Custodians of Heritage and Culture
Fenwick has operated as a family-owned business for more than 140 years and continues to believe that shopping should be inspiring, personal and thoughtfully curated. To learn more about this world-renowned department store, RLI spoke with Leo Fenwick, Strategic Partnerships Director about the past, present and future of the company.
Founded by John James Fenwick back in 1882, the company continues to be guided by its core values of exceptional quality, considered choice and genuine service. Operating eight sites across the UK and its online store, Newcastle is where it all started and its community and colleagues remain at the heart of who they are.
In recent years, significant investment has been injected into the unique Newcastle store, which is highlighted through its new beauty hall. They also launched in September 2025 a new loyalty programme entitled MyFenwick, which already has hundreds of thousands of members and is all about service and hospitality and highlights how they keep customers at the forefront of their operations.
“Department stores are not just a house of products any longer,” explains Leo Fenwick, Strategic Partnerships Director at Fenwick. “Today a department store is a place where people come to spend time. With time being such a luxury in the modern world, for people choosing to spend it with us, we want to make it the best experience possible which features a fantastic curation of products, a unique customer experience and a wondrous sense of discovery.”
As they look to better understand their customer, Fenwick has implemented a new CRM system and evolved their store offering to introduce more contemporary, accessible fashion brands, along with a new beauty edit that focuses on K beauty and beauty innovation. This evolution also incorporates more homeware, highlighted by the fact Neptune will be launching shortly in the Newcastle store. Leo goes on to explain that Fenwick continue to evolve their brand proposition in a way that puts the customer first, while at the same time remaining innovative in the wider market.
“Keeping the company at the forefront means continuous innovation and creating a place for exclusive brands and drops. With our Newcastle flagship we remain a Northeast anchor for names such as Barbour and we have a Newcastle United club shop on site as well. Partnerships such as these allow us to offer exclusive and unique merchandise. An example of this is our ongoing partnership with the Mercury Awards, which will return in 2026 after a fantastic initial venture last year. We want to continue showcasing cultural collaborations across music, art and fashion, offering a unique reason for customers to visit our store.”
Fenwick began its journey in Newcastle and it remains the beating heart of the business. Leo comments that all their employees know the heritage of the city and today they still encourage new colleagues to visit the store and feel the influence of the area. The community of Newcastle remains pivotal to Fenwick and they look to this for ways to evolve the company.
It is because they are always trying to put the next big thing in front of their customers that there are so many of these unique partnerships, along with new investment in elements such as the food hall, beauty hall, fashion and F&B.
The element of F&B and on a wider scale, hospitality, is another major part of the evolving proposition at Fenwick. Looking to capture different moments in people’s day to day lives, the offer features elements such as cafes, restaurants, cocktail bars as well as family offerings such as Hopscotch on the third floor.
“Hopscotch is a fantastic local business that perfectly reflects the kind of experiences we want to create at Fenwick. It’s a space where children can play, explore and be inspired, while parents can relax and enjoy quality time together. It’s part of our ambition to create a truly multi-generational destination, bringing together retail, food, drink and experiences in a way that encourages customers to spend more time with us. We’ll continue to look for opportunities to evolve the store and create even more reasons for people to visit,” Leo comments.
Like F&B and retail, physical and digital are also now more connected than ever and the business has worked hard in recent years on its digital platform so that customers can have a seamless experience both on and offline. The idea is that what people feel, see and use online is exactly the same in store, with the same sense of service, personalisation and product curation available regardless of the platform guests are using.
Having remained a family-owned entity throughout its lifetime, Leo feels that for him personally and the wider leadership team, they have a duty to ensure the business is in good health and in a better position for the next generation. He also highlights that it is a privilege to maintain their key position in the communities in which they are present.
“Today and in the future, I want Fenwick to be at the forefront of the retail experience. We want to create a destination where people in this increasingly digital world come out to meet people and maintain that human connection. We strive to build a place that people want to spend time at because it is innovative, independent, leads on its own with its own voice and is essentially, at the heart of British retail,” concludes Leo.
