Reopened Selfridges to be even more experiential

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jun 10, 2020

Selfridges has been ever more experiential in recent years and as it works hard to attract shoppers back to its stores in a post-coronavirus world, it looks like it's going to become even more so in the immediate future.

The company will open its department stores in the UK next week and, like the group’s shops in other countries, pre-booked appointments will be available for shoppers. 

Such appointments, for fashion and beauty, will be available in the stores themselves after it has closed at 7 pm each day or via video.

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There will also be live entertainment for the queues that are bound to build up as limits are placed on the numbers in-store.

“We will be bringing a little bit more life and a joyful experience for customers who come to our stores,” Meave Wall, stores director of Selfridges, told The Guardian.

The four UK stores will reopen on Monday but not all areas will be operational with cafes, the cinema, beauty makeovers and hairdressing services still off-limits.

But while the company is being careful to put safety measures in place it won't be closing its changing rooms with some of them reopening and staff being available to sanitise them after use. Clothes that have been tried on will be steam-cleaned and if they can't be, they will be quarantined for at least three days.

During the lockdown, the company has seen surging sales online with ‘treat’ products and practical items for a working-from-home populace all selling well. 

The company is further boosting its online operation with beauty tutorials available on Instagram and virtual gift advice.

The newspaper reported that Monday’s reopening will also see window displays that are currently being put together under the theme of “thank you”, with a big input from store staff.