Selfridges, Oxford Street

Running from Marble Arch to Oxford Circus in London is one of the premier shopping streets in the world, Oxford Street.

Born in Wisconsin, America- Harry Gordon Selfridge joined a retail firm and spent 25 years working hard and scaling the company until he gained the position of junior partner, and quite a substantial fortune. Selfridge travelled to London in 1906. He was unimpressed at the quality of many of London’s stores and decided to take action. It was at the unfashionable west end of Oxford Street that Selfridge invested a massive £400,000 into his own department store.

Harry Gordon Selfridge is widely credited with coining the phrase ‘the customer is always right.’ It was this ethos and Selfridges approach that made the store such a tremendous success. Selfridge pioneered the concept of having produce on display, rather than behind counters. This proved a very popular idea with shoppers and was soon adopted by many other stores.

Today Selfridges is recognised as one of the finest department stores in the world. The massive complex stocks every conceivable product including many new fashion labels- as well as established brands. There are restaurants on every floor to give shoppers a welcome break from the truly baffling array of products and the sheer scale of the store.