Selfridges

The Georgian House Hotel is a great place to stay if you are planning to shop at Selfridges.  This famous department store is based on Oxford Street and is easy to reach by bus or underground. 

Selfridges is one of the best places to visit in London for its stylish mix of fashion, furniture, food and beauty. Located in Oxford Street, Selfridges is the ultimate shopping experience and the destination for all the latest in the fashion.

Selfridges is world famous for its innovative window displays, housing over a million products within its environment of cutting edge chic. A visit to London is never complete without a visit to Selfridges.

Selfridges - The History

Selfridges, located in Oxford Street, was opened on March 15, 1909 and clearly established the prominence of department stores as retailing institutions. The history of Selfridges is unique, for it had no background as a small shop and was designed from the beginning as a department store.

The foundations were laid in early 1908 and within twelve months the massive building was completed. Harry Gordon Selfridge, originally the manager of Marshall Field in Chicago, succeeded in his dream of building an American department store in London. He later commented that laying the foundation stone "'was the greatest moment in my life.'"

Staff were hired months before it opened. They were trained in selling the Selfridge way.
Selfridge was extremely innovative in the layout of the store and displays, and shoppers flocked to the store when they heard of the delights that awaited them. It was a novelty for shoppers as they could at last purchase make-up and perfume easily, and the clothes department sold all manners of items - including those that were very hard to find. Selfridge intended shopping at the store to be a recreation and therefore shoppers were greeted with music and browsing was an all day experience. The store quickly became a national institution.

Selfridges - The Vision

Women were only beginning to enjoy walking alone, without the necessary gentleman escorts, and were enjoying their freedom. Selfridges encouraged this freedom by stressing shopping as a fun activity, not work. Customers didn't come to buy what they needed, they came to spend the day. There was a library and a silence room for reflection, comfortable seating, sophisticated restaurants with reasonable prices and appointed reception rooms for French, American, and German customers. By providing a large selection of merchandise, much of it not available at other shops, and all under one roof, the focus was on providing the greatest convenience for the customer.

The magnificent building was based on designs envisioned by Selfridge himself. The London stores disappointed him and he saw them as "'formless and inefficient.'" He wanted a unified and luxurious store that encouraged browsing and fantasizing. Selfridge envisioned the store as a safe, paternalistic, and all-caring mansion, in which he temporarily replaced the husband, father, or brother as protector. Women were encouraged to shop there with the slogan "Why Not Spend the Day at Selfridges?"

Selfridge wanted his establishment to be more than a store. He boasted that he "'made the store the third biggest attraction for sightseers in London,'" next to Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. Selfridges attempted to generate a new urban culture in which women could play an acceptable part.

Shopping at Selfridges isn't just shopping. It's an experience!

In 2002, Selfridges was awarded the London Tourism Award for visitors' favourite London store. And Selfridges is for everyone. With high-end shoppers mixing with bargain hunters, customers are likely to spot celebrities, from Tom Jones to Noel Gallagher. Selfridges sells everything from high-end fashion to street-cred clothing, refrigerators to furniture. So, what are you waiting for? Let's go to Selfridges.

For more information visit www.selfridges.co.uk.