For the last two years, Selfridges have opted to open their Christmas shop at a sensible time… around two-and-a-half months before the big day. Previously, the department store had been known to jump the gun far sooner – often as early as July!
This time around, they’ve gone earlier; not quite in the height of summer, but still with enough time to get ahead of those London Christmas light displays. We’ve now hit the less-than-100-days-to-go mark, and the Selfridges Christmas Shop is officially open. Yes, it’s looming closer by the hour, and the shop is here, once again sure to prove a hit for anyone looking to get ahead with their festive shopping.
There often feels like a competition between Selfridges and their fiercest rivals (Liberty, John Lewis, et al) to beat each other to the punch. They all know that their festive decorations and souvenirs are incredibly popular with visitors near and far, and you’ve got to give them plenty of time to bring them home for Christmas. It’s Capitalism 101, baby. However, by now their Christmas selections have spread to other stores, and online, and the window displays are up because Christmas has well and truly arrived in London… and it’s only September
This year, the Christmas Shop has a new dedicated space on the lower ground floor of the iconic store, with 4,000 square feet of sparkling attire to kit yourselves and your houses out in. Later in the festive season, shoppers will also get the chance to visit Santa and his elf squad as they make daily visits to the London, Birmingham, and Manchester stores to spread festive joy.
The products at Selfridges Christmas Shop
Visitors will find it pretty hard to choose their favourite bauble from the shop, as they’ll be faced with more than 1,300 pick and mix baubles (the most ever, up from 1,200 last year), over half of which can’t be found anywhere else in the UK.
The six themes for this year are as follows: Gen Z favourites, which range from jade rollers to matcha lattes and cowboys; Made in the UK, with top items including ceramic decorations crafted in Margate by Minnie-Mae Stott studio; Foodie Favourites, including oat milk and bubble gum tree decorations; Celebrating Diversity, which include figurines from the black-owned March Muses; A Conscious Christmas, where you’ll find recycled candles and wreaths; and Personalisation, where visitors can customise their own crackers, stockings, baubles and more!
There’s also a clear consideration of the environmental impact of the kind of shopping that Christmas can bring about. A “pick and mix” offer allows customers to choose from pre-loved, recycled, socially conscious, and inclusive decorations, while 60% of the decorations available are Project Earth labelled as being more planet-friendly options. These include offerings from B Corp certified producers, as well as products that place more emphasis on being bought for life.
Christmas is coming folks. It’s well and truly on the way!
You can find the Selfridges Christmas Shop at its new home on the lower ground floor of the Oxford Street store, 400 Oxford St, W1C 1JS.
Also published on Medium.