Designer department store Fortnum & Mason is to open a new 2,000 sq ft store at London‘s St Pancras International Station, it has been announced today.
Opening in November, the store will create 25 new roles and is the first time in the retailer‘s 307-year history that it is to open a new British store.
In a statement, Fortnum & Mason said: “This move extends the Fortnum‘s brand into a modern London growth area.
“As the Eurostar gateway to Europe, it makes the location an important strategic move for Britain‘s oldest major retailer.”
A landmark in the retailer‘s development programme, the expansion follows a successful performance over the Christmas period when Fortnum & Mason saw record festive sales, up 17.3 per cent on a year earlier.
Offering a wide range of Fortnum & Mason‘s products, the store will also provide a tablecloth tea service with tables both in and outside the store and, in another first, will offer an ‘on-the-go‘ service to passengers.
In a bid to strengthen its multichannel capacity, the retailer will also display iPads to allow shoppers to design and order hampers in-store.
Ewan Venters, CEO of Fortnum & Mason, said of the move: “St Pancras is London‘s Grand Central Station.
“It‘s a great opportunity. We feel the centre of gravity in London is moving north and east from Piccadilly.
“35 million people a year go through the station, and nearly a quarter of those people are going there to shop rather than to travel.”
