Fortnum and Mason revamps flagship to appeal to wider audience

Fortnum and Mason is attempting to shed its image as a grocer for the super rich by revamping its flagship store in Piccadilly, according to reports from The Telegraph.

The retailer will re-open the third floor of its store on Piccadilly in London as a “creative hub” focused on food and drink.

The floor previously housed a menswear department which was closed during the pandemic.

The new third floor will host cooking demonstrations by international and in-house chefs as well as a gin distillery. The company also stated that the distillery will make a low-alcohol gin as well as full strength spirits.

Furthermore, the revamp will include a hamper personalisation service and a cook shop which will sell kitchenware, cook books and ingredients.

CEO Tom Athron told The Telegraph: “The whole strategy around Fortnum has been for, for a while now, to become more relevant to more people more often.It’s less about a sort of gross exclusivity or the mystique of formidableness, but much more about being warm and welcoming and inclusive and all of those things.”

“I love our overseas customers, they are an incredibly important part of what we do. But if I was to design propositions that would just appeal to tourists, I think that it would be less attractive to our domestic customer base. Whereas if I focus on becoming more relevant to our domestic customers, the tourists will come anyway.”

Fortnum and Mason was founded in 1707 by Hugh Mason and William Fortnum to sell discarded candles from St James Palace.