemporary London correspondent from theChicago Tribune,was largely responsible for making possible the eventual widespread use of Chicago’ssteel framecage construction system in the United Kingdom:
“Under the pressure of [Mr. Selfridge] and the interests allied with him, the councilors admitted the soundness of American building methods and framed a bill which will be pressed at once in parliament [sic] to permit these methods to be used here.”[43]
Also involved in the design of the store were American architect Francis Swales, who worked on decorative details, and British architectsR. Frank AtkinsonandThomas Smith Tait.[44][45]The distinctive polychrome sculpture above the Oxford Street entrance is the work of British sculptorGilbert Bayes.[46]
The Daily Telegraphnamed Selfridges in London the world's best department store in 2010.[47]
TheBirmingham store,designed byarchitectsFuture Systems,is covered in 15,000 spunaluminiumdiscs on a background ofYves Klein Blue.[48]Since it opened in 2003, the Birmingham store has been named every year by industry magazineRetail Weekas one of the 100 stores to visit in the world.[49]
Windows
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Selfridges_windows.jpg/220px-Selfridges_windows.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/%22Goldiebear%22%2C_Paddington_Bear%2C_Selfridges_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4268858.jpg/220px-%22Goldiebear%22%2C_Paddington_Bear%2C_Selfridges_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4268858.jpg)
Selfridges' windows have become synonymous also with the brand, and to a certain degree have become as famous as the company andOxford Streetlocation itself. Selfridges has a history of bold art initiatives when it comes to the window designs. Selfridge himself likened the act of shopping to the act of attending the theatre and encouraged his customers to make this connection as well by covering his show windows with silk curtains before dramatically unveiling the displays on opening day.[14]Just as they do today, the window designs served as the opening act of the entire play of the Selfridge experience and helped capture the public’s attention to transform customers into true shoppers. Later, when the building was undergoing restoration,[50]the scaffolding was shrouded with a giant photograph of stars such asSir Elton JohnbySam Taylor-Wood.[51]For Christmas 2014, the window displayed aKate Moss-designedPaddington Bearstatue—themed "Goldie Bear" —which was auctioned to raise funds for theNational Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children(NSPCC).[52][53]
Since 2002, the windows have been photographed by London photographer Andrew Meredith and published in magazines such asVogue,Dwell,Icon,Frame,Creative Review,Hungarian Stylus Magazine,Design Week,Harper's Bazaar,The New York Times,WGSNas well as many worldwide media outlets, including the world wide press, journals, blogs and published books.[54]
Opening day and marketing
[edit]The long lasting influence that Harry Selfridge would have on shopping and department stores became immediately clear with Selfridges' opening day. The store’s opening to much fanfare on 15 March 1909 laid the foundation for the success of the entire lifestyle that Selfridge aimed to promote. Even before the unveiling of the window displays, innovative marketing techniques set up the momentous occasion and the store for great success.[57]
Harry Selfridge developed close relationships with the media to ensure that his store and its opening were properly publicized.[14]The opening week ad campaign relied mainly on unpaid promotions in the form of news articles in newspapers, magazines, and journals. As time progressed, Selfridge took the more traditional form of marketing by writing daily columns under the pen nameCallisthenes.[14]Overall, however, one of the most effective marketing tools proved to be the opening week cartoons focusing on the grand event. Selfridge enlisted the help of thirty-eight of London’s top illustrators to draw hundreds of full page, half page, and quarter page advertisements for eighteen newspapers.[58]
The marketing continued on opening day itself. Touted as “London’s Greatest Store,” Selfridges immediately became a cultural and social phenomenon. From the store's soft lighting to the general absence of price tags to live music from string quartets, every detail of the opening was purposeful to draw people into the entire shopping experience and make each shopper feel unique.[58]At Selfridges, shoppers entered another world in which they became "guests," as the store referred to them, and could purchase unique items that differed from the material goods sold in other stores.[58]
Controversies
[edit]- After protests byanimal welfareadvocates,[59][60][61]in November 2009 Selfridges agreed to stop sellingfoie gras(a delicacy made from the livers of forcibly fattened ducks and geese).[62]
- In July 2010, Selfridges apologized publicly after its Manchester store displayed anAlexander McQueengarment hanging from a gallows-like structure, just months after the designer committedsuicide by hanging.[63]
- In September 2013, the store suspended a shop assistant who refused to serve a friend ofTommy Robinson.[64][65]
- In February 2015, one of Selfridges' stores inManchesterinstalled so-calledanti-homeless spikes.[66]
In culture
[edit]ITVandMasterpieceproduced a series entitledMr Selfridge,first airing on ITV beginning in January 2013 (in ten parts), and later onPBSstarting on 30 March 2013 (in eight parts).[67]ITV began airing ten additional episodes in January 2014.[68]The fourth series began in 2016 with the first episode airing on 8 January 2016.[68]
Selfridges was also featured in the 2017 movieWonder Womanas the shop whereSteve TrevortakesDiana Princeto give her a more contemporary appearance to blend in.[69]
The brand has worked with artists likeJaden Smithand others throughout its history.[70]
References
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- ^abcdeRappaport, Erika (2000).Shopping for Pleasure: Women in the Making of London's West End.Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. pp. 142–177.ISBN978-0691044767.
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- ^"Pierre Koffmann Restaurant on the Roof Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street".The Independent.22 November 2009.Retrieved26 February2023.
- ^"Preview: Truvia Boating Lake @ Selfridges Rooftop".Londonist.22 July 2011.Retrieved26 February2023.
- ^"1920-2012: A Look Back at Selfridges' Legendary Roof Top".Selfridges. Archived fromthe originalon 1 October 2013.Retrieved21 July2013.
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- ^Armstrong, Ashley."Selfridges sale to Thailand's Central Group agreed".The Times.ISSN0140-0460.Retrieved3 December2021.
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- ^Martin Hickman (2 April 2008)."Vegetarian aristocrats and their campaign against the cruelty of Selfridges' foie gras".The Independent.London: independent.co.uk.Retrieved21 February2012.
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- ^Booth, Robert (17 September 2013)."Selfridges assistant suspended for refusing to serve EDL leader's friend".The Guardian.theGuardian.Retrieved24 September2013.
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- ^Teen, Vanity (22 September 2021)."Jaden Smith Brings His Ethical World To Selfridges Vanity Teen hư vinh thanh niên Lifestyle & New Faces Magazine".vanityteen.Retrieved24 February2022.
Further reading
[edit]- Honeycombe, Gordon.Selfridges, Seventy-Five Years: The Story of the Store 1909–84.London, 1984.ISBN0902935275.
External links
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)