17th August 2020

Perega supports Selfridges to ‘change the way we shop’

Selfridges is one of the most famous names in global retail and its flagship department store in Oxford Street is an iconic building with great historical significance.

Perega has a long association with Selfridges, providing consultancy on a multitude of different projects over the years. We were delighted to be asked to provide structural oversight for its latest initiative, Project Earth.

A campaign focused on sustainability and ethical practices, Project Earth represents a milestone for Selfridges. Putting eco-friendliness at the heart of consumer decision making, its aim is to change the way we shop, promoting environmental responsibility to reinvent the retail experience.

Working with its many prestige brand partners, Selfridges will be actively working to address the types of material used in products and the way they are manufactured.

An essential part of the promotion of this campaign included affixing an eye-catching, large scale luminous installation, spelling out Project Earth’s slogan, to the façade of the shop’s south east corner. Using historical drawings and the experience accrued from other, similar Selfridges’ projects, we were able to ensure rapid, safe and secure connection whilst maintaining the building’s integrity.

We also assisted with the delivery of an ambitious display on the ground floor, showcasing the greenest and quickest Land Rover Defender on the planet, to highlight how these vehicles can be upgraded to be more sustainable without loss of performance. Converting the car to electric significantly increased its weight so we had to conduct extensive surveys to ensure the floor was capable of supporting it.  Getting the Land Rover into the store took several hours overnight, with two of the store’s front doors having to be removed by crane.

One of our directors, Rob Barnes, who was involved in the project, says, “We’ve worked with Selfridges for a number of years and it was a pleasure to be involved in something with such a positive and important message. The efficiency with which we delivered the required work is testament to our deep understanding of the building and its various nuances and specifics.”

He continues, “Aside from the slogan installation and load bearing work, we also assisted Prada in the re-fit of its boutique to promote its association with Project Earth through its associated campaign, Re-Nylon. This ecological approach to fashion innovation will explore ways to re-imagine waste plastic as a material for haute couture. We helped the team establish a striking visual display of discarded fishing nets and textile waste throughout the concession, ensuring it was safely specified and posed no risk to customers entering the shop.”

For more examples of our work in this sector, visit our “Retail Sector” page.