Selfridges steps out

In a few days time, Selfridges’ Shoe Galleries will be “complete”. Of course, by yesterday afternoon, other than a smallish space at the entrance, the Galleries were up and running, full of people inspecting everything from Havaianas flip-flops to slickly crafted and very expensive footwear from the likes of Dior, Prada and Jimmy Choo.

There was every reason for them to do so as this is claimed to be the world’s largest shoe department with something for almost every female pocket. Designed by architect Jamie Fobert, the Shoe Galleries feature a wide range of materials, from blocks of alabaster, display fixtures, to velvet, glass, clay and rubber - all deployed to make this a true retail destination. And in the middle of it all, there’s the Aubaine Restaurant, which was full to bursting with shoe shoppers resting weary feet.

It is deeply impressive and Selfridges has succeeded in creating the sense that you have more or less departed from the rest of the store and entered a footwear Elysium. The real point about it is however is that it works because this is a happy marriage of almost category-killing designer breadth coupled with a space that will make visitors feel special. It does what the best store design does; complements the product that it is designed to house.

And when the final piece of the jigsaw is put into place later this week, expect the press to be all over it (the fourth estate’s consumer cohort has already been slavering over the prospect) and for Selfridges to bask in warm approbation.

Now contrast this with a store that opened a few weeks ago just opposite the Eurostar terminal in St Pancras. It’s the 2012 Olympics store and the ribbon marking its debut was cut by none other than Boris Johnson. The design of this one, albeit less lavish than what’s on view in Selfridges, was pretty good and certainly up to the task of making the most of the product that is on display in the store.

Yet on a busy St Pancras afternoon, it was completely empty and was unique within the station’s generally upscale stores in being so. There was a simple reason why this was the case - the offer, ranging from t-shirts to one-eyed Olympic mascots, was rubbish: pure tat. Even the most gullible tourist fresh off the train from Paris was giving this one a wide berth.

This stands as proof of that old retail wisdom that a good-looking shop will only prove commercially viable if the stock within it is worth buying. It may work the other way around, but in an ideal world the best results will come when store and stock in are in tune. Step forward Selfridges.