Selfridges opens biggest-ever Christmas shop

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Oct 6, 2022

Talk of reduced consumer spending in the run-up to Christmas may not be a major concern for Selfridges. The high-end department store retailer has opened the biggest ever Christmas Shop at its London flagship. The mission is to create a “must-visit destination for a festive day out”.

The retailer’s Christmas Shop is 20% bigger than last year and comes with a personalisation service. Located on its fourth floor, it showcases Selfridges’ favourite seasonal product stories while offering decorations, lighting, ornaments, advent calendars, gift wrap and cards. 

An added draw is that half of the decorations cannot be found anywhere else in the UK, Selfridges said, while 60% of the decorations are Project Earth labelled as being more planet-friendly options. Selfridges also said searches for Christmas decorations on its website have risen by 60%, while searches for advent calendars have risen by 350%.

Following the opening of the Christmas Shop, it will launch its Christmas scheme across all its stores and online on 27 October. From 25 November, Santa Claus will make daily visits to the Christmas Shop and festive destinations throughout the London store as well as in Birmingham and Manchester.

In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, the battle for attracting the Christmas pound will be intense this year as reports show many consumers say they intend to cut back on purchases that are deemed non-essential. However, it remains to be seen if higher-end retailers will be as affected, with Selfridges showing it is going all-out to become a big attraction over the festive period. 
 
If Covid outbreaks don’t materialise  this winter and the pound remains weak, the UK, and London in particular, would be a strong draw to overseas tourists who have been slowly returning post-pandemic.