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Selfridges

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the department store. For other uses, seeSelfridge (disambiguation).

Selfridges Retail Limited
Selfridges
Company typePrivate limited company
IndustryRetail
GenreDepartment store
Founded1908;116 years ago(1908)[1]
FounderHarry Gordon Selfridge
Headquarters400Oxford 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)
OwnersCentral Group
ParentSelfridges Group
Websitewww.selfridges

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.[3]Other Selfridges stores opened at 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.[4]Lewis's and Selfridges were then taken over in 1965 by theSears Group,owned byCharles Clore.[5]Expanded under the Sears Group to include branches in Manchester and Birmingham,[6]the chain was acquired in 2003 by Canada'sGalen Westonfor £598 million.[7]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.[8][9]The acquisition was completed on 23 August 2022.[10]

History

[edit]
Harry Gordon Selfridge,c. 1880

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.[11]He tried to make shopping a fun adventure and a form of leisure instead of a chore,[12]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.[11]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.[13]

Either Selfridge orMarshall Fieldis popularly held to have coined the phrase "the customer is always right".[14]

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.[15]John Logie Bairdmade the first public demonstration of moving silhouette images bytelevisionfrom the first floor of Selfridges from 1 to 27 April 1925.[16]

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.[17]

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.[18]

TheOxford Street storein London

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.[19]

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.[20]

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.[21]In 1965 the business was purchased by theSears Group,owned byCharles Clore.[5]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.[22]

Selfridges at theTrafford Centre,which opened in 1998

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.[23]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.[24]

Selfridges atExchange Square,Manchester

A 150,000-square-foot (14,000 m2) store soon followed in 2003 atBirmingham's Bull Ring.[25]

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.[26]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.[27]

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.[28]

In October 2009, Selfridges revived its rooftop entertainment with the pop up "The Restaurant on the Roof" restaurant.[29]In July 2011,Truviacreated an emerald green boating lake (with a waterfall, a boat-up cocktail bar and a forest of Stevia plants).[30]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.[31]

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.[32]

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.[33]In early December 2021, the family was reported to be finalising the chain's sale toCentral Group.[34][35][36]

On 24 December 2021, it was announced that the majority of Selfridges Group had been sold to a joint venture between Thai conglomerateCentral Groupand the AustrianSigna Holdingfor around £4 billion.[9]

Architecture

[edit]
Selfridges Building, Birmingham

Selfridge stores are known for architectural innovation and excellence, and are tourist destinations in their own right.[37]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).[38]

The London store was built in phases. The first phase consisted of only the nine-and-a-half bays closest to theDuke Streetcorner,[39]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.”[40]

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.[41][42]The distinctive polychrome sculpture above the Oxford Street entrance is the work of British sculptorGilbert Bayes.[43]

The Daily Telegraphnamed Selfridges in London the world's best department store in 2010.[44]

Detail of sculpture above the London store's entrance

TheBirmingham store,designed byarchitectsFuture Systems,is covered in 15,000 spunaluminiumdiscs on a background ofYves Klein Blue.[45]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.[46]

Windows

[edit]
A Selfridges window display
Selfridges'Paddington Bearthemed Christmas window display in 2014

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.[11]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,[47]the scaffolding was shrouded with a giant photograph of stars such asSir Elton JohnbySam Taylor-Wood.[48]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).[49][50]

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.[51]

Opening day and marketing

[edit]
During opening week, a full-page ad inThe Timestouted the store's size, spaciousness, nine "electric lifts", 1200 sales assistants in 100 departments, "many telephone wires", "numberless bright arc lamps", and other amenities provided "free of charge to every visitor without the slightest obligation to purchase".[52]
Printed three months after opening, this advertisement assured readers of not only "London's Lowest Prices—Always", but that "the question ofQualitycomes emphatically first ", and that all goods are sold" on Honour "(with moneyback guarantee).[53]

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.[54]

Harry Selfridge developed close relationships with the media to ensure that his store and its opening were properly publicized.[11]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.[11]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.[55]

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.[55]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.[55]

Controversies

[edit]

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).[64]ITV began airing ten additional episodes in January 2014.[65]The fourth series began in 2016 with the first episode airing on 8 January 2016.[65]

Selfridges was also featured in the 2017 movieWonder Womanas the shop whereSteve TrevortakesDiana Princeto give her a more contemporary appearance to blend in.[66]

The brand has worked with artists likeJaden Smithand others throughout its history.[67]

