Shopping queen The woman who turned around the image of Harvey Nichols tells Noella Pio Kivlehan how developers could be doing more to help the independent sector
Mary Portas is no fan of Primark. Heck, she’s no fan of a lot of things concerning the UK retail sector right now: rents, supermarkets, fast fashion, unsympathetic developers. But what Portas is passionate about is the image of the UK’s retail market – how it’s developing, how shop staff treat customers, and especially how independent retailers are treated.
A noted retail guru, Portas took Harvey Nichols in London and turned it into Princess Diana’s – and the nation’s – favourite store (see panel, p35). However, in recent years she has built a TV and broader media reputation through helping struggling independent retailers – think Gordon Ramsay on Kitchen Nightmares, but without the swearing.
Her BBC2 show, Mary Queen of Shops, has had many successes and, when speaking to Portas, it is easy to understand why: she is forthright with her views and has no qualms about saying what she thinks is right – or wrong.
“Why are developers not giving peppercorn rents to our independents, and saying to them ‘we have to create enjoyable spaces – make the layout great, the light fantastic’?” she asks.
“It’s about making places fun to be in, and we have lost that. Mass market chains are unable to keep that [individuality] going, as investing in that encroaches on profitability. The big chains just can’t be arsed because they have market share and they can just pump it out.”
There is no doubt that Portas is a champion of independent retailers. “What keeps me awake at night is that unless we give independents a voice, the supermarkets will take over and we will lose the heart and soul of individual shopping.
“I have called on the big names to come out and support independents, but they only do so when there is a camera peeking at them. Until those big, greedy boys support independents we will lose our high street and we will lose our identities.
“I also want the town councils that give the supermarkets car parking space and peppercorn rents to do the same for the independents. Why don’t we say to those guys [the big retailers]: ‘you pay 20% rent and we will let the independents have their units for free’?”
Given her views, it might rightly be thought that she would hate the new raft of shopping malls. But she is a fan of Westfield London, in west London, which opened in September 2008.
Consumer mindset
“Whether you love shopping centres or not, consumers want the access and convenience they offer,” she says. “The type of shopping depends on the mindset of the consumer – you either want to go local or you want to shop in shopping centres.
“What makes great retailing is the mix. For quite a small island, the UK is unique in the [kind of] shopping malls and markets it has.
“Looking at the big developments, there was a worry that Westfield would affect Oxford Street, but it hasn’t. If you, as a developer, can tap into the mindset of the consumer then you can understand the lifestyle of the consumer.”
However, Portas is aggrieved by the lack of vision shown by developers and councils alike. She says: “Go back 20 years to Marylebone high street – it is a classic example of someone with vision, someone who had the foresight to put Conran [with the restaurant, Orrery] at the top of that street [to attract footfall].”
On the issue of local authority vision, Portas recalls the opening of Harvey Nichols in Leeds in 1996. Rolling her eyes, she says: “We were up against Tesco [for the site] when we opened. Can you believe it?”
But will the recession, and lack of money, affect this “vision”? “Vision doesn’t need money,” says Portas emphatically. “We are the most creative people in the world.”
Portas is touting the new developments in east London as a location with potential. “With Stratford, you can feel it will be a new place, the new cool site – and young, sophisticated people will create their tribes there.”
Some places, however, have lost their claim to coolness. In an interview last year, Portas named Gap as her favourite store, but times have changed in the recession – and so has her opinion.
“Sadly, with the market as it is, Gap doesn’t have a huge relevance to customers today,” she says. “It is a big business across the US but look at middle America – the people there are not interested in fashion.”
Portas believes the fashion giant needs to redefine itself. “Gap needs to give its basics sex appeal. Abercrombie & Fitch did it – it made basics sexually inspirational. Basically, London’s Abercrombie shop is Gap in a nightclub. The reason Abercrombie & Fitch is so successful is because it is an exciting retail shop.”
Abercrombie came through the recession, but others have not been so lucky. “The loss of Woolworths was tragic, but the rest [of those that closed] can sail just off the high street,” says Portas, dismissively.
“We had 15 years of people buying something and, if it went wrong, they just chucked it away. But now people are becoming more discerning and more aware of their world.
“I hope that what comes out of the recession and all the environmental issues is that we start to think about how we spend, and start to demand more from the retailer.”
However, Portas laments that some things will not be changed by the recession. “Sadly, the big brands will still be there, but I hope that we will become ‘slower’ shoppers and that we will see the end of fast fashion.
Fast food market
“Look at the fast-food market 20 years ago – it was all about McDonald’s, but now it’s become Pret, Eat and noodle bars. Fast food hasn’t stopped evolving, but it has become better.”
As part of the fast-fashion sector, Primark is a real thorn in Portas’s side; she believes it has led to consumers buying more than they need because the store’s products are considered cheap.
Regarding the retail sector as a whole, Portas says: “If you look at the food sector, you practically have rock stars. Everybody wants to be the next Gordon Ramsay or Jamie Oliver. So far, our sex symbol is Philip Green!
“The biggest thing that needs to happen in retailing is for retailers to be proud of their industry. We need to put pride into retail.”
Portas’s top five retailers
Apple: “Superb. Innovative. People who really know their products”
Liberty: “An absolutely beautiful shop”
Gap: “It has lost its place in the global fashion stakes, but it is still superb”
Urban Outfitters: “Really cool and quirky”
John Lewis: “I trust anything it says. You can go back to it time and again and [the staff] will always listen to you and believe you”
Portas – a potted history
Born in Hertfordshire in 1960, Portas experienced twin tragedies at an early age. Her mother died when she was 16, and her father passed away just two years later.
Portas had been studying drama at RADA when her father’s death left her an orphan in charge of her younger brother. She then left RADA to study graphics and visual display at the Watford School of Art.
Her retail career started at John Lewis. She joined Harrods in 1982, then moved onto Topshop’s flagship store in Oxford Street.
In 1990 she joined Harvey Nichols, where she pioneered the store’s multi-function use with the opening of the Fifth Floor restaurant – a first in a UK department store.
Famously, Portas was introduced to Absolutely Fabulous star Jennifer Saunders and, in exchange for Saunders having the run of the store for research purposes, her character, Edina, had to name drop “Harvey Nicks” constantly.
After Harvey Nichols, Portas set up Yellowdoor, a retail communications agency which advises clients on fashion, retail, and beauty brands.
Portas strongly champions independent retailers and service, and asks: “Unless we up the shopping experience and deliver service – and shops become a destination – why would the public want to leave their homes?”
