Person    | Male  Born 11/1/1858  Died 8/5/1947

Harry Selfridge

Categories: Commerce

Countries: USA

Born Wisconsin. Too small to join the navy he became a clerk in a department store, where he rose to manager and then set out on his own. Very successful, he "retired" in 1906, moved to London and employed a Chicago architect, Daniel Burnham, to design his new store in Oxford Street, opened in 1909. He brought new ideas to British retailing; he is said to be the originator of "The customer is always right". Made his personality felt, touring the shop floor every day, formally dressed in a top hat.

After his wife's death in 1918 he continued his extravagant life-style with a liaison with Syrie Wellcome (see Barnardo, her father, for some info about her) and with a series of well-known ladies of the theatre, including a pair of identical twins the Dolly Sisters, entertaining lavishly at his home, Lansdowne House at 9 Fitzmaurice Place. Through poor financial management he gradually lost control of the business, finally departing in 1941. When he died 6 years later he had lost his fortune and, owning no property, was living with his daughter at 2 Ross Court, Putney Heath, where he died.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Harry Selfridge

Commemorated ati

Harry Selfridge at Selfridges

The feet of all the customers visiting "this house" have, over the years, sof...

Read More

Harry Selfridge plaque

Harry Gordon Selfridge, 1858 - 1947, department store magnate, lived here, 19...

Read More

Other Subjects

Fakeblueplaques / Society for the Promotion of Historic Buildings

Fakeblueplaques / Society for the Promotion of Historic Buildings

Londonist informs that the registered address of the website, where you can order a plaque, is 118 Hillfield Avenue N8, the site of plaque no 4. We have 3 of these non-plaques still to publish, no ...

Group, Commerce

3 memorials
First pub outside Ireland to have bottled Guinness

First pub outside Ireland to have bottled Guinness

The Tipperary pub, Fleet Street, was the first pub outside Ireland to have bottled Guinness and later draft.

Concept, Commerce, Food & Drink

1 memorial
Goldenberg & Company
1 memorial
Alderman Charles Pearce Russell, C.V.O., J.P.

Alderman Charles Pearce Russell, C.V.O., J.P.

Chairman of Westminster's Housing Committee 1945-9. His entry on the Wiki/Fandom website informs us that he was a company director and local politician who was elected to Westminster City Council a...

Person, Commerce, Liveries & Guilds, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Old Spitalfields Market

Old Spitalfields Market

1638 King Charles I gave a licence for flesh, fowl and roots to be sold on Spittle Fields. The market lapsed during the Commonwealth but it was re-founded in 1682 by King Charles II. The existing ...

Building, Commerce

3 memorials

Previously viewed

Maurice Lambert

Maurice Lambert

Sculptor. Born Paris. Brother of the musician Constant Lambert. This portrait is by his father. There is photograph of him (older and not so pretty) at the Court Gallery. His other work in London i...

Person, Sculpture, France

1 memorial
Captain Robert Hansler

Captain Robert Hansler

JP for Middlesex. At Rootschat we found a "Captain Robert Jacob Hansler, a magistrate for Middlesex" He was the eldest son of Sir John Jacob Hansler (1788 -1867) and Maria (d.1858), daughter of Mr ...

Person, Armed Forces

1 memorial