“do you not shop at selfridges!”
Ardent Arab shoppers swarm at Oxford Street’s extraordinary department store
Arab vacationers spend a considerable part of their holidays shopping in the world’s most famous fashion capitals including Paris and Milan. Nonetheless, the majority of GCC shoppers opt to enjoy London’s West End’s unique retail offering –in Oxford Street.
If you stride along Oxford Street during the Arab holidays season, keep an eye for possible encounters with Arab friends and colleagues from back home. They would all be heading towards the same eye-catching, seven-floor building with unusual window displays that have become synonymous with the name of this famous shopping attraction; Selfridges.
Selfridges’ Oxford Street store was opened in 1909 by retail innovator and entrepreneur, Gordon Selfridge. Over the decades the store underwent major transformation that earned a resonating reputation internationally as the true embodiment of the vibrancy of twenty-first century London, a treasure trove of contrasts which makes it an inspiring place to shop. The store receives over 300,000 customers per week, fifth of which are overseas visitors. Selfridges extraordinary and captivating experience is not limited to shopping; the store also offers inspirational entertainment and cultural events in its Ultralounge, and a range of services including personal shopping suites and hotel delivery which only add convenience to joy, even for the most sophisticated and demanding shoppers.
Selfridges’ overwhelming range of products extends over 650,000 sq f of retail space. Highlights include a fabulous Designer Room that houses top names such as Givenchy and Lanvin, the biggest men’s shoe department in Europe, the widest selection of men’s labels, a 2,000 sq. m Technology Hall; and the world’s largest Beauty Hall and Luggage Department. In addition, there are large selections of women’s wear from both big brands and edgy young designers, which keep customers abreast of constantly changing contemporary fashion trends.
Adding to its never-ending list of attractions, Selfridges is creating London’s ultimate jewellery, watches and luxury gift destination this autumn on the ground floor of the Oxford Street store. This project, the biggest the retailer has ever undertaken, will offer customers a unique mix of products in an imaginative setting that will highlight the scale, magnificence and character of the original neo-classical hall.
