by Min Luu

Luxury retailer Selfridges beat off competition from France’s Printemps and Italy’s Rinascente to win the title of 2018’s best department store in the world for the fourth consecutive time.

The award was announced at the latest Global Department Store Summit held in London, organised by the Intercontinental Group of Department Stores. The British department store was recognised for its outstanding leadership in delivering excellent customer service, successful developments and executions of product, store, online and service innovation strategies, a remarkable business acumen, creativity and a commitment to sustainability.

Most famous for its iconic flagship store on Oxford Street in London, Selfridges will hang on to its title until 2020.

The managing director of Selfridges, Anne Pitcher said: “We are thrilled to have Selfridges recognised again as the best department store in the world.

“This award is a huge honour and perfectly timed, as we near the completion of our transformation programme for Selfridges London.”

Founded in 1909 by American businessman H. Gordon Selfridge, Selfridges is the second largest shop in the UK. The company is aiming to complete a £300 million refurbishment of its flagship London store by the end of 2018.

Pitcher added: “It is also a great tribute to the commitment of our teams and gives us even greater inspiration to exceed our customers’ expectations, in delivering extraordinary experiences.”

The Intercontinental Group of Department Stores is the largest association of department stores worldwide and has 42 members from 38 countries on five continents. Its Global Department Store Summit is held every two years and is the world’s only department store-focused discussion platform. The award ceremony was attended by over 380 leading executives and stakeholders from around the world.