Selfridges will reopen, and Managing Director Anne Pitcher believes, “We will change the way we shop from this point on forever. We will shop more digitally, there will be fewer stores, I’m afraid.”

She continued, “People in the short term will not want to visit public spaces as often or attend large events. It will be the most difficult year ahead of us that we’ve ever known. It’s the years beyond that are going to be the exciting times. This is about reinventing retail, nothing less. Stores will be different forever.”

Selfridges opened its food hall five weeks ago with steady local traffic to the greengrocer, bakery, butcher. The retailer is opening stores this week, and while they will not be able to reopen services like makeup and hair appointments or restaurants and the cinema, it’s hoping a mix of virtual experiences and live entertainment will help customers feel pampered.

Stores director of Selfridges Meave Wall said to The Guardian: “We will be bringing a little bit more life and a joyful experience for customers who come to our stores.”

• The number of guests allowed into the store will be in line with the COVID-19 government guidance, but entertainment will be provided for those waiting outside.
• All staff will be given the option of wearing a mask and will have their temperature checked before they start work.
• London store opening hours have been reduced and will open from 11 am to 7 pm, with similar times elsewhere.
• Private shopping appointments are available for an hour before opening and an hour after closing, with advisers keeping the two-meter physical-distancing rule.
• Fashion and beauty personal shopping appointments will also be taken by video call.
• Shoppers will be allowed to browse, with cleaners and shop assistants regularly wiping down surfaces.
• Some changing rooms will reopen with staff sanitizing them after each use.
• Clothes that have been tried on by customers will be steam-cleaned or quarantined for at least three days.
• Testers will not be available in the beauty halls, but assistants will be able to show products on their own skin from a safe distance.
• Hi-tech people counters will ensure the stores do not get too crowded, with greeters on the door telling shoppers if they can enter or must wait.
• A focus online will continue with beauty tutorials and virtual gift advice.

Selfridges online sales have doubled with lipstick, lingerie, loungewear, and kitchen accessories all in high demand, but the closures of the company’s four top-end department stores dealt a blow to overall sales.

“The good news is that I think we do have a future. We’ve been in business since 1909 and we’ll be here for a lot longer,” said Pitcher.