Simply Abu Dhabi VI

1 9 3 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Selfridges department store, the largest onLondon’s Oxford Street, combines innovationwith a commitment to quality, continuing the spirit that was initiated by its legendary founder. W hen the American entrepreneur Henry Gordon Selfridge - Harry to his friends - founded the Selfridges department store in 1909, he may have not known how exactly how his project would pan out. But he would surely be delighted with the result today. Any visitor to London’s historic Oxford Street will find that even in this epicentre of global retail, his creation is now the largest department store - and its renown doesn’t stop there. Selfridges is one of the biggest department stores in Europe, and among the most famous in the world. Instead of asking what you can buy at Selfridges, it might be better to ask what you can’t. And the answer is: very little. Designer clothes, world class food and sumptuous home furnishings are just a fraction of what’s available. But although an utterly comprehensive array of goods may be impressive, Harry Selfridge knew that it’s quality and innovation that really matter. A tireless innovator Born in 1856, Selfridge was the son of a Wisconsin shopkeeper. At the age of 23 he started work at a Chicago department store owned byMarshall Field, where he initiated many innovations, including lighting the store windows at night, opening Chicago’s first store restaurant (where women could lunch un- chaperoned), fitting luxurious ladies’ cloakrooms, and introducing displays at customer-friendly waist level. Gaining the nickname ‘Mile-a-Minute’ Harry, Selfridge displayed a phenomenal enthusiasm and drive as he helped take the store to the very top. But even when Marshall Field became the largest store in the world, he was not satisfied: he wanted to start his own store, and came to London in 1909 – aged 49 – to set one up. Selfridge’s words "I am prepared to sell anything from an aeroplane to a cigar" sumup his restless spirit, which constantly sought out new ideas and imaginative ways in which to provide the customer with the best possible shopping experience. He became known as the ‘showman of shopping’, putting on dramatic events to wow visitors: the plane in which Louis Blériot became the first aviator to fly over water was displayed in the shop for several days, attracting crowds of over 150,000; and Scottish inventor John Logie Baird demonstrated his televisor as part of the store's 16th birthday celebration in 1925. quality