On 15th June, Selfridges will reopen its four UK stores in London, Birmingham and Manchester, warmly welcoming visitors and Selfridges team members safely back to store with extra health and safety precautions in place throughout – further details can be found at selfridges.com.
Of particular note, Selfridges will open its fitting rooms, as well as its customer toilets, and carparking will be available adjacent to all of its stores. Selfridges will have hosts on hand throughout each department to direct and assist customers and, to make a visit to store as easy as possible. Customers can also download the Selfridges app and use the store guide to plan their visit ahead of coming to store.
Meave Wall, Stores Director of Selfridges, said of the reopening:
“We are delighted that our doors are open once again to welcome our teams and our customers. Innovation and creativity continues to be a priority for Selfridges and, even with measures in place to keep us all safe, we are pulling out all stops to inspire our customers in store.”
As the stores reopen, the Selfridges doormen will be back to warmly welcome customers to the Oxford Street store and local street performers will entertain customers as they enter the store, commissioned in partnership with the Mayor of London, on opening day. Selfridges will be alive with the sound of DJ music throughout and, with keen social distancing measures in place, new services will help bring the extraordinary world of Selfridges to customers.
The Selfridges London store opening will also be accompanied by the launch of a number of exclusives, including the smiley collection from Loewe, while the Body Studio will offer Spanx activewear for the first time. Menswear Designer Street will play host to the global exclusive Kenzo x Vans collection with a takeover of The Bowl, Selfridges one-of-a-kind skate destination. The London Foodhall also launches Parisian eatery Cojean, offering healthy, seasonal food-to-go.
Across the stores Selfridges will be open to welcome customers back with its well-known service and brand partners:
- To help customers in store, services will include VIP concierge, styling advice with experts, Elfridges advisors to help with gifting across all departments, and Click & Collect will be available. Shopping by appointment will be introduced, with slots available outside of regular trading hours and fast-track access to store.
- Selfridges will launch a seamless and safe at home shopping through bookable virtual appointments with Selfridges stylists, gifting specialists through Elfridges at home and beauty concierge service.
- In store London restaurants EL&N, Dolly’s, Tonkotsu and Aubaine will offer takeaway options, and sweets and treats to go will be available from milk-and-cookie connoisseurs Blondies Kitchen and artisan ice-cream makers Snowflake.
- Remaining services and restaurants will be back up and running when Government guidelines allow. In the meantime, customers will be able to shop across the full range of departments at Selfridges – fashion, accessories, beauty, toys, technology, gifting, food and wine, lifestyle and homeware.
- Selfridges will also offer a range of store-to-home delivery options for vulnerable and self-isolating customers and, NHS and key workers will have priority access to all stores as they do for the London Foodhall.
Selfridges has extended its community initiative #kindnesschallenge to its’ world-famous window displays which have been taken over by honest and heartfelt Thank you notes from Selfridges team members celebrating the help, support and acts of kindness shown to them or to their local community throughout this period.
Selfridges London will operate between 11am and 7pm Monday to Saturday and 11.30am to 6pm on Sunday.
Selfridges Manchester Trafford will operate between 10am and 7pm Monday to Saturday and 11.30am to 6pm on Sunday.
Selfridges Manchester Exchange and Selfridges Birmingham will operate between 11am and 7pm Monday to Saturday and 11.00am to 5.30pm on Sunday.
Notes to Editors:
- The health, safety and wellbeing of customers and teams is Selfridges’ priority, and precautions have been taken to help minimise the risk of coronavirus, in line with guidance from PHE and relevant authorities.
- Selfridges team members have been supported with the transition back to store with a welcome back, that includes e-training and guidance on health and safety.
- Selfridges has also collaborated with British designer Christopher Raeburn to design sustainable, reusable face coverings, providing each team member with a kit of 3 responsibly made, high protection level face coverings that may be worn during work if they like. Produced by Bags of Ethics, a positive label created to unite consumers, businesses and makers across three key pillars – people, planet and product.
- To assist people in their journey to store, Selfridges has reviewed all aspects of its operations in line with guidance from the UK Government and Public Health England, and is working with local authority partners in each region to ensure that visitors are kept safe not just while inside Selfridges stores, but also in the communities in which they operate; including New West End Company in London and Retail BID in Birmingham and Manchester.
- All floors and departments will reopen in its London location, Selfridges Birmingham in the Bullring shopping centre and Selfridges’ two Manchester stores in the Trafford Centre and Exchange Square. The stores will offer the Selfridges shopping experience visitors have come to expect and love whether they are looking to treat themselves or others, even under such extraordinary circumstances.
- Stringent social distancing and safety measures in place include:
- 1 customer per 20m2 of retail space
- A one-way system to enter and exit our stores
- Teams and customers will always be asked to follow social distancing guidelines of 2 metres distance from the next individual
- All back of house and office areas will also follow social distancing guidelines of 2 metres
- Where social distancing cannot be maintained, we will install physical barriers to protect our customers and teams, with perspex screens installed at till points and counters wherever appropriate
- Face coverings have been made available to all team members and the wearing of a covering is encouraged.
- Floor markings and signage installed across all stores and locations to support social distancing of 2 metres, including queues system to enter Selfridges stores
- A limit of 1 person or 1 household per lift, with customers encouraged to use the stairs or escalators where possible
- Customers will be encouraged to visit stores alone or only with those who need to be with them, in household groups of up to four people. We will allow up one person per 20sqm within our stores
- Management of fitting rooms to ensure each fitting room is sanitised by steaming and antibacterial cleaning after each customer use. Items that are touched, tried on in our fitting rooms or returned instore will be quarantined for 48 hours (for clothing and fabric items) or cleaned with sanitising spray (for shoes and accessories, plus any other non-clothing goods) before being returned to the shop floor.
- Hand sanitiser stations installed throughout all stores for customer and team use
- Selfridges will enable its team members to transition safely into its stores and offices with their wellbeing as a priority by introducing:
- Temperature scanning on arrival as an additional health and safety measure
- Testing provided to Selfridges team members who display symptoms as well as any and all team members they have been in recent contact with should the individual test positive
- Hand sanitiser stations installed throughout all stores and back of house areas
- Staggered start and finishing times to support off-peak travel
- Teams will be encouraged to walk or cycle to work where possible
- Frequent deep cleaning on an ongoing basis
- Selfridges is inviting followers on social media to take a moment out of their day and the 24-hour news feeds to contribute to a ‘good deed feed’ – the Selfridges #kindnesschallenge. As we are required to build distance between us to safeguard our physical health and wellbeing, we owe it to ourselves and each other to bridge this gap, using digital as a force for good. The challenge is about posting actions that we are taking to help ourselves and others, in a safe and responsible way. Visit @theofficialselfridges Instagram account to take part in the latest challenge.
- The recent closure due to the lockdown ordered by the British government was the London store’s first and only closure since World War 2, when the store was last hit by a bomb in April 1941 during the Blitz and had to close for a day for repairs.
