Selfridges secures approval for exclusive members club on Oxford Street

Luxury retailer Selfridges is preparing to enter the private members club market. Westminster Council has granted the department store group permission to transform part of its Oxford Street flagship into an exclusive space for select clientele, fusing retail tradition with modern demands for ‘experiential’ shopping.

The approved plans, passed unanimously at a Westminster Council meeting this week, will see the store’s fourth-floor staff areas repurposed into a by-invitation-only club and dining terrace. A caveat was included: no music, live or amplified, will be permitted on the outdoor space. But the message from officials was clear. “I think the message tonight is that Westminster loves Selfridges,” said Councillor Patrick Lilley, who chaired the session, as was reported by City AM.

From a fashion critic's point of view, this pivot is as much about cultural currency as commercial survival. In the face of stiff digital competition, Selfridges is betting on bricks and mortar with velvet-rope appeal. “This proposal will allow Selfridges to thrive and succeed along the world-renowned shopping destination that is Oxford Street,” Guy Bransby, a partner at Montagu Evans and representative for the retailer told City AM. The aim, he noted, is not simply exclusivity for its own sake, but a “complement” to the store’s main retail function—offering “new shopping experiences” that digital channels can’t replicate.

The plan also aligns with a broader revitalisation effort for Oxford Street itself. Mayor Sadiq Khan’s pedestrianisation scheme will potentially transform the thoroughfare into a more walkable, event-led retail zone.

In the words of Councillor Fisher: “Oxford Street is really, really important to Westminster… I think [the members club] will be a great offering to visitors and people who shop on this street regularly as well.”

Selfridges’ latest play is part of a wider pattern among luxury retailers, who have increasingly turned to hospitality, art, and private events to inject their spaces with exclusivity and emotional pull. For a department store already known for avant-garde window displays and immersive retail, the addition of a members club could be the next logical chapter in a history of self-reinvention. In the spirit of Oscar Wilde’s quip about clubs and credibility, the real trick will be convincing the right people to want in.