Shopping the expensive way

Nottingham has some excellent shopping – and is rated 7th in the UK by Experian. But last week I had reason to be in Birmingham and called at The Bullring for a drink. I had not been to Selfridges before and was impressed.

Selfridges Birmingham

So yesterday we went back. It is quite an experience and sadly we have nothing like this in Nottingham. The closest is John Lewis but Selfridges have more choice and is a step up in terms of quality (and cost!).

The external facade is, of course, quite spectacular and sits amongst some quite old buildings, including a church. Internally the shop is huge. The ground floor has an eclectic mix – including a Krispy Kreme donut shop and the beloved Starbucks. Some of the food on offer is different too – I bought some extra matured Marmite XO. It’s strong!

In fact the shop reminds me of New York – with many of the concessions having an American feel – even the range of drinks is deli style USA. What makes the shop is the range of exclusive goods / clothes. Even the Tom Ford Grey Vetiver after shave is limited to six per customer!

What is also interesting is that the opening hours are much later than we are used to – 8pm weekdays (except Thursday when it is 9pm). This is the true sign of a cosmopolitan city – coupled with a champagne bar!

Obviously the population size makes a difference to what can be sustained. But getting people to stay in the town (retailing dwell time) is also important. Being able to buy different things adds to the exclusivity draw.

As we left Selfridges and went into the main Bullring shopping centre it was just like Nottingham again. We didn’t spend too much time out of Selfridges. It’s amazing to see the impact of a single shop on a place.

Oh- and the Krispy Kreme donuts are to die for!