In a month with little to have fun and far to bemoan, including high inflation, rising rates of interest and probably the most punishing public sector strikes for 30 years, Selfridges is defying gravity and taking a philosophical approach to the brand new yr.

Amid all of the domestic turmoil, Selfridges is shifting up a gear, accelerating its green agenda and its commitment to experiential retail. It’s also promising a yr of positive intentions, color therapy and a call to motion on the environmental front.

And sales? With all the nice vibrations buzzing through the stores, sales should follow naturally.

Selfridges’ recent yr is ready to start on Monday with the revealing of windows in London, Manchester and Birmingham, England. They’ll be full of a number of colourful, original illustrations around this yr’s theme, Selfridges Celebrates.

Selfridges said it desires to cater to celebrations of all types and “make sure that life’s little wins feel special and exciting. It’s a response to present times, and represents a standpoint on how we would like to see the following 12 months play out.”

As a part of that effort the shop asked illustrators including Angela Kirkwood, Paulina Almira, Brindha Kumar and Lena Yokoyama to create two-dimensional works that shall be displayed within the windows and across the stores all year long.

Selfridges wants the old-school, 2D illustrations to be a degree of contrast in “a world that celebrates the hyper-connected and the multisensory,” and be a celebration of “form and color.”

Boosting morale isn’t the shop’s only aim this yr. Selfridges can also be inviting its customers to act and interact with its sustainability efforts.

Andrew Keith, managing director of Selfridges, said the shop is “committed to finding solutions through a continued imaginative approach to retail innovation. The dimensions of our ambitions can’t be underestimated, but we’re inspired by what lies ahead and the way we bring this to life for our customers.”

As reported last September, Selfridges accelerated its net-zero carbon-emissions goal, moving its deadline as much as 2040 from 2050 as a promise to the Climate Pledge, a cross-sector group of corporations committed to reaching net zero 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement. 

As a part of that commitment, the retailer also set a recent goal of ensuring that at the very least 45 percent of its transactions (excluding food, restaurants and homeware) come from recycled products or circular services similar to resale, rental, refill or repair.

It has also established “Reselfridges,” a portfolio of circular initiatives it hopes will eventually turn out to be the backbone of the business.

As a part of that commitment to the circular economy, the shop plans to launch a bag subscription service this yr and expand its existing rentals for childrenswear. Sizes now range from six months to 16 years, and clothing that features occasionwear and streetwear, with skiwear available toward the top of 2023.

For Christmas 2022, Reselfridges watches and jewellery moved from an online-only service to the London floor, landing at The Corner Shop on Oxford Street. The common selling price was 2,500 kilos, with Omega Seamasters among the many bestsellers.

This yr, Selfridges can also be expanding its partnership with the posh vintage clothing store OOTO London, which shall be highlighting different marquee designers over the following 12 months.

At once it’s showing and selling “museum-grade” pieces designed by Gianni and Donatella Versace from 1987 through to 2003. From mid-January, the main focus will shift to Miuccia Prada’s early collections for the brand, while in March the concentration is going to swing to Tom Ford at Gucci.

To coincide with The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute exhibition “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” Selfridges and OOTO London will present an edit of the late designer’s oeuvre across many a long time and fashion houses.

Selfridges can also be taking up recent labels which have embedded green values into their collections.

These include Starlit, a Los Angeles-based label known for its sustainable fabrics, and Conner Ives, who has made a reputation repurposing piano shawls into halterneck tops or old T-shirts into day dresses.

It’ll also stock Maria McManus, a brand that urges customers to purchase less, and more responsibly — an oft-repeated phrase of the late Vivienne Westwood.

Selfridges’ green campaign began under Weston family ownership, and recent owners Central Group and Signa Holding, which purchased Selfridges last yr for a reported 4 billion kilos, are 100% behind the strategy.

As reported last September, the partners’ plan is to make key tweaks to the business, but to not the general strategy, operations or personality of the shop, which has turn out to be synonymous with British luxury, creativity and green values.

Selfridges would be the biggest group within the partners’ joint portfolio, which incorporates 22 luxury malls similar to KaDeWe in Germany, and Globus in Switzerland, however the plan is to treat it like the remainder of the properties — and the pride of every city where the stores are situated.

“Now we have iconic destinations in every city where we operate, and with a view to grow, we want to supply recent reasons for people to go to us and recent experiences in-store. Reinventing retail is our vision for the longer term, not just for Selfridges, but for all our stores,” said Stefano Della Valle, Selfridges’ recent chief executive officer and head of Central and Signa’s luxury department store group in Europe.

Della Valle and Ernst-Dieter Berninghaus, co-chairman of Selfridges Group and chairman of the chief board of Signa, said initial investments at Selfridges will focus initially on the food and sweetness halls and the omnichannel offer.

The plan is to have a grocery store along with a series of restaurants. While Selfridges already has a grocery store and dining options, these usually are not destinations for shoppers. Against this, the food hall at KaDeWe Berlin takes up an entire floor and houses 27 restaurants.

The brand new owners are also planning to refurbish the Old Selfridges Hotel, next to the Oxford Street store in London. The space hasn’t functioned as a hotel for years, even though it’s been used for fashion shows and other events.

The 2 partners said they need the brand new hotel space to boost the encircling neighborhood on Oxford Street, and serve the community for the following 20 to 30 years. Central and Signa are long-term thinkers and at all times see their stores and properties as a part of the material of a city.

Berninghaus, who described the acquisition of Selfridges as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said there are various potential plans under discussion.

“We don’t think when it comes to a single hotel concept or a single restaurant concept but fairly a combined concept that brings tourists and locals together. We predict when it comes to a destination that makes the entire neighborhood more attractive,” he said.

The brand new owners are bullish about their prospects within the U.K., and in London, despite the country’s macroeconomic challenges and the decline in international tourism post-Brexit and post-COVID-19.

Berninghaus said as they were negotiating the acquisition of Selfridges, they considered the challenges that Brexit created for trade with Europe. Additionally they took under consideration the difficult economic situation that countries are facing following COVID-19, the war in Ukraine and soaring inflation.

“London has been one of the vital attractive cities on this planet for hundreds of years and it should remain so. Oxford Street is one of the vital exciting locations on this planet and the tourists will come back,” Berninghaus said. “We’re here for the long run and we’re super optimistic for this market in the long run.”