Selfridges Celebrates Food

Luxury London department store Selfridges is set to host a series of food-focused events celebrating the makers and producers behind the products in its food hall and restaurants.

Over the next eight weeks, Meet the Makers will invite foodies to enjoy a series of gourmet events and installations in-store.

• Food-focused VM: Selfridges will dedicate its window displays to artisan food and drink producers, with spaces designed by the London-based Meringue Girls and sugar artist Fernando Laposse. For more on inspiring food-focused visual merchandising, take a look at New Food Emporiums.

• Meet the Michelins: The store's Corner Restaurant will host a series of pop-up dinners prepared by Michelin-starred chefs including Matt Gillan, Olly Rouse and Michael Wignall. Meanwhile, highlighting ingredient provenance, Hix Selfridges will offer a three-course dinner made from locally produced British food, as well as talks from the ingredient suppliers and chef Mark Hix. For more on the hybridisation of retail and hospitality environments, see Retailer-Restaurants.

• DIY Magnum: Ice-cream brand Magnum will host a pop-up parlour allowing patrons to customise their ice creams. Shoppers will be offered a Magnum dipped in chocolate and can handpick from a selection of toppings including rose petals, marshmallows and chilli flakes. For more on the rising value of co-creation in the retail space, see Show & Tell Retail: Revealing the Journey and Product Hubs: Experimentation & Co-Creation.

Shrewd retailers are tapping into a recessionary appetite for such small, affordable, edible indulgences. Read more on this in Confection Destinations and Super-Luxe Snacking.

Selfridges is well-known for hosting innovative events. Earlier this year, the shop held The Festival of Imagination – a series of events on design innovation and the wider power of creative culture; and The Beauty Project, where workshops, live talks and immersive retail experiences aimed to "celebrate the individualism and diversity of beauty".

For more on adding value through education-based initiatives, see Edutainment Retailing. For more on Selfridges' use of creativity as a key commercial weapon, see also The Selfridges Effect.