Harry Gordon Selfridge (January 11, 1858 – May 8, 1947) was an American-born retail magnate, who founded the British department store Selfridges. January 11 is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A department store is a retail establishment which specializes in selling a wide range of products without a single predominant merchandise line. ... Selfridges in Birmingham Selfridges is a chain of department stores in the United Kingdom. ...

Brief biography

Early years

Harry Gordon Selfridge was born in Wisconsin, USA on January 11, 1858. In 1879 he joined the retail firm of Field, Leiter and Company (which became Marshall Field and Company.) Over the following twenty-five years Gordon Selfridge worked his way up the commercial ladder. He was appointed a junior partner, married Rosalie Buckingham (of the prominent Chicago Buckinghams), and amassed a considerable personal fortune. Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 23rd 169,790 km² 420 km 500 km 17 42°30N to 47°3N 86°49W to 92°54W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 18th 5,453,896 38. ... January 11 is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ... 1879 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Marshall Fields State Street Store interior, about 1910 Marshall Field and Company is a department store. ...

London investment

In 1906 Gordon Selfridge travelled to London, England with his wife Rosalie. He was unimpressed with the quality of existing British stores and he decided to invest some £400,000 in building his own department store in what was then the unfashionable western end of Oxford Street. 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... Oxford Street, from the top deck of a bus Oxford Street is a major London shopping street in the City of Westminster. ...

Selfridges

Gordon Selfridge named his new store after himself, and it opened to the public on March 15, 1909. It set new standards for the retailing business. He is credited with originating the phrase "The customer is always right." The store was extensively promoted through paid advertising. The shop floors were structured so that goods could be made more accessible to customers. Staff members were taught to be on hand to assist customers, but not to aggressively sell the merchandise. March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Generally speaking, advertising is the promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas, usually by an identified sponsor. ...

Personal life

Selfridge's wife Rosalie died tragically in the influenza pandemic of 1918. As a widower, Selfridge had numerous liaisons, including those with the celebrated Dolly Sisters and the divorcée Syrie Barnardo Wellcome, who would later become better known as the decorator Syrie Maugham. He also maintained a busy social life with lavish entertainment at his home in Lansdowne House located at 9 Fitzmaurice Place, in Berkeley Square. Today there is a blue plaque noting that Gordon Selfridge lived there from 1921 to 1929. At the height of his fortune he also leased, as his family home, Highcliffe Castle in Hampshire. In addition, he purchased Hengistbury Head, a mile-long promontory on England's southern coast, where he planned to build a magnificent castle. The Dolly Sisters, Rosika (Rosie) and Jansci (Jenny) Deutsch, were born 1892-10-25 in Hungary, and the twins emigrated to the United States in 1897. ... Gwendoline Maud Syrie Barnardo (10 July 1879 - 25 July 1955), born in Hackney, England, was a daughter of Thomas John Barnardo the founder of the Barnardos charity for destitute children. ... Berkeley Square in 1830. ... A blue plaque showing information about The Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey in Torquay. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... -1... Hampshire (abbr. ...

Demise and death

During the years of the Great Depression, Gordon Selfridge watched his fortune rapidly decline and then disappear -- a situation not helped by his continuing his free-spending ways. In 1941 he left Selfridges and moved from his lavish home. In 1947 he died in straitened circumstances, at Putney, in south-west London. Gordon Selfridge was buried at Highcliffe, next to his wife and his mother. The Great Depression was a massive global economic recession (or depression) that ran from 1929 to approximately 1939. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Putney is a place in the London Borough of Wandsworth. ... Highcliffe-on-Sea (usually abbreviated to Highcliffe) is a small town in the borough of Christchurch, Dorset in southern England. ...

Selfridges today

For almost 60 years, Selfridges was a one-location business, but in 1998 it opened its first store outside London since the closure of its provincial stores in the 1940s, at the Trafford Centre, on the outskirts of Manchester. By the end of 2003, Selfridges had four stores: two in Manchester and (the latest) one in the Bullring shopping complex at Birmingham which opened in September 2003. The Birmingham store is covered in 15,000 spun aluminium discs and was designed by the architectual firm of Future Systems. A further store is scheduled to open in Glasgow in 2007. The Trafford Centre is a large indoor shopping centre located in Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. ... Manchester is a city in the North West of England, United Kingdom. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 Bull Ring _ St Martins church and Selfridges The Bull Ring market has been an important feature of Birmingham since the Middle Ages. ... The city from above Centenary Square. ... 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December A timeline of events in the news for September, 2003. ... Architect at his drawing board, 1893 An architect is a person involved in the planning, designing and oversight of a buildings construction. ... The Media Centre at Lords Cricket Ground Future Systems is a London-based architectural and design practice, headed by Jan Kaplicky and Amanda Levete. ... Glasgow (or Glaschu in Gaelic) is Scotlands largest city and unitary council, situated on the River Clyde in the countrys west central lowlands. ...

See also:

Selfridges Selfridges in Birmingham Selfridges is a chain of department stores in the United Kingdom. ...

External link

• Selfridges