Selfridges: Westminster council approves in-store members club, but bans music
Department store Selfridges has won approval for an in-store private members club and dining room from Westminster council.
At a planning meeting on Tuesday night, Westminster councillors unanimously approved the proposed changes to the fourth floor of the iconic Oxford Street department store.
The proposal, which was approved with the condition that no music – amplified or otherwise – could be played on the private dining terrace, will see current fourth-floor staff space transformed into a members club and dining terrace for loyal customers.
“Oxford Street is really, really important to Westminster… I think [the members club] will be a great offering to visitors and people who shop on this street regularly as well,” Councillor Fisher said.
“This proposal will allow Selfridges to thrive and succeed along the world renowned shopping destination that is Oxford Street, supporting the international shopping center and the vibrancy of the West End,” partner at Montagu Evans and Selfridges’ representative, Guy Bransby, said.
“[It] must continuously carry out refurbishment and improvement to sustain its prominence within what is a fast paced and demanding industry,” Bransby added.
The club, which will be on an invitation-only basis, would “complement” the building’s main function as a retail store by providing “new shopping experiences”, he said.
Bransby directly linked the club’s formation to competition from online retailers, which has been fierce.
‘Experiential’ shopping has been retailers’ main tool to win shoppers back from the web, with the quality of in-store shopping boosted by bigger and better spaces with events, music and pop-up offerings.
Oxford Street itself is also set to boost its experiential offering, with Mayor Sadiq Khan’s proposal to pedestrianise a mile of it receiving its own green light just last week.
Councillor Fisher said the application was “great” and “wished [Selfridges] all the best,” with the other three councillors in attendance also voting to approve the proposal.
“I think the message tonight is that Westminster loves Selfridges,” the evening’s chair, Councillor Patrick Lilley, said.