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Now immortalised in Mr Selfridge the TV show (available to stream online), the founder of our store, Harry Gordon Selfridge, changed the world of retail forever when he opened our London store in March 1909. But did you know just how many ways in which he transformed the way we shop?
Feb 16, 2015 · While the poor were predominantly blamed for theft in the 18th century, middle-class women working in pairs became the most common thieves in the mid-19th century. Selfridges was blamed for encouraging temptation, and thefts at the store were used as evidence of this.
From our grand opening in 1909 to becoming an innovator in the world of retail and setting new standards for sustainability in shopping, discover the extraordinary history of Selfridges.
- Size Matters
- Taking Flight
- The Rooftop
- The Selfridge's Seismograph
- Queen of Time Clock
- War Effort
- Apostrophe
- Phone Number
- Miss Selfridge
- The Store Today
Selfridge's (it had an apostrophe when it opened) was the last of London's best-known department stores to be built — and is the only one that was purpose built. Others were adapted and extended from previously existing buildings. It's currently the second largest retail space in the UK, after Harrods.
Shortly after the store opened, French aviator Louis Blériot became the first person to fly over the English Channel. In July 1909, his plane was put on display in Selfridges for four days, attracting over 150,000 people to visit the store.
The Selfridges' summer rooftop is now an annual fixture, but did you know that it was closed for over 70 years? In the store's early days, many forms of entertainment took place in the roof gardens; in 1913 dancers Florence Walton and Maurice Mouvet performed for 2,000 people at a charity ball on the roof terrace. However, in the second world war, ...
Never one to miss a bit of publicity, Harry Gordon Selfridge had a seismographinstalled in the building for several years in the thirties. It picked up readings from several earthquakes around the world. Today, the seismograph is at the British Museum.
You may have walked past the Oxford Street entrance hundreds of times, but have you ever looked up and seen the Queen of Time clock? Unveiled in 1931 to mark the store's 21st birthday, the 11ft tall sculpture was designed by Gilbert Bayes, and is created from bronze.
The Selfridges building reaches 6o metres below ground level, so it's no surprise that the basement levels were put to use during the second world war. The US Army took up residence down here, as the building offered a secure telex line, was safe from bombing, and was close to the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square. Churchill and Eisenhower are both kn...
Never sure whether to include an apostrophe in Selfridges? Don't. The removal of the apostrophe in the store's name was a deliberate choice following a certain series of events. Cryptic, huh?
Somehow — and nobody's quite sure of the details — Harry Gordon Selfridge managed to convince the General Post Office to give the store the telephone number '1'. So for several years, you'd only have to dial '1' to be connected to a Selfridges operator. This is not the case today, so don't try.
Ever wonder if high street fashion chain Miss Selfridge is linked to the Oxford Street giant? Turns out it is. Selfridges opened the first Miss Selfridge inside the main store in the 1960s in an attempt to attract a younger, more fashion-led clientele. It had its own entrance in Duke Street, a coffee bar and a Pierre Cardin department.
These days, Selfridges claims to be home to the largest shoe department in the world, with more than 4,000 pairs of shoes at any one time. The store also revolutionised the sale of make-up, perfume and beauty products; before Selfridges, these items were often sold at the back of stores, as they were considered taboo, but Selfridge himself made the...
Jan 10, 2013 · Selfridge left his store in 1941, after an ultimatum from the Selfridges Board to retire now or pay back his debts immediately. The store was later acquired by John Lewis. It was said he used to regularly visit his London store and stand outside and reminisce on the good times.
The design codes of Raf Simons’s eponymous label continued to develop – with clothes continually inspired by and imbued with the emotion of subcultures and romance of youth – as he balanced this with the more minimalist designs at Jil Sander’s menswear and womenswear collections (2005–2012).
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Dec 24, 2021 · 1941 Harry Gordon Selfridge ousted from the company by its board. 1951 Liverpool’s Lewis’s chain acquires the Oxford Street store, expands brand by adding Moultons of Ilford and renaming its Selfridges. 1965 Selfridges and Lewis’s purchased by Sears Group, owned by Charles Clore.
