On Monday 29 July, Selfridges opened its Christmas store on Oxford Street in London, just under five months before the big day. The world-famous department store claims to be the first in the world to have opened its Christmas section this year.
Last year, Selfridges’ Christmas store opened two days later than this year, on 31 July. A spokesperson for the department store explained to The Independent that the Christmas section tends to open annually on the last Monday of July.
They added that the shop’s Christmas section is typically the first in the UK, if not Europe, to open among department stores. Eleanor Gregory, Christmas and home buyer at Selfridges, explained that the department store’s Christmas section is particularly popular among tourists visiting the capital.
“We have so many customers visiting from all over the world, eager to snap up festive decorations and souvenirs on their London summer holidays which they can’t buy at home, Our summer Christmas shop launch simply addresses the growing demand for convenience Christmas shopping outside the traditional Christmas season from many of our customers.”
Gregory added that a “large number of domestic customers” also like to do their Christmas shopping early on in the year so that they can take it “off their to-do list”.