References

[edit]
  1. ^abc"Selfridges Retail Limited".Companies House.Retrieved28 September2018.
  2. ^"Selfridges names Andrew Keith as new managing director".Retail Gazette.11 November 2020.Retrieved15 January2023.
  3. ^"Our Heritage".Selfridges.Retrieved28 September2018.
  4. ^"Lewis's".The Liverpool Wiki.Archived fromthe originalon 7 July 2013.Retrieved20 July2013.
  5. ^abDavenport-Hines, Richard (2004)."Clore, Sir Charles (1904–1979)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/30943.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)subscription required
  6. ^"Land Securities – Retail – Birmingham, Bull Ring".PropertyMall. 18 February 2000. Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2012.Retrieved21 February2012.
  7. ^"Selfridges UK expansion capped".BBC News.28 October 2003.Retrieved12 February2012.
  8. ^White, Georgia (24 December 2021)Selfridges confirms sale to Central Group and Signa Holding,Retail Gazette.Retrieved: 29 December 2021.
  9. ^ab"Selfridges sold for £4bn to Thai-Austrian alliance".BBC News.24 December 2021.Retrieved24 December2021.
  10. ^"Central Group acquires Selfridges".TTR Weekly.Retrieved9 December2022.
  11. ^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.
  12. ^"Selfridge: Making Shopping Fun | Picture Britain".Picture Britain.6 April 2011.Retrieved30 June2017.
  13. ^Woodhead, Lindy (2012).Shopping, Seduction & Mr Selfridge.Profile Book.ISBN978-1847659644.
  14. ^"The customer is always right".The Phrase Finder.Retrieved21 February2012.
  15. ^"In the archive: Great Heights".Selfridges Archive.Retrieved18 May2024.
  16. ^"Hamilton Stamp Club Mr Selfridge".Archived fromthe originalon 15 November 2017.Retrieved30 June2017.
  17. ^Staveley-Wadham, Rose (16 December 2021)."Selfridges Steps Out – The Opening of a Department Store As Told By Our Newspapers".blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.Retrieved24 February2022.
  18. ^"Selfridges: 7 things you (probably) didn't know about the department store".History Extra.Retrieved4 July2017.
  19. ^Aspinall, Willy; Musson, Roger (1 March 2014)."Selfridge's Seismograph"(PDF).Seismological Research Letters. p. 363.Retrieved27 October2023.
  20. ^Weadon, P. (January 2009). "Sigsaly Story". National Security Agency Central Security Service.
  21. ^"Bids and deals".The Guardian pg. 13. 18 September 1962.Retrieved5 May2021.
  22. ^"Surge in sales at Selfridges".The Guardian. 31 March 1999.Retrieved27 October2023.
  23. ^"Selfridges & Co, the Trafford Centre - Manchester (1999)".
  24. ^"Selfridges starts second phase of redevelopment".26 April 2011.
  25. ^"Bullring Estate's Selfridges puts its best foot forward".
  26. ^"Selfridges sets up store in Glasgow Upmarket retail giant plumps for Merchant City".October 2002.
  27. ^"Selfridges Toyo Ito Glasgow store taken off life support".Urban Realm.25 February 2013.Retrieved27 October2023.
  28. ^"Selfridges UK expansion capped".BBC News. 28 October 2003.Retrieved12 February2012.
  29. ^"Pierre Koffmann Restaurant on the Roof Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street".The Independent.22 November 2009.Retrieved26 February2023.
  30. ^"Preview: Truvia Boating Lake @ Selfridges Rooftop".Londonist.22 July 2011.Retrieved26 February2023.
  31. ^"1920-2012: A Look Back at Selfridges' Legendary Roof Top".Selfridges. Archived fromthe originalon 1 October 2013.Retrieved21 July2013.
  32. ^"Selfridges Partners With Clothing Rental Company".BoF.17 August 2020.Retrieved18 August2020.
  33. ^"Selfridges up for auction with £4bn price tag".Proactiveinvestors UK.26 July 2021.Retrieved26 July2021.
  34. ^Armstrong, Ashley."Selfridges sale to Thailand's Central Group agreed".The Times.ISSN0140-0460.Retrieved3 December2021.
  35. ^"Owners on cusp of selling Selfridges to Thai group for £4bn".the Guardian.2 December 2021.Retrieved3 December2021.
  36. ^"Selfridges owners agree £4bn sale to Thailand's Central Group - Retail Gazette".retailgazette.co.uk.2 December 2021.Retrieved3 December2021.
