London Shopping: Don't be fooled into thinking that this huge department store is simply a Mecca for commercialism and shopaholics. Selfridges has a truly fascinating history that supports its excellent reputation for providing a huge range of high quality goods.
Emphasizing the ethos that "shopping should be fun," the store's original founder, US entrepreneur Harry Gordon Selfridge, defined the shop's hands-on, theatrical image that has endured since its opening in 1909. A lover of all things scientific, unusual exhibits were often used to attract and amaze customers -- John Logie Baird carried out his first public demonstration of television from the first floor of the store in 1925, it was in Selfridges that 12,000 people viewed the monoplane used to complete the first cross-Channel flight, while a seismograph installed on the third floor, recorded tremors from the Belgian earthquake in 1938.
For committed shoppers, this is the ultimate spending experience. Do be wary, Selfridges is profitably loyal to expensive names so you could squander your entire sales budget on one very slightly reduced Prada handbag. Try and circumvent the best of Mui Mui, Mulberry, Balenciaga and Burberry, unless, of course, you're made of money. However, they do have a range of more affordable options from Topshop, Diesel to Warehouse and Karen Millen. There are bargains for boys too. Paul Smith, John Smedley, Guess and Hugo Boss are just a few of the names to check out. Before you leave, if you've got any cash left, toast the excellence of this store with a glass of bubbly in the shop's own Moet Champagne Bar. Cheers.
