Selfridges flagship store

Harry Gordon Selfridge opened this store in nineteen oh nine after moving from Chicago with a radical vision for British retail. He purposefully chose this location at the western end of Oxford Street, which was considered unfashionable at the time, because he calculated that the newly opened Central Line underground station would reliably deposit shoppers right at his doorstep. He turned the building into a destination for entertainment as much as commerce, famously inviting the public to browse without the expectation of buying anything. This was a direct challenge to the stiff, traditional London shops of the era where staff often pressured customers to make a purchase.