  37. ^"Another London must-see: Selfridges, the iconic luxury department store".The Washington Post.ISSN0190-8286.Retrieved24 February2022.
  38. ^Hines, Thomas S. (31 October 1974).Burnham of Chicago.Chicago, IL: University of Chicago.ISBN978-0195018363.
  39. ^Historic England(28 September 2001)."Selfridges Store (1357436)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved21 February2012.
  40. ^"H.G. SELFRIDGE WINS FIGHT WITH LONDON CITY COUNCIL – Last Obstacle Overcome by Chicagoan and Work on Oxford Street Is Being Pushed Rapidly".Chicago Daily Tribune.9 February 1909. p. A2.
  41. ^Morrison, Kathryn A. (2003).English Shops & Shopping: An Architectural History.Yale University Press.ISBN0-300-10219-4.
  42. ^"Selfridges".Dictionary of Scottish Architects.Retrieved16 November2008.
  43. ^"The Queen of Time: Selfridges".Bob Speel.Retrieved27 October2023.<
  44. ^Collins, Nick (14 June 2010)."Selfridges named world's best department store".The Daily Telegraph.London.Archivedfrom the original on 12 January 2022.Retrieved21 February2012.
  45. ^Glancey, Jonathan (1 September 2003)."Top of the blobs".The Guardian.London: guardian.co.uk.Retrieved21 February2012.
  46. ^"Birmingham Selfridges named must see sight".The Daily Telegraph.London. 26 September 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 12 January 2022.Retrieved21 February2012.
  47. ^"Selfridges".TRC Windows.Retrieved30 September2021.
  48. ^"Selfridges windows turned into an art gallery".Evening Standard.5 April 2012.Retrieved27 October2023.
  49. ^"Why Paddington Bear Statues Have Taken Over London".Condé Nast.Retrieved25 November2023.
  50. ^Murphy, Shaunna (3 November 2014)."Emma Watson Designed A Paddington Bear For Charity And It's Freaking Adorable".MTV. Archived fromthe originalon 7 November 2014.Retrieved25 November2023.
  51. ^Sinclair, Mark (2 February 2012)."Wordplay in Selfridges' windows".Creative Review. Archived fromthe originalon 12 October 2012.Retrieved21 February2012.
  52. ^"Of Spaciousness and Accommodation".The Times.London. 18 March 1909. p. 4.
  53. ^"Selfridges / The Recollection of Quality Remains Long After Price is Forgotten".The Times.London. 19 June 1909. p. 4.
  54. ^Loeb, Walter."Selfridges: A Shopper's Paradise With A Colorful Founder".Forbes.Retrieved5 June2017.
  55. ^abcOutka, Elizabeth (2005)."Crossing the Great Divides: Selfridges, Modernity, and the Commodified Authentic".Modernism/Modernity.12(2): 311–328.doi:10.1353/mod.2005.0063.S2CID18596478.Retrieved8 November2015.
  56. ^"Sir Roger Moore appears in campaign to stop shoppers buying foie gras".The Daily Telegraph.London. 6 November 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 9 November 2009.Retrieved21 February2012.
  57. ^"Foie gras protesters go topless".BBC News.bbc.co.uk. 12 February 2009.Retrieved21 February2012.
  58. ^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.
  59. ^"Selfridges Drops Foie Gras From Shelves–Geese Dance Everywhere".Vegetarian Star. 16 November 2009.Retrieved21 February2012.
  60. ^"Store apologises over 'sick' McQueen window display".Express.co.uk.14 July 2010.Retrieved5 June2017.
  61. ^Booth, Robert (17 September 2013)."Selfridges assistant suspended for refusing to serve EDL leader's friend".The Guardian.theGuardian.Retrieved24 September2013.
  62. ^"No action after EDL leader's friend refused Selfridges service".BBC News.bbc.co.uk/news. 18 September 2013.Retrieved24 September2013.
  63. ^"Selfridges installs 'inhumane' anti-homeless spikes outside Manchester store".The Independent.London. 16 February 2015.
  64. ^Hale, Mike (28 March 2013)."Fogging Up the Windows of a Big Store".The New York Times.Retrieved1 April2013.
  65. ^ab"Mr. Selfridge".IMDb.Retrieved8 November2015.
  66. ^"Where is Wonder Woman filmed?".Find That Location.Retrieved27 October2023.
  67. ^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.
[edit]
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